Outside Sales Associate - Irvine

Rust-Automation-; Irvine (CA); Hybrid; USD 85,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

401(k) with company match

Career growth

Job summary

Rust Automation & Controls is hiring an Outside Sales Associate in Irvine, CA, with a remote role but must reside in territory. You'll train in Salt Lake City then operate in your home territory, visiting engineers and plants and building lasting relationships.

You'll learn products, propose solutions, and drive long-term growth. The program starts with an 12-week rotation, then a path to $110k+ based on performance. Competitive benefits include health and 401(k) with company match.

Qualifications

• Entry-level to early-career professionals with a technical background.
• Willingness to travel within the territory, including occasional overnight trips.
• Proactive, coachable, and eager to develop sales skills.
• Strong communication and relationship-building abilities.
• Customer-first mindset and resilience.

Responsibilities

• Learn and maintain knowledge of Rust Automation & Controls products.
• Prospect and promote products in assigned accounts.
• Grow territory sales and gross margin through existing and new customers.
• Prepare quotations with Inside Sales team.
• Conduct joint calls with management and manufacturers.
• Perform site walkdowns to assess needs and tailor solutions.
• Maintain CRM database with accounts, contacts, opportunities, and projects.
• Communicate customer solutions clearly with internal teams.

Skills

Communication skills

Time management

Self-motivation

Coachable

Interpersonal skills

Education

Technical degree or similar

Tools

Microsoft Office

CRM/ERP systems

Job description

Rust Automation & Controls started in 1976 and while we’ve grown significantly since our humble beginnings, we are still family owned and operated. We represent best-in-class industrial control manufacturers including Endress+Hauser across more than two million square miles of the Western US. Most of our customers have worked with us for decades and count on our experience and partners to keep their facilities safe, efficient, and productive.

Position Overview

Position: Outside Sales Associate
Location: Irvine, CA (Remote role but must reside in this territory)

We're hiring a small group of Outside Sales Engineers into a new cohort program. You'll spend part of your first twelve weeks in Salt Lake City with our leadership team and part of it in your home territory, riding with experienced salesmen, learning the products, and setting your own appointments. You're hired full-time from day one.

The job itself: you become the person a plant engineer calls when they're deciding which flow meter or valve goes into a system that has to run for the next twenty years without failing. You represent the manufacturers we've partnered with for decades, and you build the kind of relationship where customers call you before they call anyone else.

What we're looking for

We are looking for early-career talent with a strong desire to learn, take on new challenges, and build a long-term career. We can teach the technical stuff. Loops, valves, control theory, all of that comes with time in the field. What's harder to teach is the drive to go find business, the ability to foster and develop key relationships paired with a positive can-do mentality that sees challenges as opportunities to serve. If you're naturally curious, communicate well, and would rather be out talking to people than sitting at a desk, that matters more to us than your major or your resume. A few standout traits we select for include:

• Highly-motivated, goal-oriented, and resilient individuals with a positive attitude
• Excellent communication and active listening skills
• Strong organizational and time-management

Core Responsibilities

• Learn and maintain working knowledge of all products and solutions offered by Rust Automation & Controls
• Prospect and promote products, services, and solutions within assigned commercial, industrial, and municipal accounts
• Grow territory sales and gross margin by increasing penetration in existing accounts and establishing relationships with new customers
• Analyze specifications, application requirements, and related documents to prepare quotations in collaboration with the Inside Sales team
• Conduct joint sales calls with management and manufacturing partners to strengthen customer relationships and maximize opportunities
• Perform site walkdowns in industrial and commercial environments to assess needs and recommend tailored solutions
• Maintain a robust CRM database, including accounts, contacts, opportunities, and projects
• Clearly articulate customer solutions and collaborate with internal teams to ensure effective execution

Qualifications & Profile

• Early-career professional or recent graduate with a technical degree or similar seeking an opportunity to develop skills and grow within the organization
• Willingness and ability to travel frequently within the assigned territory, including occasional overnight travel
• Self-motivated with the ability to set ambitious goals and achieve them
• Strong desire to learn, grow, and be coachable
• Resilient, adaptable, and solution-oriented with a positive, can-do attitude
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills with a customer-first mindset
• Strong organizational and time-management skills
• Ability to work independently while leveraging internal resources
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and CRM/ERP systems (e.g., NetSuite, Salesforce)
• Remote role but must reside in this territory

Pay and path

The program starts from $85,000 - $90,000. Complete the 12 week program, get placed into your territory, and that moves to a target of $110,000. From there its performance based, and our top OSEs make well beyond that. Rust Automation offers health and 401(k) benefits, including a company match, and a clear career pathway through our organization.

Is This You?

• Do you have a pioneering spirit and enjoy working for a growing company with a strong culture?
• Do you thrive in a motivated, team-oriented environment focused on customer solutions?
• Do you enjoy solving problems and taking on challenges?
• Do you strive to exemplify excellence in everything you do?

The pay range for this role is:

85,000 - 90,000 USD per year (Hybrid (Irr