Position: Commercial Director, Controls & Automation
Status: Exempt, Full Time
Location: United States
About Us
Fox Innovation & Technologies Inc. (“FOX”) is a global leader in turbomachinery engineering, manufacturing, controls, and aftermarket services delivering advanced rotating equipment solutions for the oil and gas, power generation, and process industries.
FOX is more than a service provider. We are an OEM-caliber engineering, manufacturing, and technology hub capable of reengineering, revamping, and remanufacturing complex machinery and control systems to meet the most demanding operational requirements. Our team combines deep industry expertise with rapid-cycle turnaround and world-class proprietary technologies to deliver OEM or better-quality solutions across centrifugal compressors, pumps, turbines, valves, and other mission-critical rotating equipment.
With best-in-class field service capabilities, precision machining, controls and automation capabilities, and turnkey project execution, FOX provides the technical horsepower and responsiveness that global operators depend on. Our commitment to quality, safety, and reliability drives everything we do — from the shop floor to the field.
The Opportunity
The Commercial Director, Controls & Automation will be responsible for leading the expansion of our established controls and automation capabilities into the U.S. market.
FOX, through its global organization and SSE controls business, has extensive experience delivering controls, automation, instrumentation, and turbomachinery solutions internationally. The Commercial Director will be responsible for leveraging these capabilities to establish and grow a meaningful U.S. market presence.
This role will develop and execute the U.S. commercial strategy, build a domestic customer and opportunity pipeline, establish strategic relationships, and secure controls and automation projects across the oil & gas, petrochemical, power generation, and industrial markets. The successful candidate will combine strong commercial leadership, an established U.S. industry network, and sufficient technical expertise to effectively position FOX and SSE capabilities with customers.
Responsibilities
- Develop and execute the U.S. market-entry and growth strategy for FOX’s Controls & Automation business.
- Build a sustainable domestic pipeline for controls, automation, instrumentation, monitoring, and modernization projects.
- Introduce and position FOX controls capabilities within the U.S. oil & gas, petrochemical, power generation, and industrial markets.
- Identify priority customers, facilities, market segments, and applications where FOX can establish an immediate or differentiated market position.
- Develop new customer relationships while leveraging FOX’s existing U.S. turbomachinery and aftermarket customer base to generate controls opportunities.
- Establish relationships with key decision-makers across engineering, operations, maintenance, reliability, procurement, project management, and executive leadership.
- Drive opportunities involving control system upgrades and retrofits, compressor and turbine controls, instrumentation, automation, machinery protection, monitoring systems, and digital solutions.
- Serve as the primary commercial bridge between U.S. customers and FOX/SSE technical resources located internationally.
- Identify U.S.-specific customer requirements, industry expectations, competitive dynamics, and technical or commercial barriers to market entry.
- Lead strategic customer engagement from initial opportunity identification through proposal development, negotiation, and contract award.
- Develop account plans, capture strategies, and value propositions for major opportunities and strategic customers.
- Lead or oversee technical and commercial proposal development in collaboration with U.S. and international engineering and operations teams.
- Provide commercial leadership on pricing, margins, contractual terms, deal structure, and commercial risk.
- Negotiate complex contracts, master service agreements, frame agreements, and long-term service arrangements.
- Maintain accountability for the U.S. Controls & Automation opportunity pipeline, bookings forecast, revenue outlook, and commercial reporting.
- Develop market intelligence regarding competitors, installed equipment, customer investment plans, technology trends, and potential acquisition or partnership opportunities.
- Support the development of U.S.-specific marketing materials, case studies, technical presentations, and commercial messaging.
- Represent FOX at customer meetings, industry conferences, trade shows, and other U.S. business development activities.
- Support the transition of awarded projects from commercial development into engineering and execution while maintaining senior-level customer relationships.
- Assist leadership in developing the longer-term U.S. commercial and operational infrastructure necessary to support continued growth of the Controls & Automation business.
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Controls Engineering, Automation Engineering, or a related technical discipline preferred.
- Minimum 10 years of relevant industry experience, including significant experience in technical sales, business development, commercial leadership, controls, automation, or turbomachinery aftermarket services.
- Demonstrated success developing new business and penetrating markets within the United States oil & gas, petrochemical, power generation, or industrial sectors.
- Strong existing network of U.S. customer and industry relationships.
- Proven ability to develop business in a market where an organization or product line does not yet have a significant established commercial presence.
- Strong technical understanding of industrial control systems, automation, instrumentation, and rotating equipment applications.
- Experience with control systems associated with centrifugal compressors, gas turbines, steam turbines, compressor drivers, and associated auxiliary systems.
- Working knowledge of control system retrofits and modernization, PLC and DCS platforms, instrumentation, machinery protection, condition monitoring, and digital monitoring technologies.
- Experience working with OEMs, independent service providers, controls integrators, or turbomachinery aftermarket organizations.
- Demonstrated success managing complex, high-value technical sales cycles from opportunity identification through contract execution.
- Experience negotiating pricing, contractual terms, master agreements, and complex technical-commercial contracts.
- Ability to effectively coordinate with internationally based engineering and technical teams.
- Strong financial and commercial acumen, including an understanding of pricing, margins, project risk, and profitability.
- Excellent communication, presentation, negotiation, and relationship-management skills.
- Ability to operate independently and build a new business pipeline with limited existing market infrastructure.
- Proficiency with CRM platforms, sales forecasting tools, and Microsoft Office applications.
- Understanding of union labor environments and project staffing dynamics.
- Ability and willingness to travel frequently throughout the United States and internationally as required.
Physical Demands & Work Environment
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodation may be provided to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the functions.
- Exposure to industrial and nuclear environments with frequent travel between facilities, including job site walks, heat exposure, stairs, and PPE requirements.
- Requires sitting, standing, climbing, bending, and walking for extended periods.
- Occasional extended hours based on operational or customer needs.
Equal Employment Opportunity
Fox Innovation & Technologies Inc. is an equal opportunity organization. We recruit, employ, train, compensate, and promote without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, age, gender, marital status, disability, protected veteran status, or any other basis protected by applicable federal, state or local law.