Sales Manager

Opportunity Profile

Location: Chicago, Illinois

Position Title: Sales Manager

The Opportunity: This is not a turnaround role. It is a high-expectation leadership position within one of the organization’s most visible, profitable, and strategically important operations. The Sales Manager will lead the commercial organization for two adjacent Chicago-area facilities that together generate approximately $225 million in annual revenue and more than 2 billion square feet of volume, consistently ranking among the top performers within a large, national manufacturing network.

The opportunity is especially compelling because this role is the hiring manager’s former position. After moving into a broader regional leadership role, the hiring manager has continued to carry much of the day-to-day responsibility for the Chicago business. As a result, the incoming Sales Manager will step into a role with real urgency, direct access to decision-makers, and a clear mandate to assume ownership quickly.

This is a leadership seat where performance matters, visibility is high, and success is noticed well beyond the local market.

In an industry marked by uncertainty and contraction among competitors, this role offers the chance to protect, advance, and help shape a flagship business within an organization that continues to invest, grow, and differentiate itself.

The Company: The organization is widely viewed as one of the most stable, well-run, and consistently performing companies in its industry. While many competitors are shrinking, closing facilities, or struggling with balance sheet constraints, this company continues to invest heavily in its assets and grow its footprint. This long-term commitment to capital investment and operational excellence has reinforced its reputation for stability, credibility, and customer trust.

The company’s customer-first operating philosophy means sales leaders are empowered to make commitments to customers with confidence that the organization will deliver. This alignment between sales, operations, and leadership allows teams to build trust over time, earn expanded opportunities, and grow accounts without selling around internal friction. For experienced commercial leaders, this is a platform where integrity, execution, and consistency are not slogans but operating principles.

The Boss: The Sales Manager will report directly to the Area Sales Leader responsible for a multi-state region—who previously held this exact Sales Manager role overseeing the Chicago operations. This leader knows the scope, complexity, and pressure of the job firsthand and sets expectations based on lived experience rather than theory. Since assuming the broader regional role at the beginning of the year, he has continued to handle much of the day-to-day responsibility for Chicago, reinforcing both the urgency of the hire and the clarity around what success looks like in the role.

The Chicago operation is considered a flagship within the organization due to its size, historical performance, and proximity to corporate leadership. As a result, the hiring manager remains deeply embedded in the business and highly motivated to transition full ownership to the incoming Sales Manager. Early on, the relationship will be engaged and hands-on, providing direct access, frequent interaction, and real-time feedback.

The intent, however, is not long-term micromanagement, but a thoughtful handoff that enables the new leader to take full accountability while freeing the area leader to focus on broader regional responsibilities.

This role also brings regular interaction with senior leadership, including regional general management and senior sales executives. Chicago leadership is often involved in national sales leadership meetings, panels, and discussions due to the operation’s visibility and performance. For the right candidate, this creates a strong mentorship environment, meaningful executive exposure, and a direct line to senior decision-makers within a culture that values autonomy, accountability, and customer-first leadership.

The Position: The Sales Manager is the senior commercial leader for the Chicago operations,…