Vice President of Sales and Marketing
Confidential Search: Multi-Plant Custom Injection Molder
About the Company
A leading U.S. custom injection molder, approximately $80 million in revenue, operates three manufacturing facilities strategically located in the Northeast, Midwest, and Southeast United States. The company is professionally managed, financially strong, and has recently completed significant capital investment to expand capacity and capability at one of its core sites.
Our presses range from sub-100 to 2,100 tons, and our core capabilities span standard injection, structural foam, gas assist, insert and over-molding, painting, decorating, hydrographics / hydro dipping, EMI shielding, ultrasonic and spin welding, and full assembly. Our facilities maintain IATF 16949 and ISO 9001:2015 certifications.
We serve a deliberately diversified set of end markets, including industrial, healthcare, appliances, material handling, filtration, sports & leisure, lawn & garden, consumer, defense, and automotive, with a clear strategic focus on growing relationships with high-margin, high-quality customers across our target markets.
The company operates under professional ownership with an executive team committed to building a higher-growth, higher-margin business over the next several years.
The Opportunity
This is a rare opportunity to lead the commercial organization of a multi-plant custom molder positioned for accelerated growth. The Vice President of Sales and Marketing will own the company's revenue strategy and brand, lead a vertical-market sales organization, personally cultivate a portfolio of strategic accounts, and partner directly with the CEO to grow the company's portfolio of high-margin, high-quality customer relationships across target markets. The successful candidate will be eligible for an above-market variable plan and long-term incentive participation that rewards enterprise-value creation.
Position Summary
The VP of Sales and Marketing reports directly to the CEO and is the senior commercial leader for the company. The role is responsible for top-line growth, margin quality, customer portfolio strategy, brand positioning, marketing effectiveness, and the development of a vertical-market commercial team across the U.S. The VP operates as a player-coach, leading sales managers and reps organized by industry vertical (not geographic territory) while personally managing a defined portfolio of strategic accounts.
Key ResponsibilitiesCommercial Strategy & Growth
- Develop and execute a multi-year commercial strategy aligned with the company's growth and portfolio objectives, in close partnership with the CEO and executive team.
- Drive growth in higher-margin, high-quality customer relationships across target verticals, including industrial, medical, defense, consumer, appliances, filtration, material handling, sports & leisure, and lawn & garden.
- Own the annual revenue plan, pricing governance, and quote-to-win analytics across all three plants and capability sets.
- Identify and prioritize adjacent capabilities, programs, and acquisitions that strengthen competitive position.
Sales Leadership & Team Development
- Lead, coach, and develop a team of sales managers based in the Midwest and Northeast, who in turn manage a mix of direct reps and independent manufacturers' representatives organized by industry vertical.
- Build a high-performance sales operating cadence: pipeline reviews, forecast discipline, CRM rigor, win/loss analysis, and account planning.
- Recruit, retain, and develop top commercial talent; right-size and re-align the rep network to the vertical-market strategy.
- Establish clear performance metrics, accountability standards, and incentive structures for the field organization.
Key Account Management (Player-Coach)
- Personally own and grow a portfolio of strategic accounts, modeling the consultative, technically credible selling motion expected across the team.
- Serve as the senior executive sponsor for top-tier customers, negotiating master agreements and resolving complex commercial issues.
Marketing & Brand
- Lead and direct the marketing function, including website, digital lead generation, content, trade show strategy, branded collateral, and customer communications, partnering closely with the in-house marketing resource who supports the commercial team.
- Set marketing strategy, priorities, and budget; coach and develop the marketing team to execute against the plan.
- Reposition the brand to reflect a diversified, multi-capability, multi-plant value proposition.
- Build a measurable demand-generation engine that produces qualified opportunities into target growth verticals.
- Lead the company's presence at key industry events (e.g., NPE, MD&M, Plastec, Pack Expo, vertical-specific shows).
Cross-Functional Leadership
- Partner with Operations, Engineering, Quality, and Finance to ensure that quoting, capacity planning, program launch, and customer service support growth.
- Bring the voice of the customer into product, process, and capability decisions across all three sites.
- Contribute as a member of the senior leadership team to enterprise-level strategy, budgeting, and capital allocation.
Required Experience
- Minimum 10 years of progressive commercial leadership experience, with at least 5 years leading sales and/or marketing teams.
- Direct experience in the plastic injection molding industry is required; custom molding experience strongly preferred.
- Demonstrated track record of growing revenue and gross margin in a multi-facility custom manufacturing environment.
- Experience leading a hybrid network of direct sales reps and independent manufacturers' representatives.
- Experience building or leading sales organizations structured around industry verticals.
- Demonstrated ability to personally sell and close strategic, technically complex, multi-million-dollar programs.
- Strong financial and commercial acumen: pricing, gross margin management, capacity utilization, ROI analysis.
- Bachelor's degree required; engineering, business, or technical discipline preferred. MBA a plus.
- Southeast U.S. residency required. Candidate must currently reside in the Southeast U.S. or be willing to relocate to the Southeast region within a reasonable timeframe of start date. Relocation assistance is provided. The Southeast is a strategic focus area for the company, and physical presence in the region is important to the role. Reasonable proximity to a major commercial airport required.
- Ability to travel 40–50% domestically.
Preferred Experience
- Experience leading customer portfolio growth into higher-margin, higher-quality segments.
- Marketing leadership experience including website, digital lead generation, and trade show strategy.
- Experience in private-equity-backed or sponsor-held manufacturing platforms.
- Working knowledge of structural foam, gas assist, large-tonnage molding, painting/finishing, hydrographics, or assembly value-add.
- Familiarity with IATF 16949 / ISO 9001 environments.
- Existing relationships in target verticals: medical, defense, industrial, consumer, appliances, material handling, filtration, sports & leisure, or lawn & garden.
Year-One Success Looks Like
- A clearly articulated, board-approved multi-year commercial strategy and vertical-market plan.
- A right-sized, high-performing rep network with refreshed scorecards and a disciplined operating cadence.
- A defined, measurable improvement in customer mix quality and gross margin profile.
- A re-launched brand and digital presence delivering quantifiable inbound qualified opportunities.
- Personal ownership of, and demonstrable progress in, a defined strategic account portfolio.
Compensation & Benefits
- Competitive base salary commensurate with experience.
- Annual performance bonus tied to revenue, gross margin, and strategic milestones.
- Long-term incentive participation aligned with enterprise-value creation.
- Comprehensive medical, dental, vision, life, and disability benefits.
- 401(k) with company match.
- Vehicle/travel allowance.
- Relocation assistance available where applicable.
No third-party recruiter inquiries please.
Equal OpportunityThe company is an Equal Opportunity Employer and considers all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law
Pay: From $160,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- 401(k)
- 401(k) matching
- Dental insurance
- Health insurance
- Life insurance
- Paid time off
- Relocation assistance
- Vision insurance
Work Location: Hybrid remote in Marion, SC 29571
