B2B Sales & Operations Specialist

Ace Hardware; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 58,000 - 72,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Incentive opportunities

401(k) retirement plan

Comprehensive health coverage

Vacation and holidays

Company car and fuel card

Tuition assistance program

Employee discounts

Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

Volunteer/community programs

Job summary

Ace Hardware is seeking a Sales & Operations Specialist to support seven Outside Sales Representatives throughout the solution‑selling cycle. You will drive data‑driven recommendations, coordinate resources, and help OSRs prioritise opportunities to grow revenue.

You’ll monitor performance, maintain CRM and forecasting practices, and identify bottlenecks to scale the team while collaborating with cross‑functional partners to improve sales execution.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 2 years in sales operations, business operations, sales enablement, or analytics with experience analyzing issues and recommending improvements.
• Ability to clearly communicate findings, present options, and influence stakeholders.
• Experience with CRM, pipeline, forecasting, territory/planning, reporting, or sales program processes.
• Strong analytical judgment to define issues, evaluate options, and recommend actions.

Responsibilities

• Turn data into prioritized recommendations for OSRs and sales leadership.
• Coordinate resources and enable seven OSRs through the solution‑selling process.
• Monitor results and pipeline health to protect revenue and improve engagement.
• Maintain CRM, forecasting and data quality; propose improvements for visibility and adoption.
• Identify workflow bottlenecks and coordinate changes to scale the seven‑OSR team.

Skills

Sales operations

CRM proficiency

Forecasting

Data analysis

Stakeholder influence

Education

Bachelor’s degree in business/finance/marketing/operations/analytics or related field

Tools

CRM systems

Excel

PowerPoint

Forecasting tools

Job description

About This Role

As a Sales & Operations Specialist, you will develop and continuously improve customer success journeys while providing hands‑on support to seven Outside Sales Representatives (OSRs) throughout the solution‑selling process. The role coordinates cross‑functional resources, addresses customer and field needs, and uses customer engagement, pipeline, and sales insights to help OSRs prioritize opportunities, improve execution, and drive sales growth.

What You’ll Do

• Sales Planning and Decision Support - Turn territory, customer, pipeline, and chain performance data into prioritized recommendations that help OSRs and sales leadership identify opportunities, determine where to focus, and advance customer growth.
• Cross‑Functional Coordination and OSR Enablement - Support seven OSRs throughout the solution‑selling process by clarifying ownership, coordinating resources and follow-through, and moving non‑routine customer and field issues to resolution across internal support teams, vendors, and the merchant team.
• Sales Performance Insights - Monitor OSR results and pipeline health, investigate material gaps, and recommend actions that help protect revenue, improve customer engagement, and increase sales effectiveness.
• CRM, Pipeline, and Forecasting Effectiveness - Maintain clear CRM and forecasting practices, resolve non‑routine data issues, and recommend improvements that strengthen sales visibility, accuracy, field adoption, and opportunity management.
• Process Improvement and Operational Scaling - Identify workflow bottlenecks and recurring field needs, recommend practical solutions, and coordinate approved changes that improve the consistency, efficiency, and capacity of the seven‑OSR team.

Who You Are

You enjoy supporting sales, learning about products, and finding solutions that help customers and the team succeed. You are organized, collaborative, and eager to grow your skills while solving problems, improving how work gets done, and helping the sales team win.

Required Skills

• A minimum of 2 years of experience in sales operations, business operations, sales enablement, or commercial analytics, including experience analyzing business issues, supporting sales processes, and recommending practical improvements.
• Ability to communicate complex findings clearly, present decision options, facilitate cross‑functional discussions, and influence stakeholders toward resolution without direct authority.
• Experience working with CRM, pipeline, forecasting, territory‑planning, account‑planning, reporting, or sales‑program processes and identifying practical opportunities to improve them.
• Strong analytical judgment, including the ability to define non‑routine issues, evaluate alternatives and business impact, develop well‑supported recommendations, and recognize when leadership approval is required.
• Strong working proficiency with CRM platforms, sales reporting and forecasting tools, Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, and related business systems.
• Ability to translate pipeline, conversion, retention, territory, forecast, and customer data into clear insights, decision options, and practical recommendations that influence sales priorities, operating improvements, and OSR effectiveness.
• Bachelor’s degree in business, Finance, Marketing, Operations, Analytics, or a related field preferred, or equivalent practical experience.

Preferred Skills

• Experience supporting a sales team with an interest in helping sellers solve problems and serve customers effectively.
• Interest in products, merchandising, or B2B sales, with an ability to learn product categories quickly and connect customer needs to potential solutions.
• Experience identifying opportunities to improve a process or workflow, including simplifying steps, improving organization, or helping a team work more efficiently.
• Comfort working with sales data and business tools, including Excel, CRM systems, reporting tools, or similar platforms used to track customers and sales opportunities.

Compensation Details

$57500 - $72000 Per Year

Why should you join our team?

We live our values - W.E.L.I.G.H.T (Winning, Excellence, Love, Integrity, Gratitude, Humility, and Teamwork). Gratitude. Humility. Love. You don’t often see values like these in most corporate statements, but Ace is different. These things are important to us. They represent our commitment to the company, our employees.

Benefits

• Incentive opportunities, based on role/grade level (company growth over the past 5 years resulted in incentives being paid out at an average of 122% of your target opportunity!)
• Generous 401(k) retirement savings plan with a fully vested matching contribution the first year in addition to quarterly contributions and annual discretionary contribution (once eligibility requirements have been met). Over the past 5 years, company contributions (matching, quarterly & discretionary) for fully eligible employees have averaged 10% of total eligible compensation.
• Comprehensive health coverage (medical, dental, vision and disability – up to 26 weeks short‑term disability and long‑term disability) & life insurance benefits for you and your dependents.
• 21 days of vacation immediately available (prorated in the first year) and up to 6 paid holidays depending on the month of hire.
• Company Car, phone and fuel card are provided for field‑based positions.
• Your career at Ace is more than just a job. It’s a chance to be part of something meaningful. We help locally‑owned businesses thrive and make an impact in their communities – and we support our employees in doing the same by offering an annual Ace Cares Week, 20 hours off work per year to volunteer at an organization of your choice, opportunities to help Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals and the Ace Helpful Fund through the Ace Foundation. Ace invests in every employee we hire, with a key focus on development and coaching. We offer on‑site classes, facilitator‑led courses, and a generous tuition assistance program, plus a performance management approach that goes beyond the typical annual review.
• We know the work environment matters. That’s why Ace holds frequent campus events like Employee Appreciation Week, vendor demos, cookouts, and merchandise sales. We bring them to you! Services such as mobile spas, auto maintenance, car wash and detailing, dry cleaning, dentists, eye doctors, flu shots, recycling and more!
• Employee discounts on Ace merchandise (including top brands like Weber, Traeger, Yeti, Craftsman, DeWalt and more), travel, fitness, computers and thousands more.
• Birth/Adoption bonding paid time off. Adoption cost reimbursement.
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP) – access to free visits to therapists and lawyers, guidance on financial matters, elder and childcare, and assistance with tickets to entertainment events.
• Identity theft protection.
• Benefits are provided in compliance with applicable policies.

Equal Opportunity Employer

Ace Hardware Corporation is committed to a policy of promoting equal employment opportunities. The company recognizes the importance of diversity and leveraging the skills and talents of all people to the mutual advantage of each individual and the organization. The company is committed to the prevention of employment discrimination related to race, religion, color, sex (including sexual harassment), gender identity, national origin, age, marital status, disability and military or veteran status, sexual orientation or any other action covered by federal or applicable state/local laws.

Disclaimer

The pay range for this position starts as listed in the job posting, but could be higher based on education and experience. Please note, compensation decisions are dependent on the facts and circumstances of each opening. We take into consideration the minimum requirements outlined in the job description, such as an individual’s education, training and experience, the position’s work location, required travel (if any), and external market conditions when determining the final salary for potential new hires. Be aware that salary estimates published via alternate online job boards may not be a true representation of the actual pay range offered for this position. Please refer to the Ace position description for the accurate starting pay range information and feel free to discuss this with a Talent Acquisition professional if you are chosen to move forward with an interview. This written “Position Description” is not intended to cover all aspects of the position listed. It is meant to cover the basic/general essential job functions of a particular position.

Ace Hardware Corporation reserves the right to change job duties, including essential job functions, according to business necessity.

It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

Ace Hardware is the largest retailer‑owned hardware cooperative in the world with over 5,800 locally owned and operated hardware stores in approximately 60 countries. Headquartered in Oak Brook, Ill., Ace and its subsidiaries operate an expansive network of distribution centers in the U.S. and have distribution capabilities in Ningbo, China; and Cuautitlán Izcalli, Mexico. Since 1924, Ace has become a part of local communities around the world and known as the place with the helpful hardware folks. For more information, visit acehardware.com or newsroom.acehardware.com.