Vice President of Sales NonAutomotive Growth

Vice President of Sales – Non‑Automotive Growth
Location: Remote – Michigan (travel to customers and HQ as required)
Industry: Precision Injection Molding / Complex Assemblies (Non‑Automotive Only)

• Base salary: $150,000 – $200,000
• Bonus: 50% of base as target

I've been retained by a precision injection molding and complex assemblies manufacturer to recruit a Vice President of Sales with a purely non‑automotive growth mandate. This role reports directly to the CEO and is responsible for driving profitable expansion exclusively in the markets the business has targeted for growth:

• Power generation
• Data centers
• Medical (non‑invasive components / devices)
• Construction
• Consumer products / consumer appliances
• Mobility and adjacent industrial markets (non‑automotive OEMs)

The company is private‑equity‑owned on a long‑term hold; the goal is to build a durable, scaled platform, not prepare for a short‑term sale.

The Company

My client is a U.S.‑based precision injection molding business with strong engineering and post‑mold capabilities, including:

• Light assembly
• Friction and sonic welding
• Gasket insertion
• Insert molding
• 2‑shot molding
• Robotic‑assisted handling

They supply complex components and assemblies where quality, reliability, and engineering support are critical. The strategic emphasis now is to grow in non‑automotive end markets only, using these capabilities to win higher‑value work.

Compensation Framework

The CEO has defined the following structure:

• Base salary: $150,000 – $200,000
• Bonus: 50% of base as target
• Bonus design:
  • Tied to overall company revenue
  • With a margin threshold for the entire business
  • Uncapped for over‑performance

Final base positioning will reflect your track record and fit; the upside is geared toward someone who can materially grow non‑automotive revenue at acceptable margins.

Role Mandate (Non‑Automotive Only)

Market & Revenue Growth – Target Sectors

You will own growth into the defined non‑automotive markets:

• Build and execute a commercial strategy for:
  • Power generation
  • Data centers
  • Non‑invasive medical
  • Construction
  • Consumer products / consumer appliances
  • Non‑automotive mobility / industrial OEMs and Tier suppliers
• Develop and manage a pipeline that is 100% aligned to these sectors.
• Prioritize opportunities that leverage the company's more complex capabilities (insert molding, 2‑shot, assemblies, secondary operations) to secure longer‑term, higher‑margin programs.
• Personally lead key pursuits with strategic accounts in these verticals, from first contact through award.

Team Leadership

• Manage and develop a team consisting of manufacturer's reps and direct salespeople.
• Shift the team's activity mix and mindset to focus exclusively on non‑automotive target markets.
• Set and manage clear KPIs tied directly to growth in the specified sectors (pipeline, wins, revenue, and margin by target vertical).
• Coach and upskill the team to sell effectively into power gen, data center, medical, construction, consumer, and mobility/industrial accounts.

Data‑Driven Sales Management

• Implement and manage digital KPIs across the sales function.
• Use tools such as Power BI (or similar BI platforms) to track:
  • Funnel health by target market
  • Forecast accuracy
  • Win rates and margin by segment
• Work closely with estimating/quoting on complex RFQs to ensure disciplined pricing and margin protection in these non‑automotive programs.

Cross‑Functional Collaboration

• Partner with engineering, operations, and finance to:
  • Qualify the right non‑automotive opportunities
  • Ensure they fit capacity, technical capabilities, and margin requirements
• Provide structured market feedback from the target sectors (e.g., investment trends in data centers, product evolution in consumer appliances, specification changes in medical, etc.) to inform strategic decisions.
• Ensure a robust handoff from quote/award into launch so that non‑automotive programs are implemented smoothly.

Candidate Profile

The CEO is less focused on a fixed number of years and more on whether you've grown non‑automotive markets in complex manufacturing and led teams to do the same.

Required Background

• Leadership experience managing both reps and direct salespeople in complex manufacturing, ideally:
  • Injection molding
  • Engineered plastics
  • Or closely related engineered / industrial components and assemblies
• A proven track record of revenue growth in non‑automotive sectors, preferably including at least two of:
  • Power generation
  • Data centers
  • Medical (non‑invasive)
  • Construction
  • Consumer products / consumer appliances
  • Mobility / industrial (non‑automotive)
• Experience leading a team through a commercial shift (e.g., diversifying into new sectors, building out new verticals, or re‑weighting a portfolio toward non‑automotive).

Skills & Attributes

• Demonstrated success managing and developing a sales team, not just performing as an individual contributor.
• Comfort with digital KPIs, structured pipeline management, and BI tools such as Power BI.
• Experience partnering with estimating on complex RFQs and program cost structures, ensuring margin thresholds are met.
• Ability to translate technical capabilities in molding and assemblies into compelling value propositions tailored to each target sector.
• Familiarity with leveraging digital/social media within a broader commercial strategy is a plus.
• Straightforward, commercially sharp, and credible with both customer executives and internal stakeholders (CEO, CFO, PE sponsors).

Ownership & Cultural Context

• Private equity–owned company on a long‑term hold; focus on sustained value creation, not a short‑term exit.
• Performance‑driven environment where success is measured in revenue and margin growth in the defined non‑automotive markets.
• High visibility: this is the senior commercial role, working closely with the CEO and reporting performance at the company level