Strategic Sales Manager

The Strategic Sales Manager (SSM) is a critical field sales role representing SKF to large, strategic OEM‘s. This role is accountable for ensuring sustainable sales growth through world-class customer experience. Reporting to the Director of Strategic Sales, the SSM is responsible for taking ownership of current customers and hunting for new ones. These customers may have multiple facilities, regionally and globally.

These are customers who are generally leaders in their industry and have potential for significant growth with SKF. In addition, the Strategic Sales Manager will understand the Voice of the Customer (VOC). The person in this position is expected to clearly articulate this throughout the entire SKF sales, engineering and customer solutions groups and in support of new product development as well as the strategic planning process.

• Deliver consistent year-over-year sustainable market share growth within the assigned Heavy and Handling portfolio of business
• Effective new market share pipeline development and management. Drive new business opportunities by meeting with customers, discovering their needs and managing the internal and external action items quickly and professionally.
• Build and sustain strong external partner relationships: building relationships laterally and vertically in a customer's organization will ensure you grow and maintain your business optimally
• Build and sustain strong internal partner relationships:
  Partner with cross-functional groups such as engineering, pricing, quality, customer service, accounting, and demand chain in a way that delivers a world‑class customer experience.
• Maintain effective and strong business management practices. Build and maintain your personal territory strategy, pipeline, and sales outlook. Find and utilize market trends to advise your internal team and external customers.

• You are the project manager for your customers and new opportunities. If you uncover opportunities and manage the action items quickly and professionally, both internally and externally is what will make you the most effective. If utilized correctly, your supporting team of engineering, customer solutions, pricing and demand chain can drive your business to the next level.

• The more stakeholders in more departments that you can get invested and motivated in your opportunity, the more likely it will be won. The more needs you can meet for your customer, also will drive a sustainable partnership and not just a transactional relationship. This is why relationships horizontally and vertically across your customer base are necessary for your success.

• You have an internal team of engineering, customer solutions, pricing, and demand chain who are also invested in the growth of your customers in Heavy/Handling. Motivating, organizing, and using your team's talents and skills is critical to your success and advancement.

• You will be measured on the quality and momentum of your sales pipeline (the process) as well as the growth in sales and market share (the results)
• If you see an opportunity to improve or change an internal process, it is your duty to speak up.

• Expectations are for communication to be prompt, precise, and professional. There is a weekly team meeting, weekly opportunity highlight reports, and monthly strategy reviews.

• Minimum 5 years of experience in Application/Sales Engineering, Business Development, Sales, or Sales Management for an industrial products company.
• Secure and in‑depth knowledge of the associated industry as well as customer products, business strategies, financials, and competitive threats.
• Proven track record of success and career progression within an industrial products company.
• Excellent communication, interpersonal, and organizational skills.
• High level of business acumen and accountability
• Ability to prioritize and complete multiple competing tasks while prioritizing market share growth
• Ability to align priorities between SKF sales, SKF manufacturing, and the customer.
• Must be a motivated self‑starter and team player, interested in being an integral part of a high‑performing, diversified team.
• Able to work in a fast‑paced environment and evolving culture.
• Demonstrate problem‑solving and performance analysis skills

Willingness and ability to travel ~50% of the time