Area Sales Manager – Texas Gulf Coast Region; Houston

Company Overview

Our client is a globally recognized, publicly traded leader in explosion protection technology, headquartered in Germany with a strong North American presence based in the Houston metro area.

The company designs, manufactures, and distributes certified explosion-proof products, including lighting, control stations, signaling devices, automation systems, camera and surveillance solutions, and fully integrated custom panels for hazardous (classified) locations. Their products meet the most rigorous international certifications, including ATEX, IECEx, NEC, and CEC standards.

With subsidiaries in over 20 countries, seven production facilities worldwide, and branches in 50+ locations, the company serves blue‑chip clients across oil and gas, petrochemical, pharmaceutical, LNG, hydrogen energy, shipbuilding, and general manufacturing industries. The North American operation generates approximately $50–100M in annual revenue with 100–200 employees.

The parent company reports global revenues of approximately €344M (~$400M USD). This is a stable, well‑capitalized organization with a strong reputation for quality, innovation, and long‑term employee retention.

The Area Sales Manager will be responsible for driving revenue growth across the Gulf Coast territory through a combination of expanding existing accounts and developing new business. This is a technical outside sales role requiring knowledge of explosion protection technology and hazardous location products. The position works cross‑functionally with engineering, inside sales, marketing, and operations teams.

• Collaborate with sales and marketing leadership to achieve annual revenue and profit objectives; contribute to territory and product forecasting.
• Develop and execute a comprehensive sales plan for the Gulf Coast territory.
• Grow revenue within existing accounts while identifying and pursuing new business opportunities across target industries.
• Become a product specialist and subject matter expert in explosion protection technology and hazardous location solutions.
• Conduct competitive analysis including market sizing, competitor positioning, product benchmarking, and pricing strategy to inform go‑to‑market approach.
• Build and maintain strategic relationships with key customers and industry stakeholders to increase market penetration.
• Provide technical support and consultation to customers, internal sales teams, engineering, and production departments.
• Communicate customer needs and market insights to internal teams; recommend product development opportunities or process improvements.
• Support the North American product approval and certification process for hazardous location equipment.
• Represent the company at industry associations, trade shows, conferences, and other professional events.
• Assist the engineering department during periods of high workload.

This role interfaces regularly with Engineering, Inside Sales, Marketing, Operations, and Quality departments.

Required

• Minimum 2 years of technical sales experience, preferably selling to engineering firms, large OEMs, or within hazardous location product markets.
• In‑depth technical knowledge and understanding of industrial markets and operations in hazardous/classified environments.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office and CRM/database management tools.
• Willingness and ability to travel within the territory as required.

Preferred

• Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering or a related technical discipline.
• Knowledge of explosion protection standards, certifications, and compliance requirements (ATEX, IECEx, NEC/CEC).
• Established network within the Gulf Coast energy, petrochemical, or industrial manufacturing sectors.