Vice President, Sales - Aerospace and Defense Industry

C/A Design, Inc., a key member of the Heico Companies, is a leading innovator in engineered rugged and embedded cooling solutions for the Aerospace and Defense sector. Headquartered in Exeter, NH, with additional operations in Raleigh, NC, C/A Design leverages decades of expertise in mechanical and thermal design to create mission-critical products. The company’s product portfolio includes Vacuum & Dip Brazements, Rugged Chassis, Conduction Cooled Heat Frames, Wedgelock Card Retainers, Liquid Flow-Through Heat Frames, and complex high-tolerance machined components, all manufactured using advanced automated machining techniques.

C/A Design specializes in delivering tailored solutions that meet industry standards such as VITA and SOSA. With a proven track record of providing highly specialized parts, we are dedicated to protecting the Warfighter by ensuring the highest quality and reliability in every product we deliver.

If you are an experienced industry professional with exceptional leadership skills and a passion for delivering results in the aerospace and defense field, we invite you to explore an opportunity to join our dynamic team.

SUMMARY:

C/A Design is seeking a Vice President of Sales to embrace and deliver our Total Thermal Solutions value proposition through a combination of definitive leadership of our talented and driven sales force and enthusiastic commitment to our valued aerospace and defense customer base. This executive will be an instrumental member of the C/A Design organization and Thermal Solutions Segment platform team, providing strategic and operational direction for all direct sales and revenue-generating initiatives. This role demands a leader with a thoughtful and robust strategic planning mindset, along with spirited and proven leadership capabilities. Additionally, they should possess a competitive spirit and an unrelenting drive towards driving results to the bottom line. Our core values centered around honesty, integrity and good corporate citizenship should speak to this leader’s style and own personal traits.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Strive towards a culture of proactive safety.
• As a leader, build a culture of integrity and openness. Exemplify the highest standard of conduct and ethical behavior.
• Provide strategic and operational direction relative to all direct sales and revenue-generating initiatives for the C/A Design organization.

• Hold end-to-end responsibility for executing the commercial strategic sales strategy for securing new customers, including but not limited to prospect targeting, engagement, proposal development, negotiation, closing, and post-closing participation in ongoing account management and optimization activities.
• Drives collaboration between Strategic Account Managers and Segment Development Managers for smooth transitions between key accounts and alignment of overall sales strategy.

• Actively participate in continuous innovation and enhancement of C/A product offerings based on customer feedback, industry insights, and advancements in thermal management and manufacturing technologies.
• Utilize thermal sales engagement steps via education and training to inform the C/A customer base on thermal management and design for manufacturability while highlighting our value proposition.
• Collaborate with cross-functional departments such as marketing, product management, engineering, operations leadership, and finance to support customer needs and plan go-to-market strategies.
• Liaise with marketing leadership to target and influence C/A Design’s existing and new customers through multi-media formats (white papers, technical writings, social media).
• Develop a consistent practice of professional development for all staff, ensuring that each member of the team continues to grow professionally in all aspects of their development.
• Drive the use of Salesforce CRM and utilize data to lead informed strategic and tactical deployment of resources.
• Attend conference and trade show events; additional travel required throughout the year to leadership team meetings and customer site visits. (60% travel)

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, material science, or similar engineering or scientific field. MBA highly desirable.
• 10 years of progressive sales experience with increasing responsibilities focused on materials and systems for thermal dissipation or design in the aerospace and defense market.
• When not traveling, VP of Sales is required to office in the new corporate location in Exeter NH. 
• 5 years of experience in managing a top performing sales group with a focus on leadership and driving revenue growth.
• Possess acute understanding of sales cycle & decision-making process and possesses solid relationship building skillsets to leverage key stakeholders for prime and subprime defense contracts.
• A client-driven mindset and unwavering dedication to deliver results.

• Demonstrated skills critical for managerial success including high integrity, leadership, decisiveness, flexibility, sound business judgment, and advanced personal, analytical and communication skills.
• Outstanding business acumen, leadership, and interpersonal management skills.
• An influential leader who is a champion of his/her team members and can build core relationships with internal customers resulting in decisive action, positive business results and a positive outcome for key stakeholders.
• Exceptional technical skill sets to include MS Office, solid understanding of CRM systems. 

COMPETENCIES:

• Building Effective Teams
• Customer Focus
• Drive for Results
• Managing with vision and purpose
• Strategic Agility

C/A Design is an equal opportunity employer.