North American Sales Manager - Superhard Materials & Advanced Components

Anglo American / De Beers Group•Santa Clara, CA

1d•Onsite

About The Position

Element Six, part of the De Beers Group of Companies, is seeking an experienced, technically adept commercial leader to drive North American sales of advanced diamond materials and high-tech solutions. Based at the Customer and Application Technology Centre (CATEC) in Santa Clara, California, the role is responsible for delivering significant revenue in 2027 through commercial adoption of synthetic diamond solutions grown via Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD). The role leads commercialization of precision-engineered synthetic diamond materials, substrates, and components for high-value, volume-scaling technology applications where diamond’s physical, thermal, optical, and electrochemical properties outperform conventional materials. A key strategic objective is to work with Business Development and Operations to move breakthrough designs into sustained high-volume production and increase utilization of the CVD reactor fleet at the Gresham, Oregon synthesis facility. The Sales Manager owns North American commercial growth, revenue delivery, forecasting, pipeline conversion, pricing, and contract negotiations across technology OEMs, defense contractors, research institutions, and emerging technology companies. The role develops customer opportunities and design-ins across thermal management, optical systems, quantum technologies, water treatment and electrochemistry, and mechanical and precision applications. The position directly leads a five-person technical sales and applications team comprising three Field Sales Account Managers, one Diamond Applications Engineer, and one Inside Sales Engineer. It also works closely with production and engineering teams in Gresham, global Business Development, and R&D to align customer demand, production capacity, quality, fulfillment, and product development with commercial goals.

Requirements

Bachelor of Science in Materials Science, Physics, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Chemistry, or a closely related STEM discipline.
8–10+ years of progressive commercial sales and business development experience selling high-performance materials, advanced engineered components, or substrates into semiconductor, optoelectronics, defense, or advanced hardware sectors.
At least 3–5 years of direct commercial or technical experience involving synthetic diamond, carbon materials, wide bandgap semiconductors, or CVD thin-film or bulk material processes.
Proven track record of managing a team delivering an annual revenue budget in OEM/design-in component environments.
Deep understanding of high-tech OEM qualification lifecycles, intellectual property frameworks, and custom material integration.
Demonstrated ability to lead and coach technical application engineers and commercial sales representatives.
Willingness to travel approximately 30–40% across North America.
Ability to adapt and work effectively in a fast-moving environment, including leading change.
Ability to make clear, timely decisions, provide explicit guidance, and take ownership of decisions.
Ability to develop team behavior and performance.
Ability to avoid unnecessary complexity and consider the wider organizational implications of local decisions.
Accountability, including valuing perspectives from across the business.
Self-motivation, comfort with responsibility, and demonstrated mentoring and coaching experience.
Ability to communicate effectively and collaborate.

Nice To Haves

Master of Science in a technical discipline.
Master of Business Administration.

Responsibilities

Own and execute the North American commercial growth strategy to meet and exceed the 2027 revenue target.
Manage sales forecasting, pipeline conversion, pricing strategies, and contract negotiations with tier-1 technology OEMs, defense contractors, research institutions, and emerging technology innovators.
Identify applications where synthetic diamond properties can improve system performance and reduce total cost of ownership as CVD synthesis volumes scale.
Lead customer acquisition and design-in cycles across thermal management, optical systems, quantum technologies, water treatment and electrochemistry, and mechanical and precision applications.
Directly lead, mentor, and hold accountable a five-person technical sales and applications team.
Foster a culture of technical rigor, active pipeline management, customer empathy, and value selling.
Collaborate with Gresham production and engineering teams to align customer demand forecasts with CVD reactor schedules and ensure quality and on-time fulfillment.
Align commercial strategy with plant economics, prioritizing product lines and supply agreements that maximize CVD reactor run-time and asset utilization.
Work with global Business Development and R&D organizations to transition new material formulations and product developments into scalable commercial revenue streams.
Travel across North America to client facilities and the Gresham, Oregon production plant as required.