FAM: Vice President, Sales & Business Development

LIFT; Detroit (MI); On-site; USD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity program

Comprehensive benefits

Travel up to 40%

Job summary

Forge American Manufacturing LLC (FAM) seeks a Vice President of Sales & Business Development to own revenue growth for the AMPP Center in Detroit. Build and price a pipeline of custom alloys, feedstocks, toll processing, and prototypes, and lead the commercial function from the ground up.

Reporting to the Executive VP of Business Development & Sales, lead sales and applications engineering, establish distributor channels, and ensure quotes meet margin targets while navigating ITAR and EAR

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in materials science, metallurgical, mechanical or manufacturing engineering, or related technical field.
• 15+ years selling technical metal products into aerospace, defense or advanced manufacturing.
• Documented record of meeting or exceeding quota and growing key accounts.
• Experience pricing custom, low-volume, high-mix work with variable raw-material costs.
• Working knowledge of material qualification in aerospace/defense (AMS/ASTM specs, customer qualification, AS9100).
• U.S. person status under ITAR for access to export-controlled data.

Responsibilities

• Own revenue growth for FAM and AMPP Center.
• Build and close a pipeline of custom alloys and feedstock orders; toll processing and prototypes.
• Lead the commercial function from the ground up; serve as commercial lead with customers, board and investors.
• Hire and lead sales and applications-engineering staff; develop distributor and channel partners.
• Ensure quotes meet margin targets and manage export control and government contracting requirements.

Skills

Quota attainment

Commercial acumen

Technical credibility

Learning agility

Integrity and trust

Builder mindset

Education

Bachelor’s degree in materials science, metallurgical, mechanical or manufacturing engineering, or a related technical field

Job description

Vice President, Sales & Business Development

Advanced Metallics Production & Processing (AMPP)

Employer - Forge American Manufacturing LLC ("FAM")

Location - 1400 Rosa Parks, Blvd., Detroit, Michigan (AMPP Center); Travel up to 40%

Reports to - Executive Vice President of Business Development & Sales

Classification - Full-Time

About FAM and the AMPP Center

Forge American Manufacturing LLC is a for-profit company that operates the Advanced Metallics Production & Processing (AMPP) Center in Detroit. AMPP produces custom and exotic alloys in development volumes - including aluminum, nickel, titanium, refractory (niobium, tantalum, tungsten) and high-entropy systems - and converts them into powder, wire, rod and billet for aerospace, defense and advanced-manufacturing customers. The line combines vacuum and open-air melting, atomization and wire/rod production with integrated materials testing and characterization. FAM is an affiliate of LIFT, the National Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Innovation Institute.

Purpose of the Role

Own FAM's revenue growth. Build, price and close a pipeline of custom alloy and feedstock orders, toll processing and customer qualification programs; build the commercial function from the ground up; and serve as FAM's commercial lead with customers, the board and investors.

Key Responsibilities

Revenue and pipeline

• Win new business. Identify, qualify and close orders for custom alloys and feedstocks (powder, wire, rod, billet), toll melting and processing, and prototype quantities.
• Target the right customers. Aerospace and defense primes and Tier 1/2 suppliers, additive-manufacturing producers and machine OEMs, materials developers, and government buyers of materials and feedstock.
• Convert trials into programs. Move customers from first melts to qualified, specified materials and multi-year supply agreements.
• Manage the pipeline. Stand up and maintain a CRM; keep pipeline coverage and forecasts current and accurate.

Pricing, quoting and terms

• Own the quote process with operations and finance, capturing feedstock, yield, consumables, testing and freight so every quote meets margin targets.
• Manage raw-material risk through quote validity, feedstock adjustment and deposit terms on custom work.
• Apply FAM's terms of sale on every quote and order acknowledgment; escape deviations and customer flow-down clauses for approval.

Strategy, planning and reporting

• Set the commercial plan: target segments, alloy and format portfolio, pricing tiers, and the mix of product sales, toll processing, prototypes and licensing.
• Build the annual sales plan and budget with finance; report revenue, margin, pipeline and forecast monthly to the FAM board.
• Track the market: competitors, feedstock pricing, qualification trends and customer programs.

Build the team

• Hire and lead sales and applications-engineering staff as the business scales; develop distributor and channel partners where they add reach.

Compliance

• Export control. Handle customer inquiries and technical data in line with ITAR and EAR; screen customers and end uses.
• Government customers. Identify FAR/DFARS flow-downs and cost-or-pricing-data requirements before quoting work that supports a government contract.

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor’s degree in materials science, metallurgical, mechanical or manufacturing engineering, or a related technical field.
• Typically 15+ years selling technical metal products - specialty alloys, castings, extrusions, wire, bar or metal powders - into aerospace, defense or advanced manufacturing. Demonstrated results matter more than tenure.
• A documented record of meeting or exceeding quota and growing key accounts, with verifiable examples.
• Experience pricing custom, low-volume, high-mix work where raw-material costs move.
• Working knowledge of how materials are qualified in aerospace and defense (Ex. AMS/ASTM specifications, customer qualification, AS9100 environments).
• U.S. person status as defined under the ITAR, required for access to export-controlled technical data.

Preferred

• Advanced degree or MBA.
• Established relationships with primes, Tier 1 suppliers and additive-manufacturing materials buyers.
• Growth-stage or start-up experience, including P&L ownership.
• Experience selling to DoD buyers and prime contractors, including FAR/DFARS flow-downs and commercial-item pricing.
• Customer focus - earns trust with technical buyers and engineers.
• Drive for results - hunts new business and closes.
• Commercial and financial acumen - prices for margin, not just volume.
• Technical credibility - can talk melt practice, chemistry and powder characteristics with engineers.
• Learning agility and forward thinking - adapts quickly in a new business and market.
• Integrity and trust - operates cleanly at the boundary between a commercial company and its nonprofit affiliate.
• Builder mindset - comfortable creating process and infrastructure from scratch.

Compensation

Competitive base salary; annual variable incentive tied to gross margin and new-customer revenue; eligibility for equity or long-term incentive participation subject to FAM board approval; comprehensive benefits. This position is employed and paid by Forge American Manufacturing LLC.

Forge American Manufacturing LLC is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status or any other characteristic protected by law.