Director of Distribution Sales

About the Role

Mazzella is seeking a Director of Distribution Sales to build and lead a centralized distribution sales team serving our Lifting Center service network and external commercial customers. This leader will establish a consistent sales and order-management process for standard distributed products, including wire rope, rigging items, hoists, and hoist parts. The role combines strategic leadership with hands-on execution, focusing on building the team, strengthening branch support, developing external channels, and managing sales, margin, inventory, and service performance.

Responsibilities

• Lead the launch, development, and ongoing management of the commercial distribution business and its profit-and-loss performance.
• Recruit, develop, and lead a centralized inside sales team and technical product specialists; establish clear ownership, coaching, and performance expectations.
• Create one consistent workflow for internal and external requests, covering product identification, technical validation, quoting, order entry, fulfillment coordination, and follow-up.
• Establish shared request queues and effective CRM and order-management practices to improve visibility, responsiveness, and quotation follow-up.
• Partner with Lifting Center and Service leaders to define inventory support, replenishment processes, internal pricing, service commitments, and escalation procedures.
• Clarify account ownership and coordinate mixed product-and-service opportunities to prevent channel conflict.
• Develop external business through industrial and rigging distributors, OEM accounts, end-users, and eCommerce channels.
• Manage pricing, discount authority, supplier incentives, and value-added service opportunities while protecting commercial and enterprise profitability.
• Coordinate with manufacturing and the distribution network on product availability, stock and custom requirements, sourcing, capacity, and fulfillment.
• Work with Finance on fully burdened manufacturing cost transfers, operating budgets, and reporting controls that avoid double-counting enterprise margin.
• Partner with Supply Chain and Quality & Compliance on supplier performance, critical-product sourcing, inventory controls, documentation, and appropriate technical escalation.
• Use customer feedback, lost-quote analysis, and performance reporting to improve product assortment, sales execution, and service delivery.

Qualifications

• Progressive commercial leadership experience in industrial distribution, lifting and rigging, industrial parts, or a related technical business.
• Experience leading inside sales, customer operations, or distribution sales teams with P&L or gross-margin accountability.
• Demonstrated ability to build consistent sales processes, develop employees, and manage performance using operating metrics.
• Experience balancing internal branch or affiliate requirements with external commercial sales and account relationships.
• Working knowledge of pricing, inventory management, sourcing, fulfillment, and ERP/CRM systems.
• Ability to collaborate effectively with branch leadership, manufacturing, finance, supply chain, and quality teams.
• Strong communication, analytical, negotiation, and problem-solving skills.
• Bachelor’s degree in business, supply chain, industrial distribution, engineering, or a related field, or equivalent relevant experience.

Preferred Experience

• Technical familiarity with wire rope, rigging hardware, hoist components, and related lifting products.
• Launching or scaling a centralized distribution or inside sales operation.
• Developing distributor, OEM, end-user, or eCommerce channels.
• Implementing EDI, vendor-managed inventory, or systems-linked replenishment programs.

Performance Expectations

The role will be evaluated against approved commercial and operational measures. The proposed distribution model includes the following targets, subject to final leadership approval:

• Commercial gross margin: 28%–35%.
• Inventory turns: 8–12 times annually.
• On-time delivery: 98% or higher against agreed customer service levels.
• Revenue diversification: approximately 60% internal / 40% external initially, progressing toward a 50/50 mix by Month 36.
• Customer and team performance: quotation responsiveness, order accuracy, quote conversion, issue resolution, branch satisfaction, and employee development.