Strategic Sales Manager

Location: US Remote 

Opportunity for Travel

About SKF: 
SKF has been making the world spin since 1907 

SKF is an industry-leading manufacturer dedicated to a culture of belonging, where our people flourish in an equitable environment that promotes leadership development and career growth. SKF bearings played an integral role in helping Mars Rover collect rock and regolith samples on the planet’s surface. 
 
As an SKF team member, you will join 40,000 colleagues from more than 130 countries developing bearing technology and services that make rotation more reliable and sustainable. Sustainability is at the heart of everything we do. SKF aims to have net zero greenhouse gas emissions at all our production facilities by 2030. 
 
SKF products keep vehicles rolling, power the machines that put food on your table, and even reach into the cosmos as part of the Mars rover mission. Founded in Sweden in 1907, today SKF is publicly traded on the Nasdaq Stockholm with annual sales in 2020 of approximately $10 billion.
 

Summary:

The Strategic Sales Manager (SSM) is a critical field sales role representing SKF to large, strategic OEM‘s. This role is accountable for ensuring a world-class customer experience, throughout the entire sales process and beyond. Reporting to the Director of Strategic Sales, the SSM is responsible for taking ownership of customers. These customers may have multiple facilities, regionally, and globally. These are customers who are generally leaders in their industry and have potential for significant growth with SKF. In addition, the Strategic Sales Manager will understand the Voice of the Customer (VOC). The person in this position is expected to clearly articulate this throughout the entire SKF sales organization and in support of new product development as well as the strategic planning process. The ideal candidate will enjoy business travel and be located near an airport.

Responsibilities Include But Not Limited to:

• Carry out strong customer account management practices.
• Review, negotiate, execute, and manage customer agreements.
• Mitigate business risk associated with key customer inventory, forecasting, and open orders.
• Build, deepen and sustain customer relationships.
• Deliver consistent year-over-year sustainable profit growth within the assigned portfolio of business.
  • Short and long-term strategic goals are met through actively managing assigned portfolio of business for share retention, revenue and profit growth, quality, delivery, and technical support.
• Effective pipeline development and management; customer acquisition.
  • Drive a robust pipeline of projects that will lead to profitable and sustainable growth.
  • New Business acquisition through aggressive targeting, prospecting and sales techniques.
• Proactively obtain and leverage voice of the customer (VOC) information.
  • Routinely secure and share across the sales organization, voice of the customer (VOC) information.
  • Leverage VOC information to support new product development and current product line improvement.
• Maintain effective and strong business management practices. 
  • Monitor and report the assigned portfolio’s key metrics to include revenue and margin performance, project pipeline, forecast accuracy, days sales outstanding (DSO), customer scorecards, and competitive threats; develop corrective action plans as necessary in order to deliver business plan.
  • Support and participate in the Strategic Plan development by providing customer, competitor, and market trends information.
• Build and sustain strong internal partner relationships
  • Partner with cross-functional groups such as engineering, business development, quality, customer service, accounting, and demand chain in a way that delivers a world-class customer experience.

Requirements:

• Bachelor’s Degree, Engineering preferred.
• Minimum 5 years of experience in Application/Sales Engineering, Business Development, Sales or Sales Management for an industrial products company.
• Secure and in-depth knowledge of the associated industry as well as customer products, business strategies, financials, and competitive threats.
• Proven track record of success and career progression within an industrial products company.
• Willingness and ability to travel 50-60% of the time domestically and internationally (as required).
• A valid Drivers License may be required for travel purposes.
• Excellent communication, interpersonal, and organizational skills.
• High level of business acumen and accountability.
• Ability to prioritize and complete multiple competing tasks while providing a flawless Customer Experience.
• Ability to align priorities between SKF sales, SKF manufacturing and the customer.
• Must be a motivated self-starter and team player, interested in being an integral part of a high performing, diversified team.
• Able to work in a fast-paced environment and evolving culture.
• Demonstrate problem solving and performance analysis skills.

Desired Attributes/Skills:

• Comfortable providing product presentations via in person, phone, or web.
• Embraces change in the name of efficiency and effectiveness.
• Demonstrate the ability to prioritize tasks and time management skills.
• Demonstrate problem solving and performance analysis skills.
• Ability to influence others (negotiating skills, persuasiveness, and tenacity to follow up).
• Demonstrate understanding and ability to communicate technical information.
• Demonstrate basic understanding of financial and accounting practices.
• Aggressive, relentlessly inquisitive, and entrepreneurial.
• Driven by success and has a passion for winning.
• Proven ability to develop positive and lasting rapport with both internal and external customers at all levels of an organization.
• Proven ability to influence cross-functional teams without formal authority.
• Thrives in a team environment.
• Ability to manage your time efficiently, unsupervised and work from both a home office, company office, and on the road as necessary
• Able to drive improvements, propose new solutions and have a positive attitude.
• Demonstrate problem solving and performance analysis skills
• Ability to influence others (negotiating skills, persuasiveness, and tenacity to follow up)
• Demonstrate understanding and ability to communicate technical information

What You’ll Love About SKF:
Rest and Relaxation. Enjoy a generous PTO policy and 13 paid holidays.

Work/Life Integration. SKF supports work/life integration, home, family, community, personal well-being and health. Flexible work options available, depending on role. 

Diversity in the Workplace.? At SKF, we strive to embed Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in everything we do. By developing a culture of belonging, our people can flourish; leading to an inclusive, equitable environment that promotes leadership, engagement and innovation. 

Best in Class Benefits. SKF cares about the wellbeing of our employees. Comprehensive healthcare options to fit your needs and opt out payment.  Added benefits include company paid life insurance, STD, LTD. Supplemental benefits include critical illness coverage, tuition reimbursement, employee discount programs, and much more 

Invest in your Future. Participate in our 401K program that boasts a 10% employer contribution:  100% match up to 5% of your elected contribution (100% Vested) plus an additional 5% company contribution.

Reports to: Regional Sales Director
Location: US Remote (Near a major airport)
Job ID: 20495

SKF provides equal employment [and affirmative action] opportunities to applicants and employees without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, or disability.

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