Technical Sales Manager

We are seeking a motivated Technical Sales Manager to join our growing team. In this role, you will be the escalation point for custom solutions and key opportunities by helping our sales team and customers navigate our extensive product catalog to find the right conveyance solutions for their material handling needs. You will collaborate closely with our experienced outside sales and engineering team to ensure our customers receive the highest quality, dependability, and value.

• Serve as the primary point of contact for customers throughout the project lifecycle; coordinate with sales, engineering, production, and vendors to ensure customer requirements are clearly defined and met.
• Directly manage and lead the inside sales team.
• Provide direct technical support for all inquiries related to Ashland Conveyor products, providing guidance on product lines including gravity conveyors, powered systems, and components; apply mechanical and technical aptitude to recommend appropriate conveyance solutions.
• Develop project plans for conveyor system orders, including scope, schedule, budget, and resource allocation from order entry through shipment and installation; monitor progress against committed lead times and proactively communicate schedule impacts to customers and internal teams.
• Oversee order execution to ensure adherence to quality standards, engineering specifications, and contractual obligations.
• Review conveyor layouts, application drawings, and customer specifications; interpret technical drawings (AutoCAD/SolidWorks) to confirm accurate configuration and execution.
• Support quoting and estimating processes for engineered-to-order systems; analyze material, labor, and freight costs to protect margin and control project costs.
• Track project milestones and deliverables through the inquiry-to-order and order-to-delivery process; facilitate communication across departments to resolve issues promptly.
• Ensure on-time delivery and customer satisfaction; conduct regular check-ins with customers and production to assess order status, documenting all project activity in the ERP/CRM system.
• Prioritize and manage multiple concurrent customer projects to optimize throughput and meet promised delivery dates.
• Collaborate with Inside Sales and Regional Sales Managers to evaluate customer needs — understanding the key technical, operational, and commercial challenges facing prospective customers — and develop value-added solutions; report regularly on activity outcomes and customer insights.
• Work closely with engineering and manufacturing teams to address complex customer needs, custom configurations, and integration of communication and control modules; partner with Engineering to enhance product selection and quoting tools and actively participate in process improvement.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Qualifications And Education Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Industrial, Electrical Engineering or equivalent experience;
• 2+ years of management experience
• 5+ years of material handling equipment application experience strongly preferred
• 2+ years experience in application engineering, technical sales, and/or inside sales
• Strong mechanical and technical aptitude required to understand and explain complex conveyance systems and components.
• Strong customer service and organizational skills
• Strong computer skills including Microsoft Office, ERP systems and CRM software
• Previous experience in material handling or conveyance systems is a significant plus, though not strictly required
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to explain technical concepts clearly and effectively
• Commitment to our core values of Safety, Integrity, and Respect, with a collaborative and positive attitude