Sales Engineer

Direct Recruiters, Inc.; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 80,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Direct Recruiters Inc. is seeking a Sales Engineer to cover a multi-state territory in the Southcentral US, focusing on selling custom-engineered material handling solutions into protein processing plants. This high-impact, field-based role requires collaboration with engineering and operations teams to develop comprehensive solutions.

The ideal candidate will have 5–10 years of experience in food processing, strong technical sales skills, and the ability to manage a complex sales pipeline. This position offers travel opportunities and immediate responsibilities.

Qualifications

• 5–10+ years in food processing or related industries.
• Experience in protein processing environments.
• Prior roles in sales engineering, plant engineering, maintenance, or operations leadership.
• Strong commercial drive with ability to manage complex, custom solutions.

Responsibilities

• Drive sales of custom, integrated systems.
• Develop system concepts using 2D CAD and collaborate with engineering for final design.
• Build relationships across plant-level stakeholders.
• Manage a balanced pipeline of both large capital projects and smaller sustaining work.

Skills

Technical sales

Application design

Relationship building

Project management

AutoCAD knowledge

Tools

AutoCAD

Job description

Overview

A leading systems integrator in the food processing space is seeking a Sales Engineer to cover a multi-state Southcentral territory (TX and LA). This is a high-impact, field-based role focused on selling custom-engineered material handling and processing solutions into protein (pork, beef) plants.

This position blends technical sales and application design, working closely with plant engineers, maintenance leaders, and operations teams to scope and develop solutions. The Sales Engineer operates at a conceptual level (layout, flow, system design), partnering with internal engineering teams for detailed execution.

Responsibilities

• Drive sales of custom, integrated systems
• Develop system concepts using 2D CAD (AutoCAD) and collaborate with engineering for final design
• Build relationships across plant-level stakeholders (engineering, maintenance, operations)
• Manage a balanced pipeline of both large capital projects and smaller sustaining work

Qualifications

• 5–10+ years in food processing or related industries
• Experience in protein processing environments
• Prior roles in sales engineering, plant engineering, maintenance, or operations leadership
• Working knowledge of AutoCAD (not highly technical, but functional)
• Strong commercial drive with ability to manage complex, custom solutions

Additional Details

• Territory-based role; candidates should be centrally located (DFW/Houston/Austin/San Antonio/Lafayette/Baton Rouge/Alexandria)
• ~2 nights/week travel
• Opportunity to transition accounts from a long-tenured incumbent

This is an opportunity to join a well-established integrator with deep customer relationships, while stepping into a high-visibility territory with immediate revenue responsibility and long-term growth potential.