Global Sales Manager

Position: Global Sales Manager (Automotive/Aerospace/Defence)
Location: UK
Salary: £Negotiable OTE £100k + car allowance
Company/ Sector: Chemicals Distributor

The Role:
• Strengthening and expanding key strategic accounts.
• Identifying and capturing new technical opportunities and projects.
• Building trusted partnerships with key suppliers to bring innovation into customer applications.
• Maintaining deep market understanding to ensure the company stays ahead of industry change.
• This is primarily an individual contributor role with significant influence across regions, including coordination with colleagues in Europe and potential future international resources.
• Develop and grow relationships with global automotive OEMs.
• Manage complex, multi-site customer environments spanning engineering, procurement and operations.
• Retain and expand existing business while identifying new opportunities for growth.
• Coordinate activities across international customer locations to ensure consistent engagement.
• Act as a credible technical partner supporting customers through design and material selection, testing and validation, and transition into production environments.
• Promote high-reliability solutions aligned with automotive quality expectations and a “never fail” approach.
• Focus initially on silicone technologies while expanding cross-selling across adhesives, tapes and engineered solutions.
• Build strong, trust-based relationships with key strategic suppliers.
• Work collaboratively on project development, new product introductions and technical opportunities.
• Coordinate samples, trials, marketing initiatives and joint customer engagement activities.
• Align supplier innovation pipelines with their automotive strategy to support mutual growth.
• Maintain deep understanding of automotive market trends, technology shifts and emerging applications.
• Identify opportunities arising from industry transformation, including electrification, thermal management and high-vibration environments.
• Provide insight to shape the company’s long-term automotive strategy.

Requirements:
• Proven success in technical B2B sales within automotive/aerospace/defence or closely related manufacturing sectors.
• Knowledge of silicones, adhesives, tapes or related engineered materials preferred.
• Experience supporting engineering-led design-in processes.
• Comfortable operating within global customer structures.
• Strong commercial judgement and negotiation skills.
• Driven by growth and opportunity, with strong ownership mentality.
• Credible communicator with engineers and procurement teams alike.
• Structured, resilient and able to operate independently.
• Practical and solutions-focused.
• Comfortable with international travel and flexible working hours