Sales Manager - Industrial Pharma Material Handling Equipment

GEA Group, founded in Germany in 1881, is a global leader in engineering solutions, serving industries such as food and beverage, pharma, dairy, and more. With over 18,000 employees worldwide and a strong U.S. presence since 1929, GEA combines the heritage of a well-established company with the innovation of a forward-thinking industry leader. At GEA, we’re not just building equipment, we’re building lasting careers with an average employee tenure range from 5 to over 11+ years, reflecting the strong culture, growth opportunities, and support we provide.

Responsibilities / Tasks

• Start strong – Medical, dental, and vision coverage begins on your first day

• Recharge and refresh – Enjoy 12 paid holidays, including a flexible floating holiday, and 136 hours of PTO to relax or explore

• Invest in your future – A 7% 401(k) employer match helps grow your retirement savings faster

• Keep learning – Take advantage of tuition reimbursement to further your education or skillset

• Live well – Our wellness incentive program rewards healthy habits

• Get support when you need it – Access to a confidential Employee Assistance Program for personal or professional guidance

• Save smart – Flexible Health Savings and Spending Accounts to manage out-of-pocket expenses

GEA Group's Pharma and Food Applications division is searching for a Sales Manager, Material Handling & Containment to join our Pharma Sales Team!

The Sales Manager, Material Handling & Containment (“SM-MHC”) is responsible for generating new business and maintaining customer relationships for GEA’s portfolio of Pharmaceutical Material Handling & Containment Technologies.

The SM-MHC will accomplish this by developing professional relationships with pharmaceutical executives, production managers, process engineers, technical services as well as industry consultants and engineering contacts in a consultative selling role. The SM-MHC will manage the opportunity pipeline through identifying, qualifying, logging and pursuing leads and opportunities while gathering and communicating market intelligence.

The SM-MHC will coordinate and manage the flow of pre-sale information between the GEA North America entity, GEA’s Core Technology Centers in Europe and the customer. The SM-MHC is the customer advocate within GEA, while balancing the company’s objectives for order intake, profitability, and strategic growth.

Responsibilities:

• Drive sales of GEA’s Material Handling & Containment portfolio, representing GEA in a professional and customer-centric manner.

• Identify and develop new business opportunities while maintaining strong relationships with existing customers within the assigned territory.

• Engage actively with current and prospective customers through both virtual and in-person meetings, presenting GEA technologies and identifying opportunities where GEA solutions can provide value.

• Document customer interactions through written visit or trip reports and maintain accurate records of activities and opportunities within GEA’s CRM system.

• Work collaboratively with customers in a consultative, problem-solving capacity, identifying where GEA’s technologies can improve operational performance, containment, safety, or productivity.

• Work closely with GEA engineering, product management & sales support to develop customer solutions.

• Manage the sales cycle from initial inquiry, confidentiality agreements, needs assessment, technical and commercial proposal development, to persuasive presentations of GEA proposals, negotiation of commercial & contractual terms & order placement.

• Work to support Regional Sales Managers when Material Handling & Containment equipment is part of a larger integrated system or project.

• Respond promptly to all sales leads received through CRM, phone inquiries, marketing activities, or other channels, qualifying and pursuing opportunities accordingly.

• Develop trusted relationships with customers built on technical expertise, integrity, reliability & responsiveness.

• Maintain & update the CRM system (SAP C4C), with accurate account & customer contact details, customer interactions (meetings & phone reports), opportunity pipeline/projections and other required information.

• Gather and report market intelligence, including competitor activity, pricing trends, customer investment plans, and project developments.

• Seek advice and guidance with respect to the business at hand from experience GEA process or mechanical engineers w