Sales Manager

ELANTAS; City of Schenectady (NY); On-site; USD 90,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

ELANTAS is seeking a results-driven sales professional to grow the automotive business in North America. You will cultivate existing accounts, develop new clients, and drive cross-functional collaboration with technical teams to win complex projects.

You will conduct market research, qualify opportunities, manage projects, and align strategies with regional and global priorities. A technical background and strong commercial acumen are essential.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, Electrical Engineering or technical background.
• MBA or commercial training is a plus, but not required if candidate has strong market-building experience.
• Minimum of 3 years of experience in a sales or technical sales position.
• Minimum of 3–5 years experience in e-mobility/powertrain field preferred but not required.

Responsibilities

• Grow existing accounts and develop new accounts in the automotive market.
• Manage both existing and new automotive projects and contribute to ELANTAS Automotive Business growth.
• Conduct market research, identify target companies, and qualify prospects.
• Coordinate with internal technical teams to recommend products and support samples.
• Visit customers, discuss requirements, and negotiate pricing.
• Lead project management tasks and report progress to management.
• Attend regional trade shows and maintain CRM records.

Skills

Collaborative mindset

Analytical thinking

Time management

Negotiation skills

Business acumen

Cultural sensitivity

Safe working behavior

Education

Bachelor's degree in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Materials Science or Electrical Engineering

MBA or commercial training (preferred)

Tools

MS Office

CRM tools

Job description

Your Responsibilities

Grow existing accounts and develop new accounts. Management of existing and new automotive projects. Developing ELANTAS Automotive Business. You will be responsible of the growth of their area, as per assigned targets

Market Research & Survey

• Search for companies in targeted industry or market segments, online trade directories, internet search and industry information/market portals.
• Search for target companies as requested by the automotive strategy for specific product sales push activities.
• Customer Identification and Qualification
• To visit, call or email the appropriate personnel to introduce our company and products aligned with the automotive strategy
• Visit their premises for in-depth discussion on their requirements, accurately qualify the prospect and establish needs.

Product(s) Qualification

• Technical discussions and correspondence to identify appropriate product for their applications.
• Arrange samples for their testing.
• In-depth discussions on applications.
• Close follow-up till approval of our products and price negotiation.

Account Management & New Inquiries

• Handling daily operational issues for regional customers.
• Follow-up on all new inquiries.
• Identify potential new clients and business opportunities.
• Work closely with internal technical team to recommend products.
• Visiting customers for business discussions.

Market & Competitors Analysis

• Identify our competitors for individual customers and in market segments.
• Analyze market size and competitors share.
• Benchmark of competitor products.
• Derive individual market prices and individual competitor price points.

Collaboration With Other Regions

• Work closely with other regions to establish/maintain customers, gain share allocation, etc
• Handling daily operational issues.
• Support for new projects from customers.
• Joint visits to customers with others.

Project Management

• Planning and executing local and/or global project activities related to the product development.
• Supporting coordination between different departments and project stakeholders.
• Managing project gaps and budgets.
• Monitoring project progress and its milestones.
• Working on client relationships strengthening.
• Reporting to the management about the automotive trends and stakeholders’ feedback.

Other Duties

• Managing new projects development updates.
• Attend regional trade shows and exhibitions to understand latest market, customers, and competitors’ situations.
• Set sales goals, track progress, and lead team to achieve and exceed those quotas.
• Forecast sales for upcoming months and quarters and compile the necessary reports for management to review.
• Step in to answer customer questions and issues when required.
• Use existing CRM platform to retain customers and seek out new prospective sales.
• Maintain a strong focus on satisfaction of all customers.

Contribution Special Projects According To Company Instructions

• Approve commercial offers within Corporate Authority Regulation
• Analyse sales developments using internally available analysis tools
• Provide input to sales management on customers and competitive trends
• Meet and exceed annual business development goals
• Maintain accurate and current records in available CRM

Your profile

• Bachelor's in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, Electrical Engineering or Technical background
• MBA or commercial training is a plus, but not required if the candidate has strong market-building experience
• Minimum of 3 years of experience in a sales or technical sales position
• Minimum of 3 - 5 years' experience on e-mobility / powertrain field preferred but not required
• Basic knowledge of insulating materials such as potting resins, adhesives, encapsulation resins, impregnating resins or insulating papers preferred but not required
• Balanced mix of technical credibility, commercial drive, and customer-facing maturity
• Proven experience winning new business in a technical, solution-selling environment.
• Experience working with formulators, R&D teams, technical service, and manufacturing stakeholders.
• Experience with MS Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), CRM tools.
• Experience in a matrixed organization where sales, technical, and operations must align

Skills And Attitude

• Ability to work collaboratively with all relevant internal and external stakeholders in an international business environment.
• Proven ability to use analytical skills and critical thinking to diagnose business issues and incorporate into development or adjustment of marketing plans.
• Exceptional use of time management, planning, organizational, selling and negotiating skills.
• Resilient, persistent, and comfortable with long sales cycles
• Excellent business / commercial acumen
• Sensitive to cultural differences
• Ability to demonstrate and foster safe working behavior in the team

Contact Person

Brett Keller
HR Team