Office Sales Engineer - Chicago

Festo inspires people and organizations around the world with innovative solutions for industrial automation. We are an independent family business and offer more than 20,000 employees the opportunity to take bold steps, realize their ideas, and take on responsibility. As a team, we grow by tackling challenges together and we welcome everyone who wants to move the world with us.

Office Sales Engineer - Chicago

14898

Home Office

Permanent

Full Time

Sales & Customer Service

Founded in 1925, Festo Corporation is the leading worldwide supplier of automation technology and the performance leader in industrial training and education programs. For many years Festo has been providing impetus for factory automation and offers a wide product and service portfolio – from individual components to complex customized solutions and system. As a family-owned company, we act from a holistic perspective.

We take responsibility for our actions globally and locally, we want to contribute to the quality of life and conservation of resources where we operate with new technologies, knowledge and education.

At Festo, we hire people who continuously live our five core Values:

• We are Ambitious
• We are Determined
• We are Visionary
• We Value Each Other
• We are Dependable

The Office-Based Sales Engineer (OSE) is a district-based sales role focused on driving customer engagement, qualifying new opportunities, and supporting market growth. Positioned within a geographic district and reporting directly to the District Sales Manager (DSM), the OSE is responsible for systematically reviewing and acting upon daily lead sources, managing selected target accounts, and qualifying unassigned accounts to support channel strategy decisions.

This role is designed to expand Festo’s reach, improve responsiveness to inbound opportunities, and develop early-stage customer relationships into sustainable business opportunities.

Primarily office-based with limited local travel (≤20%)

• Lead Management & Opportunity Qualification
• Review and contact daily leads from unassigned quotes, CAD leads, call center logs, and other lead-generating reports.
• Qualify leads based on market potential, application fit, and long-term growth opportunity.
• Document lead outcomes in CRM and provide recommendations for follow-up actions or channel assignment.
• Target Account Development
• Serve as the primary sales contact for 3–5 assigned target accounts in the local region.
• Focus on accounts with high market share potential but minimal daily transactional demand.
• Develop account plans to build relationships, uncover opportunities, and increase Festo share of wallet.
• District Account Qualification
• Act as the general sales contact for unqualified accounts within the district.
• Conduct initial discovery, assess growth potential, and recommend channel strategy (direct sales vs. distribution) to the DSM.
• Ensure qualified opportunities are transitioned to the appropriate sales channel for long-term management.
• Collaboration with District & Channels
• Work closely with the DSM to align opportunity qualification with district growth strategies.
• Provide feedback to Front Line Managers, Distribution Managers, and Industry Segment Managers regarding market insights and account potential.
• Support distributor engagement by identifying accounts suited for indirect sales coverage.
• Customer Engagement & Responsiveness
• Ensure timely follow-up and professional engagement with all assigned leads and accounts.
• Build relationships with technical and commercial contacts to position Festo as a trusted automation partner.
• Escalate account needs, service issues, or strategic opportunities to the DSM for coordination.

• Timely and effective qualification of leads and unassigned accounts.
• Conversion of qualified leads into opportunities and revenue.
• Growth and retention within assigned target accounts.
• Accuracy and completeness of CRM documentation.
• Contribution to district sales growth and channel strategy execution.

• Experience in technical sales, inside sales, or customer support within industrial automation or related fields.
• Strong…