Field Sales Manager

Location: St. Louis, Missouri (with regular travel to Southeast Missouri and Western Tennessee)

Position Title: Field Sales Manager

The Opportunity:
This is a high-impact sales leadership opportunity within a growing, multi-site manufacturing organization that is intentionally reshaping how sales leadership operates across the Midwest. The Field Sales Manager will step into a territory with solid operational foundations, established customer relationships, and meaningful white space for growth.

The role offers the chance to lead, unify, and elevate sales execution across multiple facilities that historically operated independently. The successful candidate will have the opportunity to define expectations, strengthen fundamentals, and bring consistency to how the sales team engages the market. This is not a maintenance role, it is a build-and-shape opportunity where leadership presence, coaching ability, and strategic thinking will directly influence regional performance.

Importantly, this position is designed as a proving ground for broader responsibility. Success here positions the individual for expanded regional leadership as the organization continues to mature, integrate acquisitions, and invest in its next generation of leaders.

The Company:
This privately held manufacturing organization has grown through acquisition and is now focused on integration, discipline, and long-term sustainability. Leadership is investing in sales fundamentals, accountability, and alignment between sales and operations, recognizing that consistent execution, not just scale, is what drives durable growth.

The company is candid about where it is evolving and deliberate about how it builds leadership capacity. There is a clear emphasis on developing future general managers and regional leaders from within, creating real career pathways for sales leaders who can coach, influence, and execute. The culture rewards curiosity, ownership, and leaders who want to build rather than simply manage what already exists.

The Boss:
The role reports to a senior sales leader with more than 20 years of industry experience and deep exposure to both sales strategy and operational realities. This leader is known for a practical, no-nonsense approach to building sales organizations, prioritizing fundamentals, accountability, and clarity before introducing complexity.

They are highly involved in leadership development, sales process improvement, and pipeline discipline, and they value leaders who can think beyond their own territory. This is a manager who gives autonomy but expects results, and who actively supports individuals capable of growing into broader roles within the organization.

The Position:
The Field Sales Manager will lead sales execution across three facilities within the Missouri Valley region, overseeing approximately 10–12 sales representatives. The role requires a strong field presence, close collaboration with plant leadership, and the ability to bring cohesion to teams with varying levels of maturity and legacy ways of working.

This position blends hands-on coaching with strategic influence. The leader will help guide integration efforts, establish consistent expectations, and identify opportunities to expand market reach both east and west of the core territory. Over time, the role may expand as the region evolves and the sales structure matures.

Essential Functions (Other duties may be assigned):

• Lead, coach, and develop a multi-site sales team across three facilities
• Maintain an active field presence through customer visits, joint calls, and in-person coaching
• Drive consistent sales fundamentals including prospecting, pipeline development, and territory management
• Partner closely with plant leadership to align sales strategy with operational capabilities
• Support integration of acquired and legacy sales teams into a unified approach
• Identify and pursue regional growth opportunities across Missouri and Western Tennessee
• Establish clear expectations around activity, accountability, and follow-through

Qualifications:

• Proven experience in B2B field sales, ideally within manufacturing or industrial environments
• Demonstrated ability to lead through influence and coaching rather than authority alone
• Comfort operating across multiple locations with differing sales cultures and maturity levels
• Willingness to travel regularly within the region

Education and Experience:

• Prior sales leadership or first-time sales management experience preferred
• Background in manufacturing, packaging, or related industries is beneficial but not required
• Experience working with acquired or family-owned businesses is a plus

Competencies:

• Hands-on, field-oriented leadership style
• Strong coaching and talent development mindset
• Ability to balance day-to-day execution with strategic thinking
• Comfort operating in evolving, sometimes ambiguous environments

Work Environment:

• Field-based role with regular travel between regional facilities
• Close collaboration with plant leadership and regional stakeholders