Marine Area Sales Manager

What you will do

In this role, you will drive sustainable sales growth for Volvo Penta Marine Leisure and Commercial products and solutions across an assigned geographic area and customer portfolio, in line with global strategy and local commercial priorities. You will manage and develop relationships with OEMs, boatbuilders, shipyards, naval architects, operators, government and defence stakeholders, distributors and dealers, influencing specifications and progressing opportunities from early concept through to delivery. Combining technical credibility with commercial judgement, you will deliver customer value, strengthen market position and achieve agreed sales targets. As a member of the VPO Marine Management Team, you will contribute market and customer expertise to the development of VPO Marine strategy, while taking accountability for developing and executing the sales plan for your assigned area and customer portfolio.

We are recruiting for two Marine Area Sales Manager positions, each with a distinct geographic area of responsibility. On role will cover Queensland and New Zealand, while the second will cover Australia with the exception of Queensland. Both roles require regular travel across their respective regions to support customers and develop business opportunities.

Key Responsibilities

• Translate VPO Marine strategy into measurable priorities and develop and execute the Marine sales plan across the assigned geographic area and customer portfolio.
• Manage key relationships with OEMs, boatbuilders, shipyards, naval architects, operators, government and defence stakeholders, distributors and dealers across commercial and technical matters.
• Identify and progress opportunities from early enquiry through specification, tender, quotation, negotiation, contract award and delivery.
• Lead or coordinate Volvo Penta input to government and complex commercial tenders within the assigned portfolio, working with technical, commercial, legal and compliance specialists as required.
• Ensure proposals are compliant, competitive, appropriately approved and supported by clear commercial assumptions, risk escalation and handover requirements.
• Influence vessel design and power-system selection to support effective integration of Volvo Penta products and solutions.
• Achieve agreed sales, margin and market-development targets and maintain a healthy opportunity pipeline.Proactively develop key customer, OEM and dealer accounts through structured account planning, regular engagement and identification of new-build, repower, fleet-upgrade and other growth opportunities.
• Monitor market activity, public procurement opportunities, customer requirements and competitor developments and provide timely forecasts and insights.
• Work with Technical Sales, Application Engineering, Sales Support and global product specialists to develop fit-for-purpose customer solutions.
• Collaborate with Service Market and the dealer network to support service readiness, customer uptime and long-term customer satisfaction across the vessel lifecycle.
• Support vessel seatrials, commissioning and performance validation activities where required.
• Develop dealer and partner capability to improve market coverage, solution selling and execution quality

Who are you?

Educational Qualifications

•    Tertiary qualification in Engineering, Naval Architecture, Business or a related discipline, or equivalent relevant industry experience.

Business skills & attributes

•    Substantial sales or key account experience in a technical, marine, automotive, transport, defence, industrial or related customer environment.
•    Strong understanding of Marine Leisure and Marine Commercial applications, vessel integration and relevant customer and channel dynamics.
•    Experience with government or complex commercial tenders, including compliance and cross-functional coordination, is highly regarded.
•    Demonstrated ability to develop and execute area and account sales plans, influence technical specifications and deliver sales and margin targets.
•    Strong commercial judgement and negotiation capability, with the ability to identify and escalate contractual, compliance and delivery risks.
•    Ability to build trusted relationships with OEMs, boatbuilders, shipyards, naval architects, operators, government stakeholders, distributors, dealers and internal specialists.
•    Ability to influence effectively across a matrix organisation without formal authority and collaborate with technical, legal, commercial and global stakeholders.

What’s in it for you?

We offer a solid package of compensation and benefits, plus:  

• Work in a supportive team, where new ideas and change are embraced and encouraged.
• Work with iconic brands and be part of a reputation that has been earned over a century.
• Join an organisation that supports internal career growth through training, role changes, and global mobility options.
• Benefits for applicable staff including access to Sonder (Wellbeing & Safety Partner) for employees and family members, education assistance, Service Awards, income protection, private health insurance, personal computer loans, option to purchase additional leave, additional superannuation and generous paid parental leave provisions.
• A strong commitment to safety and your health and wellbeing.
• A commitment to equal opportunity and equal outcome.

Ready for the next move?

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