Sales Manager

Area51 Electronics•Irvine, CA

1d•$88,000•Onsite

About The Position

Area51 Electronics is seeking a Sales Manager who embodies the mindset of Extreme Ownership – a leader who takes full responsibility for outcomes, drives results with clarity and discipline, leads by example, and empowers their group to excel through accountability, risk-based thinking, and continuous improvements. This leader will oversee a group of Account Managers dedicated to a single Aerospace & Defense customer. The primary objective of this position is to drive sustainable revenue growth by enhancing customer relationships, promoting complimentary authorized lines, improving internal processes, and empowering the group to consistently meet or exceed goals. Area51 Electronics is a distributor of electronic, electrical, electromechanical components, hardware, and assemblies. We believe that every component we supply plays a meaningful role in advancing innovation and reliability across critical industries—including aerospace & defense, industrial & automation, automotive & transportation, energy, and medical; ultimately contributing to solutions that impact lives and shape the future.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in any field.
Minimum five years in a B2B Sales management or leadership role.
Minimum three years of Aerospace & Defense experience; including knowledge of quality requirements, DFARs, and FARs.
Professional English communication skills, both verbal and written, with the ability to convey ideas clearly and professionally to diverse audiences.
Strong Active Listening: The ability to understand and respond effectively to others by fully engaging with the speaker to grasp their message, emotions, and intent.
Demonstrated proficiency in using computers efficiently for a variety of tasks, including navigating software systems, managing digital files, and troubleshooting minor issues.
Advanced working knowledge of MS 365, Outlook, Word, and Excel, with the ability to create, edit, and manage documents, emails, and spreadsheets with accuracy and efficiency.
Ability to quickly learn and proficiently operate Area51 Electronics’ proprietary software system to perform daily tasks accurately and efficiently.
Ability to quickly learn and adhere to the company’s QMS and comply with all applicable policies, procedures, and forms.
Demonstrate strong decision-making skills by evaluating data, assessing risks, and consider financial and operational impacts to choose the most effective course of action. Clearly communicates the rationale behind those decisions.
Applies both analytical and innovative thinking to develop solutions, improve processes, and seize opportunities.
Capable of identifying potential challenges early and taking initiative to manage or resolve them independently.
Efficiently allocates resources to meet deadlines.
Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple tasks, set priorities, and complete assignments independently with a high level of accuracy and attention to detail.
Maintains a positive, flexible attitude and effectively adjusts to changing priorities, tasks, and schedules.
Exercises discretion and sound judgment in handling sensitive or confidential information in accordance with the company’s policies and procedures.
Open to receiving constructive feedback and able to implement suggested changes promptly and effectively.
Consistently demonstrates professionalism in behavior, appearance, and interactions with team members, customers, and suppliers.
Willing and able to work collaboratively with others, contributing to a positive and productive team environment.
Self-motivated with the ability to work independently, manage time effectively, and maintain productivity without constant direct supervision.
Ability to travel domestically, approximately 5–10% of the year.
Reason and Analyze: Continuous
Read/Comprehend English: Continuous
Generate Written Work Product: Continuous
Communicate Orally in English: Continuous
Work Under Time Pressure: Continuous
Independent Problem Solving: Continuous
Interruptions: Continuous
Maintain Team Collaboration: Continuous
Organize: Continuous
Prioritize: Continuous
Computations: Continuous

Responsibilities

Develop, execute, and monitor a customer growth plan that aligns with company goals and drives measurable results.
Identify new business opportunities, using risk-based thinking, within the customer and align internal groups and capabilities to meet customer needs.
Lead the planning and execution of customer visits (including customer events and internal customer meetings), including agendas, presentations, and travel coordination.
Establish and monitor metrics to assess performance, optimize processes, and support actions.
Establish trusted relationships with customer stakeholders, including key decision-makers and representatives across their departments, sectors, and/or groups.
Lead, mentor, and develop a group through one-on-one coaching, performance reviews, and feedback.
Set clear performance expectations and goals to ensure alignment with team objectives and organizational priorities.
Monitor metrics to assess performance and support actions.
Organize and lead group meetings.
Interview, onboard, and lead the training of new team members.
Support Account Managers with customer RFQs and Purchase Orders (POs), and contract reviews, when needed.
Ensure RFQs and Bookings, are completed in accordance with our Quality Management System (QMS); including meeting or exceeding our Quality Objectives.
Monitor customer stocking plans and scheduled Bookings, and take proactive measures to ensure alignment with company expectations and/or customer requirements.
Assist in identifying and/or proposing alternative solutions (e.g., cross-referencing parts) to effectively meet customer requirements.
Review and approve Return Material Authorizations (RMAs), Nonconforming Material Reports (NCMRs), Supplier Corrective Actions Requests (SCARs); assisting in their resolution as needed.
Assign new customers to Account Managers to ensure a balanced workload across the group.
Attend recurring weekly and monthly customer scheduled meetings.
Ensure customer requests (e.g., expediting, issue escalations, SCARs, etc.) are resolved in a timely manner.
Review and/or complete customer related documents (e.g., supplier surveys, NDAs, SCARs, etc.).
Utilize the customer’s portal to access and accept POs, and resolve any related issues.
Ensure accepted POs are aligned with our QMS and workflow capacity.
Prioritize, when needed, customer orders by evaluating workflow capacity and order criticality.
Ensure the decisions reflect short-time urgency and contractual obligations.
Maintain visibility and communication around prioritization decisions to support transparency and alignment.
Continuously monitor and improve the group’s processes, workflows, and technology for scalability, efficiency, and customer satisfaction.
Monitor metrics to assess performance, optimize processes, and support actions.
Develop or assist in the development (or implementation) of processes, technology, and reports.
Prepare for and lead audits: Obtain supporting documentation necessary for the audit (e.g., Bookings, Certificates, Packing Slips, POs, etc.). Schedule and meet with Account Managers and team members to prepare for the audit.