Director of Sales PTS - Afton - GEA

Description

GEA Group, founded in Germany in 1881, is a global leader in engineering solutions, serving industries such as food and beverage, pharma, dairy, and more. With over 18,000 employees worldwide and a strong U.S. presence since 1929, GEA combines the heritage of a well-established company with the innovation of a forward-thinking industry leader. At GEA, we're not just building equipment, we're building lasting careers with an average employee tenure range from 8 + years, reflecting the strong culture, growth opportunities, and support we provide.

Responsibilities / Tasks

• Start strong – Medical, dental, and vision coverage begins on your first day
• Recharge and refresh – Enjoy 12 paid holidays, including a flexible floating holiday, and 136 hours of PTO to relax or explore
• Invest in your future – A 7% 401(k) employer match helps grow your retirement savings faster
• Keep learning – Take advantage of tuition reimbursement to further your education or skillset
• Live well – Our wellness incentive program rewards healthy habits
• Get support when you need it – Access to a confidential Employee Assistance Program for personal or professional guidance
• Save smart – Flexible Health Savings and Spending Accounts to manage out-of-pocket expenses

The typical base pay range for this position at the start of employment is expected to be between $175,000 - $190,000 per year + bonus. GEA Group has different base pay ranges for different work locations within the United States.

The pay range is not guaranteed compensation or salary. The estimated range is the budgeted amount for the position. Final offers are based on various factors, including skill set, experience, location, qualifications, and other job-related reasons. You may be eligible for additional rewards, such as a discretionary bonus (based on eligibility) and/or equity awards.

Position Summary
The Sales Director is responsible for leading and executing the market and sales strategy for the Food, Dairy, and Chemical businesses within the Nutrition Plant Engineering (NPE) North America (US & Canada) Division. This role ensures a unified and customer-centric sales approach in close collaboration with the BU Strategy Manager and Entity Vice President, driving profitable growth, market expansion, and strong customer relationships.

Key Responsibilities

Leadership & Strategic Oversight

• Provide strong leadership and strategic direction to the regional sales organization, fostering high performance, accountability, and collaboration.
• Develop and execute the regional market and sales strategy for the US and Canada, ensuring alignment with BU and divisional objectives.
• Drive achievement of budgeted order intake, sales, and margin targets by identifying and converting new sales opportunities.
• Actively manage and support key customer accounts, strengthening long-term partnerships and customer satisfaction.
• Lead, coach, and develop the sales organization, building a strong local talent pipeline and succession plan.
• Partner closely with the Service Sales team to identify and execute up-sell and cross-sell opportunities, maximizing revenue and enhancing customer experience.
• Manage day-to-day sales team activities to ensure consistency, performance optimization, and adherence to best practices.
• Coordinate and prioritize regional sales activities, allocating resources effectively to high-impact initiatives.
• Support and ensure effective implementation of local and regional sales strategies.
• Address and resolve complex customer issues, negotiations, and escalations to achieve positive commercial outcomes.
• Expand market reach, coverage, and brand presence while strengthening competitive positioning.
• Define, monitor, and track sales targets, KPIs, and performance metrics for the sales team.
• Establish and execute go-to-market strategies aligned with country-specific requirements and available resources.
• Position products and solution offerings to win against the local competitive landscape.
• Oversee key account management practices, ensuring customers are informed of the full GEA product and service portfolio.
• Ensure Regional Sales Managers (RSMs) accurately enter and maintain opportunities in the C4C CRM system to support BU forecasting and resource planning.
• Coordinate with Technical Offer Management and leadership to qualify opportunities, ensuring completeness of go/get criteria, budget and funding status, timing, TCO classification, and primary technology details.
• Conduct regular customer visits, independently and jointly with RSMs.
• Ensure RSM compliance with BU procedures and applicable GEA/GSNA policies, including Travel and QHSE.
• Review and approve sales-related expense reports for RSMs.
• Maintain close collaboration and networking with key stakeholders across the NPE NAM organization, including management, product managers, project managers, Service teams, and other internal GEA colleagues.
• Own responsibility for meeting or exceeding the order intake (OI) budget. Set territory- and technology-based sales objectives for RSMs and conduct regular performance follow-ups.

Your Profile / Qualifications

Leadership, Travel, and Work Environment

• Ability to travel up to 75%, including occasional international travel as required.
• Proven ability to lead, motivate, and manage sales teams across multiple locations, including remote team members.
• Demonstrated leadership presence with the ability to influence, coach, and drive results in a matrix organization.

Education and Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Business Management, or a related field preferred; equivalent experience considered.
• Additional commercial or business education is strongly preferred.
• Minimum of 5 years of capital equipment sales experience.
• At least 5 years of sales experience with demonstrated strength in contract negotiation.
• Proven experience managing and leading remote or geographically dispersed teams.

Core Competencies and Leadership Attributes

• Demonstrated commitment to high ethical standards, integrity, and fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace.
• Strong alignment with the company's mission, values, and long-term objectives.
• Proven leadership capability with a clear vision for managing teams, complex initiatives, and strategic projects.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills; effective across all organizational levels, functions, and cultures.
• Ability to develop and execute strategic sales and service growth plans.
• Highly effective in fast-paced, matrixed, and customer-focused environments.
• Collaborative leadership style: open to feedback and committed to delivering results.
• Comfortable challenging ideas constructively and evaluating situations from multiple perspectives.
• Persuasive, data-driven decision-maker with strong attention to detail.
• Strong delegation and people development skills.
• High level of curiosity and continuous learning mindset regarding industry trends, technologies, and customers.
• Strategic thinkers with the ability to anticipate future opportunities and challenges and proactively develop solutions.
• Proven ability to manage and lead teams across multiple locations.

At GEA, we don't just offer jobs, we offer opportunities to thrive, grow, and make an impact.

#engineeringforthebetter

Please note: This position is based in the United States and does not offer visa or work sponsorship. Applicants must be authorized to work in the U.S. without current or future sponsorship.

GEA Group is committed to fostering an inclusive work environment where all clients and employees feel welcomed, accepted, and valued. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and do not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, sex, age, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, status as a veteran, and basis of disability or any other federal, state or local protected class.

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