Sr. Sales Manager - Plastic Capital Equipment

Nordson Corporation; Minnesota; On-site; USD 100,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Nordson Corporation is seeking a Sr. Sales Manager based in Minnesota to lead profitable revenue growth through effective management of Regional Sales Managers. The role will drive execution of the commercial strategy and ensure a customer-focused approach to growth through key accounts.

The ideal candidate will have over 10 years of sales experience in capital equipment, preferably in the plastics or industrial manufacturing sector, along with a strong business acumen and leadership skills.

This position requires around 50% travel for business engagement.

Qualifications

• Minimum 10+ years of progressive sales experience.
• Proven track record in capital equipment sales.
• Experience managing complex, long-cycle sales.

Responsibilities

• Drive regional revenue and order intake targets.
• Translate company strategy into actionable sales plans.
• Lead and develop Regional Sales Managers.
• Manage commercial, pricing, and customer issues.
• Ensure disciplined use of CRM for opportunity management.

Skills

Sales leadership

Value-based selling

Stakeholder management

Data-driven decision-making

Emotional intelligence

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Business or Engineering

MBA preferred

Job description

The Sr. Sales Manager is responsible for driving profitable revenue growth by leading, developing, and aligning Regional Sales Managers (RSMs) across assigned territories. This role owns the execution of the commercial strategy, ensures consistent application of value‑based selling practices, and drives customer‑focused growth through Top Customers, Potential Top Customers, and Strategic Focus Accounts. The Sales Manager partners closely with Product Line Management, Marketing, Operations, and senior leadership to scale new technologies, standardize core product portfolios, and ensure disciplined execution of sales processes, CRM usage, and pipeline management.

Essential Job Duties And Responsibilities

• Own and deliver regional revenue, order intake, margin, and growth targets across all assigned territories.
• Translate company strategy into actionable regional sales plans with clear priorities, targets, and success metrics.
• Hold Regional Sales Managers accountable for territory execution, performance results, and forecast accuracy.
• Act as the primary escalation point for key commercial, pricing, and customer issues.
• Lead, coach, and develop Regional Sales Managers to strengthen selling capability, customer focus, and leadership effectiveness.
• Ensure RSMs consistently execute Top Customer, Potential Top Customer, and Strategic Focus Account action plans.
• Drive a strong performance culture focused on accountability, ownership mindset, and continuous improvement.
• Support talent development, succession planning, onboarding, and performance management for the sales organization.
• Oversee strategy and engagement plans for Top Customers and Strategic Focus Accounts, ensuring share‑of‑wallet growth.
• Drive configured product standardization to improve customer value, simplify offerings, and support scalable growth.
• Ensure disciplined use of CRM (C4C) across all regions for opportunity management, pipeline visibility, and forecasting.
• Review and challenge sales funnels, ensuring opportunity quality, deal velocity, and risk transparency.
• Collaborate with Marketing, Application Engineering, and Operations to ensure strong value propositions and execution.

Education And Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Engineering, or related technical discipline; MBA preferred.
• Minimum 10+ years of progressive sales experience, including multi‑region sales leadership.
• Proven track record leading teams selling capital equipment, preferably in the plastics or industrial manufacturing sector.
• Experience managing complex, long‑cycle sales and strategic account portfolios.
• Demonstrated success in value‑based selling, introducing new technologies, and portfolio standardization.
• Strong understanding of international and regional business practices.
• Coach and people developer with high emotional intelligence.
• Data‑driven decision‑maker with strong business acumen.
• Excellent communication, influence, and stakeholder management skills.
• Structured, organized, and able to focus on the critical efforts that drive outsized results (80/20 mindset).
• Comfortable operating in a matrixed, cross‑functional environment.
• High integrity with a strong owner mindset.

Working Conditions and Physical Demands

Office environment. To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed above are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Travel Required

Estimated: 50% - 60%