Vice President of Sales

ZERO ZONE INC • North Prairie, WI

1d • $200,000 - $250,000 • Onsite

About The Position

The Vice President of Sales reports directly to the CEO and leads sales activities for a growing manufacturing organization. The role focuses primarily on sales leadership and management, including executing sales strategy, developing team performance, maintaining pipeline quality, and delivering profitable growth. The Vice President serves as executive sponsor and closer on the largest and most strategic opportunities, while coaching and leading a veteran sales team. Directors of Sales responsible for retail and industrial customer bases report to this position. The role also evaluates the long-term use of manufacturer representative firms compared with a fully direct sales model.

The position is based at Zero Zone’s North Prairie, Wisconsin location and requires national travel of approximately 25%. The Vice President is an active member of the senior leadership team and works with Marketing and Product Management to support customer-informed decisions and company strategy.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• Seven or more years of senior sales leadership experience in manufacturing, engineered systems, or industrial products.
• Proven ability to lead consultative, value-based sales organizations selling complex solutions rather than commodity products.
• Experience developing and managing sales plans, budgets, metrics, dashboards, pipeline management, forecasting, sales processes, and CRM systems.
• Strong background in proposal development, specification-driven selling, and contract negotiation.
• Track record of planning and executing successful growth initiatives and strategic account acquisition efforts.
• Ability to bring structure, consistency, and accountability to a sales organization that values high levels of customer service.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills and executive presence to engage senior customer decision-makers.
• Strong people leadership skills and ability to build trust-based relationships with sales leaders, customers, and internal stakeholders.
• Ability to identify and prioritize sales strategies aligned with company capabilities, margin objectives, and long-term value creation.
• Skill in consultative selling, opportunity qualification, and uncovering customer needs through disciplined questioning.
• Understanding of the business implications of sales decisions, with an orientation toward profitability and total cost of ownership value.
• Organized, confident, results-oriented, and able to manage multiple priorities while maintaining execution focus.
• Ability to proactively identify strategic opportunities while avoiding low-fit pursuits.
• Willingness to travel nationally approximately 25%.
• Currently and legally authorized to work in the United States without current or future immigration sponsorship.
• Maintain a positive work attitude and behave and communicate in a manner that facilitates good relationships with customers, clients, coworkers, and supervisors.
• Wear safety-toe shoes and safety glasses in production areas.
• Occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds; regularly sit, stand, and walk, use hands and fingers to operate office equipment, reach with hands and arms, and talk or hear.

Nice To Haves

• A technical or engineering-oriented degree.
• An MBA.

Responsibilities

• Learn the company’s products, culture, markets, and strategic priorities.
• Participate in the senior leadership team and contribute to business strategy and execution.
• Develop and execute the sales plan, including target regions, markets, channels, and customers, with an emphasis on food retail customers.
• Reinforce the company’s disciplined sales methodology, pursue ideal-fit customers, and improve win rates through rigorous qualification.
• Own and manage the sales pipeline, ensuring opportunity quality, forecast accuracy, and alignment with operational capacity.
• Serve as executive sponsor and closer on the largest, most complex, and most strategic opportunities.
• Organize, develop, and lead the external sales organization, including coaching, mentoring, and performance management of Directors and Regional Sales Managers.
• Build accountability across sales and customer-facing functions through clear expectations, KPIs, and follow-through.
• Develop, execute, and manage the sales budget.
• Oversee and improve sales training and onboarding for new sales leaders and contributors.
• Monitor competitive activity, market trends, and customer needs, and share insights with executive leadership.
• Collaborate with Marketing and Product Management by providing structured sales input and supporting a Voice-of-Customer-driven approach.
• Evaluate the long-term role of manufacturer representative firms compared with a fully direct sales model.

Benefits

• Vacation and personal hours available after 30 days.
• Competitive wages.
• Comprehensive benefits package, including medical, dental, vision, life insurance, short-term disability, long-term disability, AD&D, HSA/FSA, and EAP.
• 401(k) and profit sharing.
• 10 paid holidays.
• Flexible schedules.
• Casual dress code.
• Wellness programs and incentives.
• Steel-toe reimbursement.
• Employee engagement programs.
• One-time home computer reimbursement.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Executive