Vice President, Strategic Markets

About the role

The Vice President of Strategic Markets leads a team of experienced Strategic Market Directors in transforming high-level market intelligence into strategy and execution. This role is pivotal in ensuring the organization meets or exceeds its annual revenue and operating income goals.

Responsibilities

• Lead, mentor, and elevate a team of experienced Strategic Market Directors.
• Serve as a thought partner, assisting in developing their strategic market plans, stress-testing, identifying blind spots, and adjusting their go-to-market execution.
• Ensure the thoughtful application of 80/20 principles across the business to optimize resources, maximize margin targets, and focus team efforts on high-value applications, products, and key accounts.
• Provide hands-on, collaborative leadership, working directly with the sales teams in the field.
• Actively engage in developing strategies, understanding challenges, and driving execution, through direct leadership.
• Partner closely with Regional Sales leadership, Product Management, Engineering, and Operations to bridge the gap between high-level market strategy and boots-on-the-ground sales execution.
• Lead conflict resolution and customer issue management with a collaborative, cross-functional, hands-on approach. Partner with internal teams to address challenges and ensure customer satisfaction.
• Develop, implement, and track Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and metrics for the Strategic Market Directors ensuring annual revenue and operating income goals are tracked and corrections are made proactively to address challenges to the annual plan.
• Consolidate, analyze, and present vertical market forecasts, bookings, revenues, and margins to executive leadership. Ensure monthly, quarterly, and annual objectives are proactively managed and met.
• Synthesize market data, competitor activity, and macroeconomic trends to guide the team in identifying new product development opportunities.
• Support team’s value-based price strategies across markets to protect margins in fluctuating cost environments ensuring competitive position and share growth.

Requirements

• Preferred Bachelor’s degree in business administration, Marketing, Engineering, or related field; MBA or relevant advanced degree preferred.
• Minimum of 10 years in sales, business development, and commercial strategy experience, with at least 3 years in a second-level leadership role coaching and developing leaders.
• Proven track record in industrial markets; experience in the wire and cable or related electrical industry is preferred.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build relationships and influence stakeholders at all levels.
• Demonstrated financial acumen and understanding of complex P&L statements, financial planning, and metric-driven accountability frameworks.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic environment and manage multiple projects simultaneously.
• Frequent Domestic and International Travel.

Key Competencies

• Ability to apply strategic & analytical thinking to a complex market matrix and quickly discern structural weaknesses, opportunities, and growth levers.
• Ability to communicate financial realities and strategic visions across all levels, from manufacturing operations to the board room.
• Proven capability to lead and earn the respect of seasoned, highly autonomous industry veterans, guiding them toward unified corporate goals.

Working Conditions and Physical Requirements

• Ability to work long hours at a computer and performing repetitive motions.
• Ability to move objects and materials of at least 25lbs.
• Ability to collaborate with operations in a manufacturing environment.
• Ability to follow safety guidelines and wear required PPE when onsite.