Account/Sales Manager (Automation)

Position Overview

The Account/Sales Manager (Automation) drives revenue growth bycultivating automation project opportunities within both existing clientaccounts and new prospective customers. Combining sales acumen with afoundational background in mechanical design, this role acts as a trustedtechnical consultant who can evaluate shop-floor challenges, assess mechanicalfeasibility, and partner closely with internal engineering teams to delivertailored automation solutions.

Key Responsibilities & Duties

1. Technical Account Management &Customer Support

• Engineering-Level Stakeholder Management: Build high-trust relationships with plant managers, engineering heads, and operations leaders by speaking their technical language.
• Shop-Floor Line Audits: Conduct walk-throughs of existing customer facilities to identify mechanical bottlenecks, ergonomic issues, cycle-time limits, and retrofit/upgrade opportunities.
• Project Scope Expansion: Identify repeat business and upsell opportunities for additional automation cells, conveyor systems, tooling modifications, or end-of-arm tooling (EOAT).
• Technical Bridge: Act as the liaison between the client's engineering team and internal project managers to ensure scope changes, mechanical constraints, and design intent are clear throughout execution.

2. New Business Development &Technical Prospecting

• Targeted Account Prospecting: Identify and qualify high-potential manufacturing, assembly, and packaging facilities that require custom machine automation, robotics, or material handling.
• Consultative Discovery & Feasibility: Lead initial technical discovery sessions to analyze client payloads, reach/envelope constraints, line speeds, and part handling tolerances before bringing in application engineers.
• Pre-Engineering Concepting: Sketch or conceptualize preliminary cell layouts and mechanical concepts during discovery to visually demonstrate automation ROI to prospective clients.
• RFP/Proposal Leadership: Partner with internal design and cost-estimation teams to build accurate, mechanically feasible technical proposals and commercial quotes.

3. Sales Execution & Deal Closing

• Technical Solution Pitching: Lead client presentations, walking technical decision-makers through the proposed mechanical architecture, cycle time calculations, and layout drawings.
• Commercial Negotiation & Contracting: Manage price negotiations, payment milestones, project delivery timelines, and warranty terms to close contracts.
• Pipeline & CRM Management: Maintain accurate pipeline stages, lead activity, sales forecasts, and client technical specifications within the company CRM.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

• Annual Revenue Target: Total dollar volume of signed automation project contracts.
• New Client Acquisition: Number of net-new customer accounts secured annually.
• Proposal Conversion Rate: Percentage of qualified technical proposals converted into closed contracts.
• Existing Account Retention & Growth: Year-over-year revenue growth from existing account base.

Required Qualifications &Technical Skills

• Experience: 3+ years of technical sales, account management, or application engineering experience in industrial automation, robotics, custom machinery, or system integration.
• Technical Background: Foundational knowledge of mechanical design principles.
• Skills: Ability to read/interpret 2D assembly drawings, 3D CAD models, and technical specifications.