Industrial construction sales manager job description
An industrial construction sales manager leads the reps who win plant, warehouse and process facility work, and decides which owners and bids the team goes after. They set revenue goals, check each large proposal's scope, terms and margin with estimating, and hand signed jobs to the project team.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Median pay, commercial and industrial building contractors · BLS, May 2025
Annual pay: 10th percentile $75,490, middle half $125,340 to $207,260, 90th percentile $284,860. Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.
Reports to
General Manager
Department
Sales
Schedule
Weekdays, 9 to 5, with regional travel · Office and plant visits, some evenings and weekends for clients and deadlines, and remote days when work allows.
Also called
Director of sales · Director of business development · Sales and estimating manager · Client development manager
Industrial construction sales manager job description template
This is our Role Blueprint, word for word. Replace the highlighted fields and adjust the example targets and pay to fit your company.
The Sales Manager in Industrial Construction will lead our dynamic sales team to achieve aggressive revenue targets and secure new contracts within the industrial construction market. This role is integral in driving business growth through strategic leadership, innovative sales tactics, and effective negotiation.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Lead, mentor, and motivate the sales team to exceed revenue and contract acquisition goals.
Develop and implement strategic sales plans to penetrate the industrial construction market.
Negotiate and finalize new contracts with key clients and stakeholders.
Set clear revenue goals and regularly monitor performance against targets.
Collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure cohesive market strategies.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Conduct daily sales meetings and performance reviews with team members.
Identify and pursue new business opportunities through market research and networking.
Engage with existing and prospective clients via calls, emails, and in-person meetings.
Analyze sales metrics and prepare regular reports to track progress towards revenue goals.
Facilitate contract negotiations and ensure seamless transition from sales to project execution.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Revenue per quarter: Achieve a minimum of $1.5M in new sales.
New Contract Acquisition Rate: Secure at least 10 new contracts per quarter.
Sales Team Conversion Rate: Maintain a conversion rate of >30%.
Customer Satisfaction Rating: Achieve an average rating of >4.8 stars on project feedback surveys.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
Bachelor’s degree in Business, Sales, Marketing, or a related field.
Minimum of 5 years of sales management experience, preferably in industrial construction or related industries.
Excellent leadership, negotiation, and communication skills.
Proven strategic planning and goal-setting abilities.
Proficient in CRM software and Microsoft Office suite.
6. Preferred Experience
Experience in the industrial construction sector.
Prior exposure to managing a large sales team in a fast-paced environment.
Demonstrated success in securing high-value contracts in competitive markets.
Familiarity with market trends and regulations in the industrial construction industry.
7. Physical Requirements
Ability to travel as needed for client meetings and industry events.
May require occasional lifting of sales materials up to 20 lbs.
Must be able to work in a standard office environment as well as at client sites.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Typical work hours: Monday-Friday, 9 AM to 5 PM.
Occasional evening and weekend work required for client engagements and project deadlines.
Regular travel within the region for client meetings and industry events.
Possibility of remote work opportunities depending on business needs.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Salary range: $80,000 - $110,000 per year, commensurate with experience.
Performance-based commission and bonus structure.
Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance.
401(k) with company match.
Additional fringe benefits including paid time off and professional development opportunities.
10. Company Culture and Overview
Our company thrives on innovation, collaboration, and excellence.
We foster a supportive environment where every team member is empowered to drive success.
Our culture embraces continuous learning, career growth, and inclusivity.
Join us to work in a dynamic and forward-thinking environment where your contributions make a real impact.
11. How to Apply
If you meet the above criteria and want to be part of a growth-oriented company focused on customer satisfaction, please send your resume to [INSERT EMAIL HERE] or apply online at [INSERT WEBSITE LINK HERE].
Need help filling this role? HireBus posts the ad, Iris interviews every applicant by phone before you do, and you decide who to hire. Start hiring now
Bonds, permits, taxes and contract terms can move an industrial price, and the sales manager has to see them before a number goes out.
Bonding room sets the bid list
Oregon law has the winning bidder on a public improvement contract deliver a payment bond for the full contract price. A performance bond for the full price is also due unless the agency waives it, and some contracts are exempt. Your surety decides how large a single job, and how much total work, it will back. Check that room with the CFO before the team spends weeks on a big bid. Source: Oregon Revised Statutes 279C.380: Performance bond; payment bond; waiver of bonds.
New pads bring a stormwater permit
Construction that disturbs at least one acre needs a Clean Water Act stormwater permit. So does a smaller site that's part of a larger common plan. A new plant or warehouse pad often crosses that line. In Oregon, DEQ issues the 1200-C general permit, with separate versions for government agencies and some local program areas. Settle in the proposal who applies, who keeps erosion controls in place and who pays. Source: EPA: Stormwater discharges from construction activities.
Rhode Island sales tax rides on the materials
Under Rhode Island's rule, a contractor generally pays sales tax as the consumer on the materials, supplies, tools and equipment it buys for a construction job, so the bid has to carry it. On jobs for exempt owners, such as government agencies and nonprofit hospitals or schools, essential project materials can be bought with a Contractor's Exemption Certificate. Tools and equipment are still taxed. Source: Rhode Island rule 280-RICR-20-70-54: Sales and use tax, contractors.
Owners score you after the job
Many plant owners keep a scorecard on each contractor covering safety, schedule, quality, invoices and how fast problems got answered. That score decides the next invitation more than any sales call. Ask each owner for the score after every job, go over it with the project manager, and feed it into the customer satisfaction number.
Estimating sets the cost, sales sets the terms
The estimator builds the cost. The sales manager decides the margin and the assumptions the owner sees: shutdown dates, hours allowed inside the gate, owner-furnished equipment and what's excluded. Put those in writing in the proposal, then walk the project manager and superintendent through them at a turnover meeting before anyone mobilizes.
How much industrial construction sales managers make
Sales managers who work for commercial and industrial builders earned a median of $163,900 a year ($78.80 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s above the $148,270 median for sales managers in all industries. About 1,150 of the 637,080 sales managers in that survey work for commercial and industrial building contractors.
Expect a salary with commission, a yearly bonus, or both, tied to new contracts won. For sales managers at commercial and industrial builders, BLS shows a median far above what the template offers, so the incentive plan has to close that gap.
Commercial and industrial building contractors
$163,900$163,900 median Middle half $125,340–$207,260 10th–90th $75,490–$284,860
All industries
$148,270$148,270 median Middle half $100,360–$207,340 10th–90th $73,170–$290,540
$0k$50k$100k$150k$200k$250k$300k$350k
10th–90th percentileMiddle halfMedianAnnual pay, May 2025. Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
Annual pay by percentile
Group
10th
25th
Median
75th
90th
Commercial and industrial building contractors
$75,490
$125,340
$163,900
$207,260
$284,860
All industries
$73,170
$100,360
$148,270
$207,340
$290,540
BLS reports industrial and commercial building contractors together. Post a real range for your market in the ad.
The pay line in the template above is an example from our Role Blueprint. Set yours from these figures and what local companies pay.
Skills to hire for, and what you can teach
Hire for these
Reading owner specs and contract terms to find the risk before pricing
Coaching reps through sales that run for months
Building a forecast from pipeline stages, not hunches
Negotiating scope, schedule and terms with procurement teams
Working with estimators on margin and exclusions
Teach these on the job
Your surety's limits and how a bond request works
Stormwater, tax and public bid rules in Oregon and Rhode Island
Your CRM and estimating software
Each key owner's history with your company
Owner supplier portals and registration
Plan on Salesforce, HubSpot or a similar CRM, your estimating software, a plan room or bid service, and a shared forecast. The sales manager reads estimate summaries more than they build them, so ask candidates which estimating reports they have worked from.
Industrial construction sales manager interview questions
Two of the 6 questions we'd ask, and what a strong answer sounds like. Ask every candidate the same questions, and rate each answer on your own before you compare notes.
Situational · Renewal negotiations
A plant's procurement team asks every contractor for a rate cut on its master service agreement renewal. How do you respond?
A strong answer: Prepares data on safety, quality and response, offers value such as productivity gains instead of a flat cut, knows the walk-away point, and involves operations.
Behavioral · Coaching reps
Tell me about a rep you coached to land a large industrial account.
A strong answer: Describes account research, introductions to plant decision makers, coaching on the proposal, and the account won.
Read the template's numbers as sample goals. Reset them every year from the work your team won and lost.
Revenue per quarter
Add the value of contracts signed in the quarter, by rep and by owner. Count change orders on their own line so one large add doesn't hide a thin pipeline.
New Contract Acquisition Rate
Count contracts signed each quarter, with new owners and repeat owners kept apart. Work released under an existing master agreement counts only when the team had to compete for it.
Sales Team Conversion Rate
Divide jobs won by bids and proposals sent, per rep, over the same period. Use the stages set in your CRM so every rep is measured the same way.
Customer Satisfaction Rating
Use the owner's own scorecard where one exists and a short closeout survey where it doesn't. Review each weak score with the job's project manager and log what changes.
Career path
Estimator at an industrial or mechanical contractorLearns pricing, scopes and how plant owners write specs.
Sales representativeLearns to qualify owners and close with plant procurement teams.
Sales managerLeads the reps, owns the forecast and signs off on proposals.
General managerRuns the business with sales, operations and finance reporting in.
Other roles in an industrial construction business
Some do on large capital jobs, and fewer do on maintenance work under a master agreement. Ask before pricing, because the bond premium belongs in the bid. Public work is stricter. Rhode Island requires a bond worth between half and all of the contract price before its transportation or administration department awards a public building contract.
How much does an industrial construction sales manager make?
Sales managers who work for commercial and industrial builders earned a median of $163,900 a year ($78.80 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned between $125,340 and $207,260 a year. Pay also depends on your local market, experience and bonus terms.
What should the sales manager say when an owner asks for a budget price?
Plant engineers often need a number for their capital request long before drawings exist. Give a range, list the assumptions in writing and date it. Log every budget price in the CRM, because the same owner may come back a year later expecting that figure. Have estimating sign off on any budget number for a job larger than your usual size.
How should the sales manager forecast work that waits on capital approval?
Stage each pursuit by what the owner has done, not by how the meeting felt: budget requested, budget approved, invited to bid, shortlisted, verbal award. Weight each stage by your own past win record, and review the list monthly with the general manager. Pursuits stuck at budget requested too long come off the forecast.
The template mentions carrying sales materials up to 20 pounds. What does that look like?
Carrying a trade show kit, sample binders or a laptop bag through airports and hotels. Touring a plant or job site behind an escort, wearing the protective gear the site requires. Climbing stairs to a platform to see the work area. Put those tasks in the posting, and discuss reasonable adjustments with any candidate who raises them.
