Technical Sales Manager – Paper & Packaging | Industrial Starches & Adhesives

Position: Technical Sales Manager

Location: Greater Chicago or Home Office in the US. Candidates must be available for travel of up to 70%, especially within the northern USA, Canada & Mexico to support customers and drive sales growth.

Our client, an owner-managed, globally active company and one of the leading producers of wheat starches and wheat proteins in Europe. The company has been producing at its headquarters Germany for 165 years, using state-of-the-art technologies, sustainable processes and great innovative strength. From the wheat-based raw materials the company develops highly functional ingredients and application-oriented solutions for customer-specific applications. They optimize the end products and create added value for customers in the food and non-food industries. Over 400 employees are dedicated to ensuring the company's commitment to high quality, environmental responsibility, customer focus, and reliability.

In 2023, the group expanded its global presence by founding a subsidiary in the Chicago Area. With their division for Corrugating & Paper, the goal is to provide industrial clients across North America and Canada with functional, wheat-based ingredients and technical expertise for optimizing the efficiency and sustainability of corrugated board manufacturing.

Our client is now seeking a Technical Sales Manager to drive growth and provide technical expertise within the corrugated board industry. This role focuses on lead generation, sales negotiation, technical customer support, and product trial management to ensure optimal efficiency in corrugated board manufacturing. Leveraging your industry experience and technical knowledge, you will build trust with customers, support process optimization, and expand the company’s presence across the Americas.

What You Will Be Doing:

• Grow the customer base in the Americas through lead generation, sales and price negotiation, and product trial management.
• Provide technically focused customer support, specifically in the corrugated board segment.
• Maintain strong relationships with existing customers while actively expanding the customer base.
• Contribute to product improvement and development by sharing insights from customer interactions.
• Monitor and analyze competitor activities and new developments at customer sites, providing timely reports to internal teams.
• Prepare detailed documentation, customer reports, and maintain accurate data within the internal CRM system.
• Manage product trials in a high-pressure environment, ensuring technical success and customer satisfaction.

What The Client Is Looking For:

• Multiple years of experience in a sales role, providing products or services to corrugated board manufacturers.
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent technical experience preferred.
• Extensive operational experience in the corrugated board industry is required.
• Fluent in English (written and spoken); Spanish language skills are an advantage.
• Technical expertise in corrugated board manufacturing, with the ability to analyze and communicate product applications, solutions, and business drivers.
• Ability to build trust and strong relationships with customers.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills, with strong presentation, and negotiation skills.
• Hands-on mentality with a proven ability to work independently and autonomously with self-motivation.