Sales Manager - Aerospace & Defense Confidential Search | Tier 1 Aerospace & Defense Manufacturing

POSITION SUMMARY

Our client is a highly regarded Tier 1 aerospace and defense manufacturer specializing in complex, high-precision manufacturing for leading aerospace, defense, and advanced technology customers. We are seeking an accomplished Sales Manager with a strong technical manufacturing background who can manage the complete commercial sales cycle from customer RFQ through estimating, proposal development, commercial negotiations, and purchase order placement . This individual will serve as a critical bridge between the customer and internal Engineering, Estimating, Operations, Quality, Supply Chain, and Executive Leadership teams. The successful candidate will understand how to evaluate complex manufacturing opportunities, develop competitive and profitable estimates, identify commercial risks, and convert opportunities into executable purchase orders. This is a hands-on, high-accountability sales leadership position for an individual who understands that winning aerospace and defense business requires more than relationship management—it requires the ability to understand the manufacturing process, build a sound estimate, develop a compelling commercial proposal, and successfully navigate the customer from RFQ to

PO. KEY RESPONSIBILITIESRFQ

& Business Development Own and manage the commercial process from RFQ receipt through PO placement . Develop and maintain strong relationships with aerospace, defense, semiconductor, and other strategic OEM customers and Primes. Review incoming RFQs and determine technical, commercial, capacity, and strategic fit. Analyze customer drawings, specifications, statements of work, BOMs, material requirements, and manufacturing requirements. Partner with Engineering and Operations to determine manufacturability and production requirements. Identify opportunities for new business, customer expansion, and increased share of wallet. Develop account strategies for key customers and strategically important programs. Maintain a robust sales pipeline and accurately forecast future business. Proactively pursue opportunities rather than relying solely on inbound RFQs. Estimating & Quoting Lead or directly participate in the estimating process for complex aerospace and defense RFQs . Develop accurate labor, machine-hour, material, outside processing, tooling, programming, inspection, and overhead assumptions. Understand CNC machining processes including milling, turning, 5-axis machining, multi-axis machining, and complex precision manufacturing. Evaluate manufacturing routings and determine appropriate processes, equipment, labor requirements, and cycle times. Understand the cost implications of difficult materials including titanium, Inconel, stainless steels, aluminum, and other aerospace alloys . Account for tooling, fixtures, programming, inspection, special processes, outside processing, freight, scrap, and other cost drivers. Work closely with Estimating, Manufacturing Engineering, Operations, and Finance to validate quote assumptions. Establish appropriate pricing and gross-margin targets based on customer, program, capacity, risk, and competitive conditions. Identify commercial risks and assumptions before proposals are submitted. Maintain disciplined quote follow-up and conversion tracking. Analyze historical job performance to improve future estimating accuracy. Proposal & Commercial Management Develop professional and technically sound customer proposals. Lead customer discussions regarding pricing, lead time, capacity, technical assumptions, and commercial terms. Negotiate pricing and commercial conditions while protecting company margins. Develop pricing strategies for new programs, recurring production, prototypes, and development work. Manage customer negotiations involving price, delivery, tooling, NRE, minimum quantities, volume commitments, and contractual requirements. Understand and communicate the financial impact of customer changes and scope modifications. Escalate significant commercial risks to executive leadership when appropriate. RFQ-to-PO Conversion Maintain ownership of opportunities through customer award and PO placement . Establish clear follow-up cadence for open quotations. Track quote status, customer decisions, competitive position, and expected award dates. Identify obstacles preventing RFQ conversion and develop strategies to overcome them. Coordinate final commercial negotiations prior to award. Ensure purchase orders accurately reflect negotiated pricing, quantities, lead times, and commercial requirements. Partner with Contracts, Finance, Operations, and Program Management to resolve discrepancies between proposals and customer POs. Customer Relationship Management Develop trusted relationships with customer Procurement, Supply Chain, Engineering, Program Management, and leadership organizations. Become a knowledgeable commercial and technical resource for assigned customers. Conduct regular customer visits and business reviews. Understand customer production forecasts, capacity requirements, upcoming programs, and sourcing strategies. Position the company as a preferred strategic supplier rather than simply another machine shop. Monitor customer satisfaction and proactively address commercial issues. Maintain accurate CRM activity, opportunity, forecast, and account information. Internal Leadership & Collaboration Work closely with: Estimating Manufacturing Engineering Operations Quality Supply Chain Finance Program Management Contracts Executive Leadership Lead cross-functional RFQ review meetings for significant opportunities. Ensure sales commitments are aligned with actual manufacturing capability and capacity. Communicate customer requirements clearly to internal teams. Prevent the organization from accepting business that cannot be executed profitably or on schedule. Help establish disciplined processes for RFQ → Quote → Award → PO → Production Handoff .

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Bachelor's degree in Business, Engineering, Manufacturing, or a related discipline preferred. 7+ years of progressive experience in aerospace, defense, precision manufacturing, CNC machining, or a closely related industry. Demonstrated success managing the commercial sales process from RFQ through PO . Strong understanding of manufacturing estimating and quoting. Demonstrated experience selling complex manufactured components or assemblies. Strong understanding of CNC machining and precision manufacturing processes. Ability to interpret engineering drawings, specifications, and manufacturing requirements. Strong understanding of manufacturing cost structures and pricing. Experience working with aerospace OEMs, Primes, Tier 1 suppliers, or defense contractors strongly preferred. Experience with complex machined components and tight-tolerance manufacturing strongly preferred. Demonstrated negotiation and closing skills. Strong financial and business acumen.

PREFERRED TECHNICAL EXPERIENCE

Candidates with experience in the following environments are strongly preferred: CNC machining 3-, 4-, and 5-axis machining CNC turning Complex mill/turn Precision grinding Titanium machining Inconel/high-temperature alloys Aerospace structural components Defense components Complex assemblies NADCAP special processes AS9100 environments First Article Inspection / AS9102 GD&T Tooling and fixtures Outside processing Production planning Manufacturing engineering Cost accounting / manufacturing costing CORE COMPETENCIESCommercial Excellence RFQ management Estimating Cost modeling Pricing strategy Proposal development Contract negotiation PO conversion Margin management Forecasting Manufacturing Expertise CNC machining Manufacturing processes Cycle-time analysis Labor standards Material costing Tooling Fixtures Outside processing Capacity analysis Quality requirements Sales Leadership Strategic account management Business development Customer relationship management Pipeline development Opportunity management Negotiation Closing Executive-level communication Leadership Cross-functional leadership Accountability Commercial discipline Problem solving Decision making Strategic thinking Executive presence

PERFORMANCE EXPECTATIONS

Success in this position will be measured by the individual's ability to: Increase RFQ-to-PO conversion. Grow revenue within strategic aerospace and defense accounts. Increase gross-margin performance. Improve estimating and quoting accuracy. Reduce quote turnaround time. Develop new customer and program opportunities. Increase customer engagement and retention. Improve forecast accuracy. Build a healthy, qualified sales pipeline. Successfully convert major RFQs into profitable long-term programs. Maintain alignment between customer commitments and manufacturing capability.

Pay:

$95,000.00 - $155,000.00 per year Application Question(s): What are your salary expectations for this position? How many years of Sales Leadership do you have in Aerospace and Defense Manufacturing? How many years of Estimating do you have? How many years of CNC Machining Exp. do you have?

Work Location:

In person