Sales Manager D/ East Europe

G&H is a world leader in optical designing, testing and manufacturing. As experts in the technology of light, G&H works with OEM customers worldwide to provide optical systems, assemblies, and components for demanding applications, often for deployment in harsh environments. Our products are based on six core technologies: acousto, crystal, electro, fiber and precision optics, and optical systems.

We are currently recruiting for a Sales Director in Germany. This role is for technical sales to develop business at key customer accounts in Germany and East Europe. Working alongside the regional sales & business development managers and acting as both the technical and commercial liaison between the customer and site engineering/manufacturing teams. This role requires a combination of both applications engineering knowledge and commercial acumen as they relate to the G&H product portfolio. As such the successful applicant will be responsible for identifying and nurturing opportunities to win and grow company sales in Europe.

Responsibilities include; 

• Be a primary contact for customers. Provide presentations, RFQ responses and liaise with key customer technical staff and decision makers to facilitate sales
• Provide high level technical sales and application understanding in support of sales & business development managers
• Understand business and application requirements & how these translate into technical product specifications and provide suitable sales responses to the customer
• Enable and drive identified opportunities through G&H’s gate process to a win
• Work with product management to identify market needs, competitive pricing, lead times and margin models for existing or new products
• Identify target customers for G&H and assist with development of formal sales plans and proposals for assigned      opportunities
• Own technical liaison & process for customer pre/post-sales support items & issues
• Effectively use G&Hs SalesForce CRM to track opportunities and provide unit and revenue forecasting data to product management & manufacturing
• Perform in-depth and high-level presentations and demonstrations for G&H at customers and conferences in Europe

Qualifications and Experience

• BSc or MSc in Physics, Materials Science, Mathematics or Engineering (Optics/Electronics)
• MBA / Business Degree (or equivalent) is an advantage
• 5 years technical sales, product marketing or applications experience in photonics 
• Strong understanding of photonics, semiconductor, life science, aerospace and laser applications/markets
• Knowledge of the following areas would be beneficial: lasers, optics crystal optics, electro-optics, acousto-optics as well as experience in industrial and/or biomedical laser applications
• Experience in project management, negotiation and relationship management would be preferred 
• Strong commercial acumen and understanding of business decisions
• Strong writing & language skills, with the capability of writing customer reports as required, as well as experience of presenting technical data

Other information

• Expected travel to G&H sites and customer locations (Up to 30% of the time)
• Region: Middle or East Germany
• Languages required: primary German (spoken and written German), very good English (spoken and written English). Other Eastern European languages would be an advantage