Sales Development Manager- Aerospace and Defense

About Us:

How many companies can say they have been in business for over 180 years?!

Here at ZEISS, we certainly can! As the pioneers of science, ZEISS handles the ever-changing environments in a fast-paced world, meeting it with cutting edge technologies and continuous advancements. ZEISS believes that innovation and technology are the key to a sustainable future and solutions for global change. We have a diverse range of portfolios throughout the ZEISS family in segments like Industrial Quality & Research, Medical Technology, Consumer Markets and Semiconductor Manufacturing Technology. We are a global company with over 42,000 employees and have over 4,000 in the US and Canada alone! Make a difference, come join the team!

What's the role?

Build strategic partnerships and accelerate growth across the Defense and Aerospace markets. We're looking for a commercially driven professional with experience in Defense and Aerospace to shape market strategy, develop key accounts, and enable sales teams to grow. You'll work closely with Sales, Marketing, Product, and regional teams to turn market opportunities into measurable results.

Sound Interesting?

Here's what you'll do:

• Represent the company and champion its interests with customers, distributors, and industry partners.
• Partner with the Head of Sales to define go-to-market strategy and the right channel approach.
• Create multi-year product or market-segment development plans, with a focus on Defense and Aerospace opportunities.
• Identify, develop, and grow strategic accounts and customer relationships.
• Equip regional, distribution, and product sales teams with the training and application knowledge to sell effectively.
• Work with Sales and Marketing to build a strong pipeline and advance opportunities through the sales funnel.
• Set and deliver monthly, quarterly, and annual sales and margin targets.
• Forecast sales weekly, monthly, and quarterly.
• Plan the use of demonstrations and other sales resources to support customer needs and business priorities.
• Monitor competitors, market trends, and customer developments; share insights with internal teams.
• Identify new business opportunities and develop strategies to capture them.
• Support Sales and Marketing events and maintain close relationships with sales regions and key internal teams.
• Visit key customers, distributors, and sales partners regularly.

What you'll bring

• Demonstrated experience in Defense and Aerospace markets, ideally in sales, business development, or strategic account management.
• A track record of developing customer relationships and delivering commercial results.
• Experience building market strategies, sales pipelines, forecasts, and multi-year growth plans.
• Strong understanding of channel strategy and collaboration with regional or distribution sales teams.
• Confidence presenting to customers and working across Sales, Marketing, and Product teams.
• A proactive, strategic approach to identifying opportunities and achieving targets.

Do you qualify?

• 4-year degree in technical discipline (mechanical engineering, electrical engineering or physics preferred)
• 4-7 years of Sales / Business Development experience (CAD/CAM, metrology or related a benefit).
• 10 years related industry experience (engineering, quality, metrology, inspection, machine tool).
• Position requires U.S. citizenship due to applicable ITAR requirements.
• Fluency in Microsoft Office applications (Excel, PowerPoint, Word, Outlook)

We have amazing benefits to support you as an employee at ZEISS!

• Medical
• Vision
• Dental
• 401k Matching
• Employee Assistance Programs
• Vacation and sick pay
• The list goes on!

The above is intended to describe the general content of and requirements for this job. It is not to be construed as an exhaustive statement of requirements, duties, or responsibilities. The Company reserves the right to interpret, amend, or otherwise modify, in whole or in part, any job description at any time, at its sole discretion.

keywords: Defense and Aerospace Business Development, Aerospace Sales, Defense Sales, strategic account management, go-to-market strategy, channel sales, sales forecasting, market development, pipeline growth.

Your ZEISS Recruiting Team:

Zeiss provides Equal Employment Opportunity without unlawful regard to an Applicants race, color, religion, creed, sex, gender, marital status, age, national origin or ancestry, physical or mental disability, medical condition, military or veteran status, citizen status, sexual orientation, pregnancy (includes childbirth, breastfeeding or related medical condition), genetic predisposition, carrier status, gender expression or identity, including transgender identity, or any other class or characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law of the employee (or the people with whom the employee associates, including relatives and friends).