Rail Sales Manager
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| Location: |
Midlands |
| Salary: |
A competitive base salary |
| Job Type: |
Permanent |
| Date Posted: |
29 January 2010 |
| Recruiter: |
Sima International |
| Bonus: |
Individual performance incentive plan; Business performance bonus
Significant achievement will create opportunity for advancement, dependent upon performance. |
| Benefits: |
Company car; family health plan, life insurance benefits, pension contribution. |
THE COMPANY
Our client is an ambitious and expanding international company seeking a Sales Manager to further develop its existing rail business worldwide. With factories in the South West and North East of England and also in Malaysia, and turnover between £10M and £20M, the company produces components for manufacturers of public transport vehicles and electronic equipment. Its established rail interiors business engineers and manufactures interior components for passenger rail cars and trams. Its lighting business holds a market-leading position in interior lighting for buses, coaches and commercial vehicles, but it now seeks to expand rapidly its existing range of rail lighting products as a complement to its rail interiors offer.
The group has aggressive growth plans for the next 3 to 6 years. In order to strengthen the group’s presence in the rail market and to accelerate its progress to a market-leading position within 3 years, the company must recruit a colleague who is unafraid of being accountable for rapid growth and playing a critical role in the company’s expansion plans.
THE POSITION
Rail Sales Manager
Established in 1980, the organization is already recognised as a European leader in the design and manufacture of interior systems for buses and coaches. At present, rail accounts for 20% of its group sales, but the company’s objective is both to grow the overall business and to achieve more than half its total sales from the rail industry.
To accelerate business growth in its current rail interiors business and to establish itself as a market leader in rail lighting, they company requires a sales professional of the highest calibre to drive its rail business forward.
The incoming Sales Manager will be responsible for identifying and closing sales opportunities; building a long-term pipeline of substantive projects; developing existing customer relationships and establishing new business with OEMs, refurbishers and train operators; helping to shape the product portfolio; and helping to establish a group presence in new geographies. [The role is of sufficient importance for an appropriately skilled and experienced to be a candidate for the group board once results are evident.]
REPORTING RELATIONSHIPS
Reports to Group Sales Director. Works closely with other directors and the Managing Director in the development of the group’s rail market strategy development.
RESPONSIBILITIES
General responsibilities will include assisting in the development of market growth strategy;. developing customer relationships; identifying new products to complement the existing product portfolio; winning new business from existing customers and also from new customers and in new markets; and generally ensuring that increasing success in the rail market contributes to group targets for profitability, innovation, and business growth.
Specific accountabilities for the Rail Sales Manager will include:
• Maintaining business share with existing customers, and increasing the group’s share of their total interiors spend.
• Quickly establishing the organisation as a credible supplier of rail lighting and then helping it to achieve market leadership in lighting and ceiling systems.
• Identifying new product opportunities and collaborating with colleagues in other parts of the business to help bring them to market.
• Developing relationships with customers with which the group currently does not trade, not only in Europe but in India, East Asia, Australasia, and North America.
• Managing the tendering process
• Managing the handover to engineer and project manager colleagues at the appropriate time in the deal cycle.
• Assisting the company’s directors and managers in developing internal processes and external service offerings that allow the company to achieve market leadership.
• Developing personal knowledge of and abilities in state-of-the-art technologies and techniques in fields relating to rail interiors and lighting systems.
• Taking personal responsibility for the fulfilment of very demanding annual growth targets
• Assisting in the preparation of marketing plans and all rail-related publicity and exhibitions.
THE CANDIDATE
EDUCATION/CERTIFICATION/KNOWLEDGE
In addition to possessing an engineering qualification, the Rail Sales Manager should possess most if not all of the following experiences and skills:
• At least ten years of progressive sales and business development experience, preferably in lighting systems or interior component design, within the rail industry
• Excellent relationship-building and deal-closing skills.
• A network of personal relationships with key decision-makers and influencers in interiors procurement and engineering positions in the European, and preferably the global, rail vehicle industry.
• Financial astuteness and an understanding of how to maximise profitability without compromising quality, service or customer expectations.
• Outstanding tenacity and drive, with both the self-sufficiency required to maintain individual performance and complete commitment to mutually supportive teamwork.
• Excellent communication and analysis skills
• Thorough knowledge of regulations, specifications, homologation standards.
• Willingness to travel regularly.
• Native proficiency in English with the ability to conduct business in at least one other language, preferably French. Additional language proficiency would be an asset.
PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS
In addition to being exceptionally bright and aggressive, the Rail Sales Manager must have the following attributes:
• Enjoy working and interacting with customers, suppliers and colleagues in a positive and constructive manner
• Ability to handle the stress associated with meeting deadlines and targets.
• Willingness to help out other colleagues in the spirit of collective advancement.
• Ambitious to help grow the business and improve its standards constantly; relentless in the pursuit of growth and excellence
• Personally ambitious for career success but with zero tolerance for office politics or private agendas.
• A smart appearance and professional demeanour.
• High emotional intelligence, knowing the appropriate behaviour for differing circumstances.
• A great sense of humour
• Absolutely unwavering commitment to business ethics and personal integrity at all times
COMPENSATION
A competitive base salary; individual performance incentive plan; business performance bonus; company car; family health plan, life insurance benefits, pension contribution. Significant achievement will create opportunity for advancement, dependent upon performance.
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