Sales Manager - Specialty Lubricants

I’m partnered with a privately held, global specialty chemicals manufacturer with nearly a century of history and deep expertise in high‑performance lubricants and synthetic esters supporting aerospace, defense, industrial, and automotive markets. Founded in Europe in 1929, the company has grown into an international organization with a presence in multiple countries and a strong reputation for technical excellence and innovation.

Despite their global footprint, they maintain a family‑owned structure and a people‑first culture, offering the stability and resources of a larger organization while still providing site‑level autonomy and visibility.

The Sales Manager will be responsible for driving revenue growth, managing key customer relationships, and expanding market share across strategic industrial sectors. This individual will work closely with customers, distributors, and internal technical teams to identify opportunities, develop commercial strategies, and deliver value‑added solutions. The ideal candidate combines strong business development skills with technical aptitude and experience selling specialty chemical, lubricant, additive, or industrial material solutions.

• Develop and execute strategic sales plans to achieve revenue and profitability objectives.
• Identify, develop, and close new business opportunities within target markets including aerospace, defense, industrial manufacturing, automotive, and related sectors.
• Manage and grow relationships with key OEMs, distributors, and industrial end users.
• Partner with technical, R&D, and operations teams to provide customized solutions and support customer development projects.
• Build and maintain a strong sales pipeline through prospecting, networking, trade shows, and industry engagement.
• Conduct market analysis to identify competitive trends, customer needs, and growth opportunities.
• Lead commercial negotiations, pricing discussions, and contract renewals.

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Engineering, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, or a related field preferred.
• 5+ years of sales, business development, or account management experience within specialty chemicals, lubricants, additives, industrial materials, or related markets.
• Demonstrated success growing revenue and developing strategic customer relationships.
• Experience selling into industrial manufacturing, aerospace, automotive, defense, or similar technical industries preferred.
• Strong commercial, negotiation, and consultative selling skills.
• Ability to understand technical products and communicate value propositions effectively.
• Proficiency with CRM systems, forecasting, and pipeline management.
• Willingness to travel as needed to support customers and business growth.