Director of Sales

Director of Sales

Commission:

This position is eligible for sales commission under the company’s Sales Director Commission Plan, based on the sales team’s achievement of assigned revenue and gross-margin targets. At 100% target attainment, annual commission is $80,000, for $170,000–$200,000 in total annual cash compensation at target. Actual commission varies with performance.

Summary:

At Midwest Fire, a Stellar company, the Director of Sales leads all Midwest Fire sales efforts, drives profitable growth and builds long-term customer relationships in the fire apparatus market. This hands-on leadership role directs a four-person sales team and owns sales strategy, business development, pipeline management, forecasting and sales execution. The Director works closely with Operations and Marketing to align customer demand, production capacity and growth priorities while remaining actively engaged with key customers and industry partners.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Lead Midwest Fire sales efforts and develop annual and multi-year sales plans aligned with business objectives, including revenue, unit, order intake and margin goals.

• Direct, coach and develop the four-person sales team; establish responsibilities, account coverage, performance expectations and disciplined follow-up.

• Lead new business development, customer retention and repeat sales while supporting needs assessment, apparatus specifications, proposals, negotiations and order closure.

• Own sales forecasting and maintain rolling 90-day, six-month and 12-month outlooks for expected orders, units, revenue and delivery timing.

• Maintain accurate CRM records, opportunity stages, close dates and assumptions; monitor pipeline health, conversion, margins, customer retention and forecast accuracy.

• Partner with the Director of Operations to align sales forecasts, order mix, production capacity, lead times and customer delivery commitments.

• Collaborate with the Marketing Brand Manager on demand generation, campaigns, product positioning, trade shows, lead handoffs and conversion results.

• Coordinate with Engineering, Product Development, Customer Service, Aftermarket and Finance to validate specifications, feasibility, pricing, payment terms and customer commitments.

• Represent Midwest Fire at customer meetings, apparatus demonstrations, trade shows and industry events; travel with sales team members to support key opportunities and provide coaching.

• Serve as the senior sales escalation point for customer concerns involving specifications, pricing, lead times, order changes or delivery, and coordinate clear resolution plans.

• Oversee quotations, proposals and bid responses for accuracy, completeness and timely submission while protecting margins and following approval requirements.

• Monitor market trends, apparatus replacement cycles, competitor offerings, pricing and lead times; use customer feedback and win/loss insights to inform sales and product strategy.

• Ensure sales proposals and commitments comply with company policies for pricing, credit, warranties, payment terms, delivery and nonstandard contract requirements.

• Perform other duties as assigned.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in business, sales, marketing, engineering or a related field, or an equivalent combination of relevant education and experience.

• Eight or more years of progressive sales experience in fire apparatus, specialty vehicles, vocational trucks or related capital equipment, including at least three years of direct sales team leadership.

• Demonstrated success developing sales plans, managing complex sales cycles, negotiating commercial terms and achieving profitable growth.

• Ability to understand technical vehicle specifications and translate customer requirements into accurate proposals in collaboration with Engineering and Operations.

• Proficiency with CRM systems and strong forecasting, pipeline management and sales analysis skills.

• Strong communication, negotiation, coaching and cross-functional collaboration skills.

• Experience selling to fire departments, fire districts, public agencies or other public-sector purchasing organizations preferred.

• Familiarity with municipal bid processes, cooperative purchasing programs and public-sector budget cycles preferred.

• Knowledge of fire apparatus applications, chassis integration and customer specification requirements preferred.

• Valid driver license and authorization to work in the United States.

Travel and Physical Requirements:

Approximately 50% travel by air and ground is required for customer visits, trade shows, apparatus demonstrations and business meetings, including occasional weekends. The position works in office, manufacturing, customer-facility and trade-show environments and requires regular standing and walking during visits and demonstrations. The employee must be able to use standard office, CRM, ERP and remote-collaboration tools and wear required personal protective equipment in manufacturing areas. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals to perform the essential functions.