Sales Manager Jobs

About The Position

Requirements

• At least eight years of experience selling pole-line hardware, anchoring, guying, or closely adjacent transmission and distribution material to U.S. electric utilities.
• Demonstrated experience developing and managing relationships with at least two cooperative-owned utility distributors, including EUDA members.
• Demonstrated experience appointing or managing manufacturers’ representative agencies, beyond simply calling on representatives.
• Ability to acclimate to cooperative culture and IOU standards and sourcing processes.
• Willingness to travel and work from the plant in Winterset or home office in Johnston, Iowa, when required by a customer or quality issue.
• Clear, direct communication and ability to write short account plans.
• Exceptional critical-thinking skills and ability to adapt to changing business needs.
• Integrity and commitment to doing what is right without taking shortcuts.
• Confidence and product knowledge without arrogance.
• Efficient time management and ability to devote appropriate time to each key accountability.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office, especially Excel and PowerPoint, and expertise with ERP systems.
• Strong persuasion, negotiation, and initiative-taking skills; purposeful approach to work.
• Sense of urgency, responsiveness, and prompt service to external prospects and customers.
• Ability to prioritize and negotiate conflicting deadlines.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality and protect proprietary company information.
• Valid driver’s license in good standing.

Nice To Haves

• Experience placing a product on an IOU construction standard or approved materials list (AML).
• Experience recovering a distributor relationship after a quality or delivery failure.
• Technical fluency in guy anchors, including holding capacity, soil, rod diameter, hub versus expanding and cross-plate designs, and installation torque versus design load.
• Lived in or covered Texas, the Southeast, or an Upper Midwest sales territory.
• Experience working for a competitor or a strong utility agency and a proven record of building successful relationships.
• Bachelor’s degree in business, marketing, engineering, or a related field; equivalent relevant experience is accepted.
• Equivalent combination of relevant industry experience, demonstrated sales accomplishments, and technical knowledge in lieu of a degree.
• Experience owning or materially influencing a utility or T&D price list, including steel or commodity cost pass-through.
• Experience commercializing a new T&D or pole-line product into utility standards, AMLs, or distributor stock.
• Experience managing or directing field sales representatives or manufacturers’ agencies, rather than only calling on them.
• Comfort using ERP quote and order data for win/loss and margin reviews; Acumatica experience is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Manage the utility sales team, recently added representatives, and anchor-clinic program against productivity standards, including calls, stocked houses, IOU conversions, and margin on booked business.
• Own day-to-day management of current manufacturers’ representatives; appointing new agencies is an additional responsibility.
• Open a targeted cooperative-owned distributor as a stocking customer whose catalog includes the same market segments as Grip-Tite.
• Grow a network of electric utility material and utility supply distributors through specification and stocking.
• Drive profitable revenue by maintaining utility pricing integrity, including product-level tiered margin targets, a 30% margin floor, and customer concessions supported by sound business justification; obtain written approval for exceptions.
• Own the utility price list and steel pass-through; when material costs move more than 5% for two consecutive months, recommend and execute price-list updates on 30 days’ notice.
• Convert targeted investor-owned utilities from sales activity and relationship development into measurable conversions and sustained revenue, and open additional IOUs through developed agencies.
• Manage quote-to-order discipline by converting or closing every utility quote and recording win/loss reasons, including whether price, lead time, or specification affected the result.
• Support commercialization of Anchor IQ in distributor and IOU channels, including standards, stocking, and repeat installations, alongside the core anchor line.
• Travel extensively and work from the Winterset plant or Johnston, Iowa home office when required by customer or quality issues.
• Prepare concise account plans and accurately prepare and edit presentations and documents.

Benefits

• Competitive health insurance with a substantial employer-paid premium contribution.
• Dental insurance.
• Vision insurance.
• Four weeks of PTO accrued throughout the first year.
• Ten paid holidays.
• 401(k) plan with company match per pay period upon eligibility.
• Employer-paid life insurance.
• Employer-paid short- and long-term disability plans.
• Employee assistance program and other perks.
• Auto allowance or mileage reimbursement.
• Variable compensation at plan, with stated on-target earnings potential of $155,000–$200,000 and uncapped earning potential above plan.