Technical Sales Specialist in Muskegon, Michigan at Waseyabek Development Company

ABOUT BAKER ENGINEERING

Baker Engineering is a precision machining and assembly partner serving Aerospace, Defense, Automotive and Medical OEMs. Our 30,000-square-foot Manufacturing Center of Excellence in Muskegon supports mid- to high-volume production with advanced CNC milling, turning and 5-axis capabilities, complex material expertise and AS9100D/ISO 9001 quality systems. BE is a division of Waséyabek Development Company, LLC that is wholly owned by the Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi, a Federally recognized Indian Tribe.

POSITION SUMMARY

The Technical Sales Specialist is responsible for generating profitable growth by identifying target customers, developing qualified opportunities, securing customer RFQs and converting those opportunities into accepted purchase orders. This position combines technical manufacturing knowledge, business development, customer relationship management and strong commercial follow-through.

The Technical Sales Specialist is also the commercial owner of Baker’s RFQ and quotation process. The individual coordinates sales, estimating, engineering, operations, quality and supply chain inputs to ensure that every qualified opportunity receives a timely, accurate and professional response.

PRIMARY OUTCOME

Deliver profitable, tangible business supported by accepted customer purchase orders while building a disciplined, visible and responsive quote process.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Business Development and Revenue Growth

• Develop and execute a target-account plan focused on customers and programs that align with Baker’s machining, assembly, quality and production capabilities.
• Prospect for new customers and new programs through direct outreach, referrals, customer visits, industry contacts, trade shows, government opportunities and strategic partnerships.
• Generate qualified RFQs from new customers and identify incremental growth opportunities within existing accounts.
• Build relationships with buyers, engineers, sourcing leaders, program managers and executive decision-makers.
• Conduct discovery meetings to understand technical requirements, annual demand, timing, sourcing concerns, quality expectations and commercial priorities.
• Convert qualified opportunities into accepted, profitable customer purchase orders.

RFQ and Quote-Process Ownership

• Own assigned RFQs from receipt through go/no-go, quotation, follow-up, award and operational handoff.
• Enter RFQs into the approved pipeline or CRM system within one business day.
• Coordinate the initial go/no-go decision with operations, engineering, quality and leadership.
• Review drawings, specifications, materials, annual volumes, tolerances, outside processing, inspection requirements, quality clauses and delivery expectations.
• Identify missing information and obtain clarification from the customer before quotation.
• Establish internal owners and due dates for estimating, material pricing, tooling, outside processing, engineering, quality and production planning inputs.
• Lead quote-review activity, escalate overdue actions and maintain visibility to all open RFQs.
• Ensure the customer receives a quote, formal no-quote response or approved extension before the customer due date.
• Follow up on submitted quotations, document the next action and capture the reason for won or lost opportunities.
• Complete a formal commercial and operational handoff after award.

Technical and Commercial Responsibilities

• Interpret engineering drawings, specifications, tolerances and GD&T at a level sufficient to lead customer and internal technical discussions.
• Understand CNC milling, turning, 5-axis machining, tooling, fixtures, materials, outside processing, inspection and production cost drivers.
• Partner with estimating and operations to develop competitive, executable and profitable pricing.
• Identify technical and commercial risks involving tolerances, material availability, special processes, inspection, capital requirements, capacity and launch timing.
• Negotiate pricing, tooling, lead times, minimum quantities, payment terms and long-term agreement requirements within approved authority.
• Protect approved margin expectations and obtain authorization before making unapproved commercial concessions.
• Support customer capability reviews, supplier surveys, facility tours, technical discussions and contract reviews.

Pipeline, Forecasting and Customer Management

• Maintain accurate opportunity values, probabilities, due dates, expected award dates, next actions and customer contacts.
• Maintain sufficient qualified pipeline coverage to support the assigned revenue target.
• Prepare weekly reporting covering RFQ activity, quote status, qualified pipeline, customer actions, purchase-order awards, win/loss reasons and forecasted revenue.
• Identify stalled opportunities and establish documented recovery actions.
• Act as the primary commercial contact for assigned prospects and customers.
• Coordinate technical communication between the customer and Baker’s engineering, quality, supply chain and operations teams.
• Support customer issue escalation and ensure concerns are transferred to the proper internal owner.

PERFORMANCE MEASURES

Performance will be evaluated primarily on profitable purchase-order growth, qualified pipeline development, quote responsiveness, customer communication and effective cross-functional ownership.

COMPENSATION

Baker Engineering offers a competitive total compensation package consisting of a base salary plus a variable bonus tied to sales performance and purchase-order growth, structured on an approximate 55/45 base-to-bonus split at target.

QUALIFICATIONS

Required

• Five or more years of technical sales, sales engineering, business development, manufacturing management or account-development experience in precision manufacturing.
• Demonstrated experience selling CNC machining, engineered components, assemblies or similar technical manufacturing services.
• Ability to read and understand engineering drawings, specifications, tolerances and GD&T.
• Working knowledge of machining processes, materials, inspection requirements, outside processing and manufacturing cost drivers.
• Experience coordinating RFQs, quotations, pricing, customer requirements and contract terms.
• Strong customer communication, presentation, negotiation and follow-up skills.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple RFQs, customer priorities and internal deadlines at the same time.
• Proficiency with CRM or pipeline systems, ERP systems and Microsoft Office applications.
• Ability to travel to customer locations, industry events and Baker facilities as required.

Preferred

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, manufacturing, business or a related field, or equivalent industry experience.
• Experience selling into Aerospace, Defense, Automotive, Medical or other highly regulated manufacturing markets.
• Familiarity with AS9100, ISO 9001, ITAR, NIST 800-171 or CMMC-related customer requirements.
• Established relationships with OEMs, Tier 1 suppliers, government contractors or defense suppliers.
• Experience supporting government contracting, SBA 8(a) opportunities or tribal-enterprise contracting advantages.
• Experience estimating or reviewing machine time, tooling, fixtures, material, inspection and outside-processing costs.
• Experience negotiating long-term agreements, production programs and customer pricing adjustments.

CORE COMPETENCIES

• Hunter Mentality — Comfortable opening doors, asking for business and pursuing opportunities through award.
• Ownership and Urgency — Takes responsibility for outcomes, deadlines and customer communication.
• Technical Curiosity — Learns customer applications and translates requirements into manufacturing solutions.
• Commercial Judgment — Balances customer needs, competitiveness, risk and margin.
• Communication — Communicates clearly with customers, executives and technical teams.
• Organization — Maintains accurate records, priorities, next actions and follow-up discipline.
• Collaboration — Coordinates cross-functional input without losing accountability.
• Resilience — Handles rejection, long sales cycles and changing customer priorities.
• Integrity — Represents capabilities, pricing, timing and risks accurately.

FIRST-YEAR SUCCESS PRIORITIES

• Complete technical, quality-system, estimating, product-capability and target-market training.
• Develop an approved target-account plan and establish a disciplined customer-contact cadence.
• Assume ownership of the active RFQ pipeline and bring all opportunities to current status.
• Build a qualified opportunity pipeline that supports the full-ramp revenue target.
• Improve quote responsiveness, customer communication and internal accountability.
• Secure initial profitable purchase-order awards and complete clean handoffs to operations.

ADDITIONAL POSITION REQUIREMENTS

• Maintain confidentiality of customer, pricing, technical and export-controlled information.
• Comply with Baker policies, quality-system requirements and customer-specific requirements.
• Work effectively in an office and active manufacturing environment.
• Perform other related commercial and customer-development duties as assigned.

Baker Engineering LLC is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, or protected veteran status.