Director of Sales — Commercial Plumbing & Construction
Location: Chicago, IL | Type: Full-time | Compensation: $150,000- $170,000 + commission/bonus(earning potential up to $400,000-$500,000)
About Berna Construction
Berna Construction is a family-owned commercial plumbing and pipe-replacement company with 15+ years serving building owners and property managers across the Chicago area and South Florida. Guided by our commitment to "Quality Construction, Proven Results," we deliver commercial plumbing, building-wide pipe replacement, and general construction with minimal disruption to our clients' operations. As we grow, we're building a sales organization to match the quality of our work.
About the Role
We're looking for a proven sales leader to build and head our commercial sales organization. This is a hands-on leadership role for someone who has carried a number, led high-performing teams, and knows how to turn reps and account managers into consistent top producers. You'll own the sales strategy, the pipeline, and the people — measured on revenue growth, team performance, and margin. Direct commercial plumbing experience is a plus, but we welcome strong sales leaders from adjacent commercial trades who can talk credibly with contractors, property managers, and building owners.
What You'll Do
- Personally drive $5M+ in annual revenue, bringing an existing book of business to the table from day one.
- Lead, coach, and mentor the commercial sales team, setting clear targets and holding the team accountable to them.
- Build and run a structured sales training program — onboarding new reps, sharpening veterans, and standardizing what "good" looks like across the team.
- Own the full sales cycle: prospecting, estimating support, proposal, close, and account growth for commercial plumbing and construction projects and service agreements.
- Develop and manage the pipeline and forecast; report performance and trends to leadership.
- Build relationships with property managers, building owners, general contractors, and facility directors to open new accounts and grow existing ones.
- Partner with operations and estimating to ensure sold work is scoped, priced, and delivered profitably.
- Set pricing and bidding discipline that protects margin while staying competitive.
- Recruit, hire, and develop sales talent as the team scales.
What You Bring
- 5+ years of commercial sales experience in the mechanical or building-services trades — commercial plumbing, HVAC, mechanical, electrical, fire protection, or commercial construction/facilities services.
- 3+ years leading and managing a sales team, not just selling individually.
- Demonstrated success building sales training programs and coaching/mentoring reps to higher performance.
- Comfortable selling project-based and service-agreement work to property managers, building owners, general contractors, and facility directors.
- Strong communication, negotiation, and closing skills.
- Comfortable with CRM tools and data-driven pipeline management.
- Direct commercial plumbing experience is a plus, but we welcome strong sales leaders from adjacent commercial industries.
What We Offer
- Competitive base $150,000-$170,000 plus commission OTE $400,000-$500,000
- [401(k) / retirement]
- The opportunity to build and lead a commercial sales organization from the ground up.
Pay: $120,000.00 - $170,000.00 per year
Benefits:
Work Location: In person
