Director of Sales

Position Summary

MES Life Safety is seeking an experienced and results-oriented Director of Sales to lead and expand the Fire Business Unit's sales activities throughout California. Reporting directly to Chief Executive Officer Marvin Riley, this individual will develop and execute the regional sales strategy, strengthen relationships with fire departments and other first responder agencies, lead the California sales team, and deliver profitable, sustainable growth.

The ideal candidate will bring significant experience in the firefighter, fire-service, or broader first responder market, along with a strong understanding of how fire departments and public-sector agencies evaluate, procure, and use mission-critical equipment. This position requires a credible, hands-on leader who can build trusted relationships with fire chiefs, purchasing officials, end users, manufacturers, and other industry stakeholders.

Key Responsibilities

Sales Strategy and Growth

Develop and execute a comprehensive sales strategy for the Fire Business Unit throughout California.
Establish annual revenue, gross-margin, market-share, and customer-development objectives in partnership with executive leadership.
Identify opportunities to expand MES Life Safety's presence with municipal, county, state, federal, industrial, and other fire-service customers.
Develop strategies to grow existing accounts and establish new customer relationships.
Maintain a strong understanding of market conditions, customer needs, competitors, procurement trends, and emerging opportunities.
Build and manage a reliable sales pipeline and provide accurate forecasts to company leadership.
Support the introduction and growth of new products, manufacturers, and service offerings in the California market.
Coordinate sales efforts across MES product categories to provide customers with comprehensive life-safety solutions.
Sales Leadership

Lead, coach, and develop the California Fire sales organization.
Establish clear performance expectations and hold team members accountable for revenue, margin, activity, and customer-service objectives.
Conduct regular pipeline, forecasting, account-planning, and performance reviews.
Recruit, onboard, train, and retain high-performing sales professionals as the business grows.
Promote disciplined use of the company's CRM and other sales-management systems.
Foster a collaborative, customer-focused culture consistent with MES Life Safety's values.
Lead by example through active participation in customer meetings, field demonstrations, major proposals, and strategic opportunities.
Customer and Industry Relationships

Develop and maintain trusted relationships with fire chiefs, command staff, firefighters, purchasing officials, municipal leaders, and other key decision-makers.
Serve as a senior point of contact for strategic customers and significant sales opportunities.
Maintain a visible presence in the California fire-service community through customer visits, conferences, trade associations, demonstrations, and industry events.
Work closely with customers to understand operational requirements and recommend appropriate equipment, products, and services.
Ensure that customer commitments are understood internally and delivered with a high level of responsiveness and professionalism.
Monitor customer satisfaction and promptly address significant service, product, or relationship issues.
Manufacturer and Internal Collaboration

Build productive relationships with MES Life Safety's manufacturer partners and represent the company effectively in joint sales and market-development efforts.
Coordinate with product management, operations, customer service, contracting, finance, marketing, and service teams to support the complete customer experience.
Partner with operational leaders to align sales commitments with product availability, delivery capabilities, installation, training, and service requirements.
Support public-sector bids, requests for proposals, cooperative purchasing arrangements, demonstrations, evaluations, and contract negotiations.
Communicate customer feedback and market intelligence to executive leadership and relevant internal teams.
Participate in broader company planning and growth initiatives as requested by the CEO.
Financial and Operational Management

Take ownership of the region's sales performance, including revenue, gross margin, expense management, and overall profitability.
Prepare and manage the California sales budget.
Evaluate pricing, discounts, and deal structures to support profitable growth and compliance with company policies.
Monitor sales performance against established goals and implement corrective action when necessary.
Provide executive leadership with timely and accurate reporting regarding sales results, forecasts, competitive developments, and business risks.
Ensure compliance with applicable laws, public-procurement requirements, manufacturer policies, company standards, and ethical business practices.

Requirements
Qualifications Required Qualifications

At least 8 years of progressively responsible sales, business development, or commercial leadership experience.
Strong experience serving the firefighter, fire-service, emergency-response, public-safety, or first responder market.
Demonstrated success leading a sales team and achieving revenue and profitability objectives.
Established understanding of fire-department operations, customer needs, purchasing processes, and decision-making structures.
Experience selling equipment, products, technology, or services to municipal or other public-sector customers.
Proven ability to develop senior-level customer relationships and manage complex, long-cycle sales opportunities.
Strong leadership, coaching, negotiation, presentation, and communication skills.
Ability to analyze financial and sales information and translate it into effective business decisions.
Proficiency with CRM systems, Microsoft Office applications, and other sales-management tools.
Ability and willingness to travel extensively throughout California and periodically to other company or industry locations.
Valid driver's license and ability to satisfy applicable company driving requirements.

Preferred Qualifications

Bachelor's degree in business, marketing, public administration, fire science, or a related field.
Prior experience as a firefighter, fire officer, emergency responder, or professional working directly with fire departments or first responder agencies.
Existing relationships within the California fire-service community.
Experience selling firefighter personal protective equipment, self-contained breathing apparatus, rescue tools, fire apparatus, emergency equipment, uniforms, communications products, or related life-safety solutions.
Experience managing manufacturer relationships or working within a distribution-based business.
Knowledge of California public-sector procurement, bidding, contracting, and cooperative purchasing processes.
Experience leading a geographically dispersed sales team.
Experience working in a private-equity-backed or rapidly growing organization.

Leadership Attributes

Credible and comfortable engaging with firefighters, fire chiefs, public officials, manufacturers, and business executives.
Commercially driven while maintaining a strong commitment to customer service and ethical business practices.
A visible, hands-on leader who enjoys working alongside the sales team and spending time with customers.
Accountable, organized, and disciplined in managing forecasts, pipelines, priorities, and performance.
Collaborative and capable of working effectively across sales, operations, service, contracting, finance, and product teams.
Adaptable and comfortable operating in a growing, fast-paced organization.
Passionate about supporting the safety and effectiveness of firefighters and other first responders.