Sales Director

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and execute the North America commercial strategy aligned with regional and global business objectives.
• Own revenue targets, profitability goals, and market share growth across the United States and Canada.
• Lead short- and mid-term strategic planning (1–3 years) including market penetration, customer acquisition, and expansion initiatives.
• Identify and prioritize key end-user segments, vertical markets, and growth opportunities.
• Partner with executive leadership to align commercial priorities with operational capabilities and product strategies.
• Drive new business acquisition through direct engagement, strategic partnerships, and distribution channels.
• Serve as executive sponsor and primary relationship owner for highly visible, strategic, and national accounts.
• Identify large and complex bid opportunities; lead negotiation strategy and commercial positioning.
• Oversee proposal development, pricing strategy, value positioning, and contract negotiations.
• Build and maintain a strong regional pipeline and ensure accurate forecasting of sales opportunities.
• Develop growth strategies for key markets including industrial, commercial, marine, OEM, and special hazard fire protection applications.
• Develop and expand distribution networks and channel partnerships throughout North America.
• Lead territory planning, channel strategy, and partner performance management.
• Strengthen relationships with distributors, system integrators, consultants, EPC firms, and key industry influencers.
• Evaluate channel effectiveness and implement initiatives to improve market coverage and commercial performance.
• Build long-term strategic relationships with key customers, consultants, and industry stakeholders.
• Represent the company at industry events, trade associations, customer meetings, and trade shows.
• Provide regular market intelligence including competitor activity, pricing trends, customer feedback, and emerging technologies.
• Deliver commercial insights to leadership to influence product development, innovation, and go-to-market strategies.
• Promote customer-centric selling strategies focused on value creation and long-term partnerships.
• Lead, coach, and develop the North America sales team to achieve performance targets and growth objectives.
• Establish clear KPIs, accountability structures, and performance management processes.
• Foster a high-performance, customer-focused sales culture centered on collaboration, accountability, and continuous improvement.
• Influence and collaborate cross-functionally with operations, engineering, finance, marketing, product management, and customer service teams.
• Support talent development, succession planning, and organizational capability building within the commercial organization.
• Ensure disciplined CRM utilization, reporting accuracy, and forecasting consistency.
• Maintain compliance with contractual, legal, regulatory, and corporate governance requirements.
• Drive continuous improvement in sales processes, commercial effectiveness, and customer engagement practices.
• Support pricing governance, margin management, and commercial risk mitigation initiatives.

Qualifications & Experience

• 10+ years of progressive sales experience, with at least 5 years in a commercial leadership role.
• Experience within the Fire Protection, Industrial Safety, Building Systems, OEM, or related technical industries strongly preferred.
• Proven success leading regional or national sales organizations across North America.
• Strong experience in distribution/channel development and strategic account management.
• Demonstrated success managing complex negotiations, commercial agreements, and large-scale customer relationships.
• Experience presenting technical and commercial solutions to distributors, end users, consultants, EPC firms, and executive stakeholders.
• Strong understanding of contractual frameworks, compliance requirements, and commercial risk management.
• Excellent written, verbal, presentation, and negotiation skills.
• Strong leadership presence with the ability to influence at executive and customer levels.
• High level of initiative, strategic thinking, business acumen, and decision-making capability.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications and CRM platforms.
• Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s degree in Business, Engineering, or related field preferred.
• Willingness to travel up to 40–50% across North America.