Force Lead (Army)

Darley; Itasca, Northern (IL, KY); Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

W.S. Darley & Co. in Itasca, IL seeks a Force Lead, Army to expand engagement with the U.S. Army enterprise. The role requires strategic leadership, deep knowledge of Army organizations, acquisition processes, and modernization priorities, with remote work options and regular travel.

You will build trusted relationships with Army commands and industry partners, identify growth opportunities, and guide a sales team to meet objectives while ensuring compliance with government requirements.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or extensive government leadership experience.
• Master's degree in Business or Defense Strategic Studies.
• Top Secret Security Clearance preferred.

Responsibilities

• Understand Darley products and communicate value during direct sales activities.
• Develop and implement the execution plan of assigned team to meet revenue goals.
• Lead and manage the sales team, coaching and supporting achieved goals.
• Hold effective team calls, enforce accountability for short- and long-term plans.
• Establish and maintain strong relationships with Army customers and partners.
• Ensure compliance with Government Sales regulations and Darley operations.

Skills

Command presence

Public speaking

Team building

Customer service

CRM systems

Education

Bachelor's degree or extensive government leadership experience

Master's degree in Business or Defense Studies

Top Secret security clearance preferred

Job description

Description

W.S. Darley & Co. is seeking a highly qualified Force Lead, Army to support and expand Darley's engagement across the U.S. Army enterprise. The ideal candidate is a retired senior military leader, government civilian, or defense industry professional with extensive knowledge of Army organizations, operational requirements, acquisition processes, and modernization priorities. This individual will serve as a strategic leader responsible for strengthening Darley's position within the Army market, identifying and advancing growth opportunities, and building trusted relationships with key stakeholders across Army commands, program offices, acquisition organizations, and industry partners.

This position is a remote position, ideally based in the Midwest region of the U.S. and requires regular travel and engagement with Army leadership, acquisition and program management organizations, joint commands, government agencies, and industry partners.

About W.S. Darley & Co:

Founded in 1908, W.S. Darley & Co. (Darley) remains a family owned and operated business, supplying the highest quality equipment solutions to its military and first responder customers. With origins in the equipment distribution and Midwest manufacturing, Darley offers a family of leading innovate emergency equipment brands and innovative solutions. Darley prides itself on delivering the highest quality solutions and services from its corporate headquarters in Itasca, IL and its' ISO 9001:2015 certified manufacturing operations in Chippewa Falls, WI and Janesville, IA.

Job Responsibilities:

• Understand Darley products, services, contract benefits and value proposition and enthusiastically communicate these during direct sales activities.
• Develop and implement the execution plan of assigned team to meet or exceed the business objectives and/or revenue goals for a given period of time.
• Lead and manage the sales team, providing coaching, training, and support to achieve sales goals and improve performance of the individuals and the collective team.
• Hold effective team calls, enforcing accountabilities of tasks, reporting, awareness and expectations for both short term (1-3 weeks ahead) and long term (4-12 weeks ahead) activities.
• Establish and maintain strong, long-lasting relationships with key customers and partners, understanding their business objectives and needs.
• Analyze sales data internal to the Company and from DLA to identify open opportunities/targets, trends, forecast future sales, and make proactive adjustments to achieve goals.
• Monitor competitor activity to identify new opportunities and inform sales strategies and planning for the Division Leadership Team and cross-functional Managers.
• Prepare and deliver sales presentations and proposals effectively communicating value propositions to potential clients, and teach, train and observe your team to do the same.
• Manage sales operations that includes: 1) Developing sales budgets, 2) Setting sales quotas, 3) Ensuring Customer engagement frequency and 4) Overseeing the proper and accurate use of Salesforce (CRM system).
• Collaborate with other departments like Marketing, Finance, Legal, and Product Development to ensure alignment and maximize sales efforts.
• Ensure compliance with all relevant regulations, policies, and procedures related to Government Sales and Darley operations.
• Attract, hire and retain sales resources aligned with sales plan and strategic goals.

Requirements

Travel

Ability to travel up to 40% including to Army and joint command outposts, program, logistics and acquisition offices.

Education

• Bachelor's degree (or extensive experience in US Govt / US Military leadership roles)
• Master's degree in Business related study or Defense Strategic Studies
• Top Secret Security Clearance preferred

Experience

• Retired military with acquisition, government procurement or supply experience
• 5-10 years of experience selling to government agencies or working in acquisition fields inside the government
• Working experience with MS Office suite of products, especially Excel to perform business analysis and reporting
• Understanding of government contracts and purchasing vehicle

Skills

• Command presence / strong public speaking ability
• Highly organized and able to multi-task
• Excellent written and oral communication
• Team Builder
• Committed to providing exceptional customer service
• Understanding of basic business financial concepts
• Able to use Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems

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AAP/EEO Statement

Darley is an equal opportunity organization. We recruit, employ, train, compensate, and promote without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, age, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, disability, protected veteran status, or any other basis protected by applicable federal, state, or local law