Job Summary:

The Director of Sales and Marketing is responsible for leading the company’s revenue-generating functions, including direct oversight of sales teams, marketing strategy, and business development efforts. This individual must possess an entrepreneurial spirit, excel in data-driven decision-making, and show strong leadership in managing teams and cultivating key customer relationships. The Director will have an intimate understanding of the aerospace industry and collaborates closely with cross functional leaders, especially The Director of Engineering and Technology Strategy, ensuring that product innovations are effectively positioned in the market and meet customer needs. Creating and enforcing a collaborative environment while leading a geographically dispersed sales team and maintaining a strong home-office presence is key to success.

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Key Responsibilities:

Sales Leadership

• Sales Strategy Development:
• Deep Market Analysis: Conduct in-depth research and analysis of aerospace market trends, competitive landscape, and customer preferences. This includes identifying shifts in market dynamics (e.g., regulatory changes, emerging technologies like autonomous systems or green propulsion) and using these insights to shape sales strategies.
• Data-Driven Sales Tactics: Use sales analytics platforms such as Salesforce to track KPIs, performance metrics, and customer behaviors. Continuously refine sales processes based on data insights to drive revenue and improve customer acquisition and retention strategies.
• Customer Segmentation: Identify key customer segments within aerospace, including commercial, defense, business, etc. and tailor sales strategies to meet the needs of each segment.
• Revenue Forecasting: Lead revenue forecasting and budgeting, setting clear quarterly and annual goals based on market conditions, sales pipeline, and historical performance. Regularly adjust forecasts based on shifts in the market or product launches.
• Team Management:
• Geographically Distributed Teams: Manage a sales team spread across different regions. Develop clear accountability structures to ensure all sales team members are aligned with corporate goals, despite the challenges of remote management.
• Performance Management: Regularly conduct performance reviews. Develop and implement performance improvement plans when necessary.
• Cultural Leadership: Foster a culture of excellence, collaboration, and innovation within the sales team. Encourage cross-functional teamwork between sales, marketing, and product development teams.
• Business Development:
• Strategic Partnerships: Identify potential partners in the aerospace sector (e.g., satellite manufacturers, defense contractors, government entities) that could drive long-term business growth. Forge strategic alliances to expand market reach.
• New Market Entry: Analyze the potential for entering new geographic or vertical markets within the aerospace, space, oil and gas, etc.
• RFP Management: Lead the preparation of bids, proposals, and RFP responses for large-scale aerospace projects, working closely with technical and engineering teams to ensure accuracy and competitive pricing.
• Client Relations:
• Customer Relationship Management: Cultivate strong, long-term relationships with top clients. Maintain regular communication and act as a point of escalation for key accounts, especially on high-value projects or new initiatives. Maintain accurate accounts and account planning within Salesforce.
• Customization & Solutions Selling: Understand each customer’s unique needs and provide tailored solutions that align with the company’s products or services. This includes working with engineering teams to customize products based on specific client requirements.
• Customer Retention Strategies: Develop strategies to improve customer retention rates, such as loyalty programs, personalized service offerings, and regular client reviews.

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Marketing Leadership

• Marketing Strategy Development:
• Integrated Marketing Campaigns: Develop comprehensive, multi-channel marketing campaigns that support sales objectives. This includes traditional advertising, digital marketing, events, and content marketing.
• Customer Personas & Journey Mapping: Create detailed customer personas for key aerospace customer segments, identifying their pain points, motivations, and decision-making processes. Design marketing strategies that align with each stage of the buyer's journey.
• Brand Messaging: Ensure consistent and compelling brand messaging across all marketing materials, including brochures, online content, trade show displays, and presentations. The messaging should emphasize the company's innovation, reliability, and expertise in aerospace technologies.
• Digital Marketing & Social Media:
• Online Presence Optimization: Oversee, develop and maintain the company’s website, ensuring it is optimized for SEO and user experience. Leverage website analytics tools to track user behavior and make data-driven improvements.
• Social Media Strategy: Develop and implement a social media strategy, particularly on platforms relevant to the aerospace sector (LinkedIn, Twitter, etc.). Share thought leadership content, product updates, and case studies to increase engagement and visibility.
• Product Launches:
• Go-to-Market Strategy: Lead go-to-market (GTM) efforts for new products, ensuring alignment between product development, marketing, and sales teams. This includes creating launch plans that cover market research, pricing, product positioning, and messaging.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work closely with product development, engineering, and operations teams to ensure that new products meet market demands and are launched on time. Develop launch collateral (e.g., white papers, case studies, product demos) to support the sales team in securing early adopters.
• Market Testing: Test marketing messages and strategies on select customer segments before full-scale launch, using feedback to refine product positioning.

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Collaboration & Cross-functional Work

• New Product Introduction (NPI) & Engineering Collaboration:
• Technical Understanding: Develop a deep understanding of the company’s product portfolio, especially any complex technical aspects. This is critical in the aerospace industry, where products often involve sophisticated engineering and meet strict regulatory requirements.
• Cross-Functional Alignment: Ensure that marketing and sales efforts are aligned with the engineering roadmap, working closely with the Director of Engineering and Technology Strategy and product development teams to ensure smooth transitions during NPI.
• Supply Chain & Operations Coordination: Collaborate with program management, operations, and supply chain teams to ensure that products are available and deliverable according to sales commitments and customer expectations, particularly when launching new products.
• Customer Feedback Loop:
• Voice of the Customer (VoC): Establish and maintain a customer feedback loop to continuously gather insights on product performance, customer satisfaction, and areas for improvement. Share these insights with engineering and product teams to influence future product development.
• Market Research Integration: Regularly incorporate market research and customer feedback into marketing strategies and sales tactics to stay ahead of trends and customer needs.

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Key Competencies

• Data-Driven Decision Making:
• Advanced Analytics Skills: Analyze sales pipelines, market trends, and customer behavior to make strategic adjustments to sales and marketing strategies.
• Predictive Modeling: Implement predictive modeling techniques to forecast sales trends and customer needs, helping to guide resource allocation and product development.
• Entrepreneurial Spirit:
• Innovative Thinking: Actively seek out new opportunities for growth, whether by entering new markets, launching innovative products, or finding more efficient ways to reach customers.
• Risk-Taking & Agility: Be comfortable taking calculated risks, pivoting strategies when necessary based on market conditions or emerging opportunities.
• Communication Skills:
• Executive Communication: Ability to present complex data and strategic initiatives to the executive team and board of directors, translating technical information into actionable business insights.
• Industry Thought Leadership: Serve as the public face of the company in industry events, webinars, and customer meetings. Write and present thought leadership articles and whitepapers to establish the company’s brand within aerospace.
• Industry Expertise:
• Aerospace-Specific Knowledge: Deep understanding of aerospace, aerospace markets, and technology trends. Familiarity with aerospace regulatory requirements such as FAR’s and DFAR’s is essential.
• Network & Connections: A well-established network within the aerospace industry, including relationships with OEMs, suppliers, and key customers.

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Experience and Educational Requirements:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Business, Marketing, Engineering, or related field is required, with an MBA or advanced degree strongly preferred.
• Minimum 10 years of professional experience, with at least 5 years in senior leadership roles in sales and marketing, and 5 years of experience in the aerospace sector.
• Extensive experience in business development, sales, marketing, branding, NPI Cycle, RFI/RFQ/RFP Management
• Strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Must possess strong interpersonal skills.
• Must be computer literate especially in Microsoft Office. 
• Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills.
• Strong communication and presentation skills.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced and dynamic environment.
• Strong ethical standards and integrity.
• Salesforce knowledge a plus

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Compensation:

This role offers a competitive base salary plus a performance-driven bonus structure, including both an annual bonus and target-based incentive opportunities.