Automotive Sales Director

Job Title: Automotive & Specialty Vehicle Growth Sales Director

Job Description

The Automotive & Specialty Vehicle Growth Sales Director develops and executes a focused growth strategy across automotive and specialty vehicle markets, including OEM, dealer and distributor networks, upfitters, fleets, public safety, government and defense, off-road, and specialty vehicle channels. This role builds and manages a disciplined new-business pipeline, personally leads high-value strategic opportunities from discovery through launch, and expands both new and existing strategic accounts. The position starts as a high-impact individual contributor with strong executive visibility and offers the opportunity to grow into broader leadership responsibilities as the business scales.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute a comprehensive Automotive and Specialty Vehicle growth strategy covering OEM, dealer and distributor, upfitter, fleet, public safety, government and defense, off-road, and specialty vehicle channels.
• Build a disciplined new-business pipeline and personally lead high-value strategic opportunities from discovery through specification, quoting, launch, and ongoing account expansion.
• Grow existing strategic accounts while opening new relationships with vehicle manufacturers, equipment manufacturers, public safety agencies, fire and EMS organizations, law enforcement, UTV and off-road partners, commercial fleets, and government and defense customers.
• Translate customer requirements into clear business cases and product requirements in close partnership with Engineering, Operations, Product, and Marketing teams.
• Help develop repeatable vehicle-specific packages, launch plans, pricing strategies, channel programs, and sales tools that make solutions easier to specify, purchase, install, and support.
• Create and maintain detailed account plans, forecasts, opportunity stages, and next actions in HubSpot, ensuring accurate pipeline visibility and timely weekly and monthly business updates.
• Monitor competitive activity, market trends, pricing dynamics, product gaps, supplier pain points, and customer feedback to inform product roadmaps and commercial decisions.
• Represent the company at customer meetings, industry events, trade shows, field demonstrations, partner trainings, and strategic account reviews.
• Coordinate closely with Marketing on campaigns, content development, case studies, dealer enablement materials, product launches, and lead-generation programs.
• Sell strategically while maintaining a strong presence in the field, staying close to customers, products, and real-world use cases.
• Maintain strong CRM discipline, demonstrating ownership of accounts, accurate opportunity tracking, and clear communication of business status.
• Travel frequently to support customers, partners, trade shows, and field activities, ensuring strong relationships and high visibility in target markets.

Essential Skills

• At least 8 years of progressive B2B sales, business development, or commercial leadership experience in automotive lighting, emergency vehicle equipment, public safety products, vehicle upfitting, automotive aftermarket, OEM, fleet, off-road, defense, or a related technical market.
• Proven ability to create new markets, grow revenue, win specifications, and develop OEM, distributor, dealer, upfitter, and channel relationships.
• Minimum of 5 years of experience working with and having a strong understanding of vehicle lighting, warning, illumination, control systems, electrical accessories, or related technical products.
• Existing relationships across public safety, fire and EMS, law enforcement, upfitters, vehicle OEMs, specialty fleets, off-road, or government and defense markets.
• Executive presence with strong negotiation, presentation, communication, and relationship-management skills.
• Ability to sell strategically while remaining closely engaged with the field, customers, and products.
• Strong CRM discipline and commitment to accurate pipeline management, account ownership, and clear business updates, including use of HubSpot.
• Willingness and ability to travel frequently for customer visits, partner engagements, trade shows, and field support.
• Sales experience in automotive and related technical B2B environments, including lighting and emergency vehicle equipment.

Additional Skills & Qualifications

• Experience working directly with vehicle OEMs, emergency vehicle upfitters, public safety agencies, defense and government customers, or specialty vehicle platforms.
• Experience building dealer, distributor, representative, or broader channel programs.
• Experience selling into specification-driven or technical purchasing environments.
• Experience partnering with Engineering and Operations teams within a manufacturing company.
• Experience commercializing new products or creating market-specific product packages.
• Technical curiosity and the ability to turn fragmented opportunities into repeatable revenue streams.
• Comfort representing the company at industry events, trade shows, and field demonstrations.
• Ability to collaborate effectively with Product and Marketing to shape launch plans, pricing strategies, and sales tools.

Work Environment

The role centers around a primary connection point at the company's headquarters in Arizona, with a strong emphasis on in-person collaboration. The position maintains close, regular interaction with leadership, Engineering, Operations, customers, and strategic partners. The environment involves frequent field and customer travel, including visits to OEMs, upfitters, fleets, public safety agencies, and participation in industry events, trade shows, and partner trainings. Work is highly cross-functional and fast-paced, focused on mission-critical lighting, signaling, infrared, preemption, and control solutions used in demanding environments where visibility, reliability, response time, and safety are essential.

Job Type & Location

This is a Permanent position based out of Gilbert, AZ.

Pay and Benefits

The pay range for this position is $135000.00 - $135000.00/yr.

Base Salary $135,000 annually Bonus Performance-based bonus tied to Automotive and Specialty Vehicle growth priorities, strategic account development, qualified pipeline creation, revenue growth, and execution against agreed commercial objectives. Allowances / Benefits Vehicle allowance, phone / internet allowance, approved business travel reimbursement, and standard TOMAR benefits, subject to company policies and plan terms.

Workplace Type

This is a hybrid position in Gilbert,AZ.

Application Deadline

This position is anticipated to close on Jul 17, 2026.

About Actalent

Actalent is a global leader in engineering and sciences services and talent solutions. We help visionary companies advance their engineering and science initiatives through access to specialized experts who drive scale, innovation and speed to market. With a network of almost 20,000 consultants and 5,000 clients across the U.S., Canada, Asia and Europe, Actalent serves many of the Fortune 500. We are proud to be an Engineering News-Record (ENR) Top 500 Design Firm for our engineering design services and a ClearlyRated Best of Staffing winner for both client and talent service.

The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications without regard to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protected by law.

If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation, such as the modification or adjustment of the job application process or interviewing process due to a disability, please email actalentaccommodation@actalentservices.com for other accommodation options.

San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance: Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, for all positions located in the city and county of San Francisco, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Massachusetts Lie Detector: It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI): We may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support parts of our hiring process, including sourcing, screening, and evaluating candidates. AI helps assess applications and qualifications, but final decisions are made by our hiring team. By applying, you acknowledge and agree that your application may be reviewed using AI tools.