POSITION PROFILE
POSITION TITLE: Director of Marketing and Sales
REPORTING TO: President
LOCATION: Martinez, CA 94553
OUR CLIENT: Shields, Harper & Co.
Website: http://www.shieldsharper.com/
Shields, Harper & Co (SHC)., a California corporation, was established in 1917. The company began by selling fuel hoses to a single customer, Standard Oil of California (now Chevron). Throughout the ensuing decades, the company added many products and services, including fuel tanks, dispensers, electronic control systems, environmental monitoring systems, and in recent years to include payment systems, POS (Point of Sale) systems. The company also offers additional support, such as CAD drawings and environmental compliance recommendations.
SHC continues to be a leader, serving every facet of the energy dispensing industry. Its integrated systems are installed at airports, fleets, commercial and retail sites, as well as facilities requiring emergency power systems, throughout its market area. Contractors, architects, designers and engineers appreciate the expertise of SHC’s well-trained and technical staff to help them specify equipment and design systems appropriate for the highly regulated areas in which they operate. SHC sells directly to individual site owners, industrial accounts, governments and contractors, as well as corporations who own fleets of fueling sites.
As a systems integration business, the company is primarily a sales and distribution organization. After 100 years, SHC continues to grow, and expects to have many more decades of success. Main suppliers include several top publicly traded corporations, such as Dover, Danaher, Franklin and Verifone. There are more than 20 main suppliers, and 100+ others to support sales needs, throughout the main geographic areas of California, Arizona and Nevada, where the company operates eight office/warehouse locations. SHC also serves an extended sales area without physical branch locations, which includes the Pacific Northwest through Alaska, many Pacific islands from Hawaii to Guam, and selected customer locations throughout the US and Canada.
SHC became an ESOP (Employee Share Ownership Plan) corporation in 1993, and maintains a “family feel” company culture which genuinely cares about its employees, community, and the stability of the company.
As the company serves the needs of today’s market, it has begun use of a recently implemented ERP system and is developing an on-line store.
The company seeks to add the new position of Director of Marketing and Sales, to learn our business and help support the existing marketing and sales efforts, and take initiative with new efforts to grow the business. The position will have growth opportunities, as the existing executives of the company transition toward retirement in the coming years.
This is a salaried, full time position with bonus opportunity, benefits and ESOP ownership.
The position is posted here: http://www.lockeandkey.com/jobs/JobOpenings/job_opening_201.php
SCOPE AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
Position Overview: The initial responsibility of the Director will be to learn the industry, the company and its the market niche, in order to become a trusted partner, both inside and outside of the company. You will work directly with senior management and the executive team, with the intention of becoming a member of the team.
Among additional duties and responsibilities, you will do the following:
Have exposure to every facet of the marketing and sales functions of the company, so as to learn the relationships with customers and suppliers. Meet and work with key suppliers and customers and visit the various SHC offices. Your goal is to excel in the understanding of the sales process, be a vital participant in the senior management team, and insure the integration of sales with the operations, finance and warehousing resources needed to support the existing markets.
Over time, become the principal contract negotiator with suppliers. Initiate, maintain and improve supplier relationships. Maintain favored status among suppliers, through performance and trust developed in day to day activity.
SHC has a successful sales team. Learn/understand the sales organization. Recruit and train salespeople. Maintain a winning sales team; improve individual and group sales performance. There will be no initial direct reports. After a learning and trust-building period of up to 6-9 months, full responsibility for the sales department will report through the Director.
Work directly with the customers needs (many of whom are very long-term), such as with contracts, credit and collection and to enhance customer loyalty. Be the face of customer representation and support.
Learn/understand existing marketing programs, and how products supply industry needs. Understand, communicate and continue to grow the value proposition offered to the market. Continue to build the company image as the top level supplier, and a leader in our industry. Add to the customer base and expand the geography the company covers.
Learn any pain points and roadblocks to marketing and sales success; improve sales processes for efficiencies and response time to customer needs.
Increase profitable sales by gaining new, key accounts such as large retailers (C-store selling chains, big box retailers and commercial accounts).
Develop meaningful, long-term relationships with architects, engineers and contractors.
Demonstrate an attitude that leads and inspires employees to always do their best for customers and the company.
Embrace and maximize the company-wide use of the distribution (ERP) software, Epicor Prophet 21 (P21).
Additional responsibilities will be available, as you advance in the role.
EXPERIENCE/SKILLS REQUIRED:
The company realizes that every interested candidate might not have all of the desired experience, but here is what is what is preferred in terms of experience and skills… the more you have, the better!
The successful candidate will have a minimum of ten years of post-graduate professional experience, with at least five years in sales leadership and management.
Minimum of three years of successful, direct supervisory management of at least three to five people.
The industry you come from is not as important as the exposure to, and the success you have had, with long lead-time sales and operations organizations. However, it’s a plus if you have education and/or work experience with construction, engineering, distribution, oil/gas/refinery knowledge, capital equipment, machinery.
Technical product exposure is valuable, since product offerings are engineered and some are electronic. Many products involve systems integration.
Ability to grasp regulatory compliance issues.
Practical understanding of the selling process including channels, suppliers, etc.
ATTRIBUTES/CAPABILITIES/DESCRIPTORS:
Strong work ethic; dedicated, accountable, committed.
Personable, friendly, happy, extroverted, outgoing. You will be a face of the company; exude professionalism, genuineness and a head for business at all times.
Direct, effective, warm and willing communicator.
Natural leader; earns genuine trust quickly. Personal styles may vary widely, but results will determine your effectiveness.
Broad scope/big picture thinker, with the capacity to “get into the weeds” when necessary.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills; strong command of the English language. Good listener; value others’ opinions.
Collaborative; aligned with and supportive of company goals. Calm, collected.
Forward thinker. The fueling industry (aka: Energy Delivery Industry) continues to be in transition, and the company intends to continue to be relevant decades from now.
Supportive of employees and their professional growth.
True team player; moves the company forward as a whole by supporting individuals and the group.
Flexible; ability to wear different “hats,” and pitch in where needed.
EDUCATION/CREDENTIALS:
Bachelor’s degree required. Business, engineering, construction, manufacturing are attractive majors. MBA is a plus.
REWARDS/BENEFITS/COMPENSATION:
This is an opportunity to make a significant impact on the company over time, leading marketing and sales for a successful business that is stable, growing and has been in existence for over 100 years, with many decades of opportunity ahead. SHC has a great family style/atmosphere and company culture of camaraderie. Opportunity to grow in the organization.
Excellent compensation and benefits, including:
Competitive salary, ESOP (Employee Stock Ownership Plan) company, bonus opportunities, paid vacation and eight paid holidays.
Insurance: Medical, Dental, Vision and Life. 401k Retirement plan with company matching.
Education reimbursement program.
As an ESOP company, they pride themselves on over 80% employee ownership. They take care of their employees, who in turn take care of the company.
Many of SHC’s products are considered environmental, to keep air and water clean.
Enjoy the highly desired lifestyles of living in the East Bay of the San Francisco area, and it’s “middle of everything” proximity that it has to offer.
TO APPLY:
Please email your resume and cover letter with “SHC” in the subject line.
Local candidates preferred.
Qualified resumes with cover letter will receive notification of receipt.
Please do not send your resume to Shields, Harper directly.
Lisa K. Locke
Locke and KEY Recruiting, Hiring and Consulting Services
We are the source of your hire power.
Mail: P.O. Box 2873, Alameda, CA 94501
Phone/Fax 510-533-2055
Email to send resume/cover letter: lklocke@lockeandkey.com
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