A fast, growing private equity-backed, global provider of highly engineered components and value-added services for plastic and rubber processors has retained our firm to help in their search for a Vice President of Sales & Marketing.  The company is seeking a strong management professional who will bring solid sales and marketing skills, leadership, energy, and creativity. . 

The company is headquartered in the South and has long-term, deeply integrated contract manufacturing relationships in the U.S., India, China, Canada, and Israel.  The company’s unique combination of a broad product offering, engineering expertise, and best-in-class manufacturing enables it to manage the supply of a complete line of high-wear, mission-critical parts for its customers.  These products include custom-engineered tooling components, plasticizing feed screws, and barrels for a variety of attractive end markets, including wire and cable, medical products, and consumer packaged goods. 

The company has created deeply entrenched relationships with hundreds of leading plastic and rubber processors through its dedication to quality, reliability, innovation, and customer service.  This fast growing profitable company has 100 employees, revenues of $20MM+ and is backed by a highly respected private equity firm. 

Reporting to the Chief Executive Officer and a key member of the senior management team, the Vice President will lead a sales team of 10+ employees and be responsible for developing and executing sales and marketing strategy, developing and managing a highly disciplined sales process, recruiting, training, coaching and evaluating members of the sales force, and contributing significantly to overall company strategy development.  Key qualifications include:

•   20 years’ progressive professional sales experience with a minimum of 10 years of sales management experience for a highly engineered manufacturing company; experience selling to processors of plastics (e.g. medical products) and/or rubber is preferred but not a must; international experience, especially to Latin American, is also desirable;

•   must be a “player/coach” who possesses outstanding consultative selling abilities and excellent interpersonal, communication, training and mentoring skills; a track record of recruiting, training, motivating, evaluating and retaining a highly skilled team of sales reps who have consistently achieved and grown sales;

•   highly analytical, strategic, and process-focused; proven successful track record of developing and implementing sales management processes, tools and strategies; must have experience in developing and implementing new market opportunities, assessing their relative attractiveness and focusing sales and marketing resources on the best opportunities; 

•   tremendous leadership ability; the bent for taking responsibility, moving ahead, motivating and encouraging others to produce quality results within tight timeframes and simultaneously manage multiple projects; 

•   a team player who engenders trust and integrity with all stakeholders, including employees, customers, investors, and strategic partners;

•   an entrepreneurial spirit; a highly driven, energetic, roll-up-the-sleeves yet disciplined management style; a person who enjoys a small company atmosphere and can be comfortable in an environment with lean staffing; 

•   a degree from an accredited four-year college; a BS in Engineering is preferred; an MBA would be a plus.

If you have a personal interest in this position or thoughts of knowledgeable sources or potential candidates, please email resume3@sockwell.com .  Your recommendations and/or interest will be kept in strictest confidence.

This search was recently completed, and the successful candidate will report shortly.