Sales Engineer

Pursuit; Detroit (MI); On-site; USD 155,000 - 200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401K (6% Match)

PTO

Full Benefits

Company Car

Job summary

Pursuit is seeking a Sales Engineer in Detroit, MI for inside-plant hunting with a focus on automation solutions across roughly 45 automotive facilities in the metro area. The role emphasizes hands-on problem solving, with travel confined to local plants and no overnight stays.

You will grow an established $1.3M book with $8–10M in untapped opportunities, working alongside a Key Account Management team to win net new business and expand existing relationships.

Qualifications

• 4–7 years of experience in industrial automation sales or related technical sales
• Automotive industry experience
• Strong mechanical aptitude and hands-on problem solving
• Hunter mindset with a track record of prospecting and driving new business
• Experience with automation or sensor manufacturers is a plus
• Engineering degree is not required

Responsibilities

• Grow the existing $1.3M book while prospecting net new business (roughly 40% existing, 60% new)
• Build plant-level relationships with maintenance, controls, manufacturing teams and plant purchasing
• Spend time in the plants to understand day-to-day operations and identify where automation solutions can solve problems
• Coordinate with the Key Account Management team and drive strategy across shared accounts

Skills

Industrial automation sales

Automotive industry experience

Mechanical aptitude

Hunter mindset

Technical problem solving

CapEx conversations

Job description

Our client, a global leader in industrial automation, is hiring a Sales Engineer in Detroit, MI. The role comes with an established $1.3M book of business across the Big 3 automakers and an estimated $8–10M in untapped opportunity. The company prefers to promote from within, so this external hire is a real vote of confidence. They want someone who can become one of the strongest performers on the team and grow a long-term career.

This is a hunter role built for someone who wants to work inside the plants. You'll cover roughly 45 automotive facilities across Ford, GM, and Stellantis in metro Detroit, including assembly, powertrain, and stamping plants. You'll work bottom-up at the plant level, while a Key Account Management team drives relationships top-down at the corporate level. All travel is local, so you're home every night.

Highlights:

• Year 1: $155K-$200K OTE (Strong Base + Uncapped Commissions)
• 401K (6% Match) + PTO + Full Benefits + Company Car
• Inherit an existing $1.3M book with an $8–10M opportunity across the territory.
• Local territory with no overnight travel.
• A company that develops and promotes its own people.
• Support from a Key Account Management team working the corporate side of the same accounts.

Qualifications:

• 4–7 years of experience in industrial automation sales or a related technical sales role.
• Automotive industry experience.
• Strong mechanical aptitude. An engineering degree is not required, but you'll need to be comfortable with technical, hands-on problem solving.
• A true hunter mindset with a track record of prospecting and driving new business. This is not a PO-to-PO order-taking role.
• Background with automation or sensor manufacturers (Keyence, Banner, Cognex, Sick, Phoenix Contact, Murr, or similar) is a plus. Machine builder sales experience, especially navigating CapEx conversations, is also a plus.
• Based in metro or suburban Detroit, within reach of Livonia and the Lansing area.

Responsibilities:

• Grow the existing $1.3M book while prospecting net new business, with roughly 40% of your time on existing accounts and 60% on new.
• Build plant-level relationships with maintenance management, controls engineers, mechanical and electrical manufacturing teams, and plant purchasing.
• Spend time in the plants to understand day-to-day operations and identify where automation solutions can solve problems.
• Partner with key integrators selling into Big 3 facilities. About 85% of the business is direct with end-user plants and 15% goes through integrators.
• Coordinate with the Key Account Management team on strategy across shared accounts.