Category Manager – Aerospace Category, CSE (Combat Support Equipment) Market

ADS, Inc.•Virginia Beach, VA

11h•Onsite

About The Position

ADS, Inc. began more than 20 years ago by outfitting Navy SEALS with quality dive equipment, and today we're proud to manage 3,000 supplier partnerships and over 50,000 products. ADS, Inc. is seeking a self-starter to lead and own revenue generation for our CSE AEROSPACE Category. This role requires a team player that is responsible for sustainable growth within the CSE AEROSPACE Category across all ADS sales channels. An effective Category Manager understands and can articulate ADS' niche in the marketplace, the industrial base partnerships required to be successful and convert that understanding into an effective go-to-market strategy that increases revenue, value to the supplier base and internal customer base. The right candidate will deliver value through strategic planning, effective negotiations, delivering impactful capability briefs, and general sales execution. The Category Manager will build strong partnerships with external/internal stakeholders to identify new opportunities, negotiate cost savings and return profits on time invested. Vast competencies and knowledge in contract development, including key contracting principles, standard terms, and a strong grasp on industry trends and standards will be expected.

Requirements

5 years’ experience with US Government contracting and acquisition
2 years’ successful experience in business development and/or program management
3+ years’ experience in Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, and Word must be highly proficient
3+ years’ experience in applicable industries
Must demonstrate drive and ability to solve problems independently, without prompting
Must be hungry to create opportunities and find new business
Must possess strong and fearless negotiations skills while still managing relationships with finesse
(ADS experience may be substituted for any of the above at the manager's discretion)
Extensive travel required (50% or 2 (+/-) weeks of every month)

Nice To Haves

Experience selling to the military or government highly preferred
Prior Aerospace experience strongly preferred
Prior Salesforce or other CRM software experience
Understanding of government contracts, defense procurement and relevant purchasing methods desired

Responsibilities

Negotiate terms with new and existing suppliers to maximize overall margin
Identify new vendors and assess viability for partnerships
Travel to new vendor facilities to assess capability and products and to best understand where ADS can add value
Travel to applicable industry trade shows and ADS sponsored events
Maintain deep relationships with existing vendor community - continually reinforce ADS value proposition
Understand competitive landscape for category, both customer facing and vendor facing
Develop a strong understanding of territory and white space for targeted growth by conducting ride-alongs, sales planning with internal associates, post order follow-ups, etc.
Create and execute sales initiatives that bring value and margin to ADS Sales reps and vendors
Develop & present annual plan for suppliers and sales
Assess this plan quarterly and adjust as needed
Develop long term plan for Category growth
Engaging in deal strategy & negotiations
Actively logging all sales activity using internal CRM
Deep understanding of existing contracts available in your category and exploration to gain additional applicable contracts avenues for acquisition
Support capture efforts for new contracts
May have direct report of Supplier Account Manager(s)