Sales Manager at Area51 Electronics in Irvine, CA

Area51 Electronics seeking a Sales Manager who embodies the mindset of Extreme Ownership – a leader who takes full responsibility for outcomes, drives results with clarity and discipline, leads by example, and empowers their group to excel through accountability, risk-based thinking, and continuous improvements. This leader will oversee a group of Account Managers dedicated to a single Aerospace & Defense customer. The primary objective of this position is to drive sustainable revenue growth by enhancing customer relationships, promoting complimentary authorized lines, improving internal processes, and empowering the group to consistently meet or exceed goals.

Area51 Electronics is a distributor of electronic, electrical, electromechanical components, hardware, and assemblies. We believe that every component we supply plays a meaningful role in advancing innovation and reliability across critical industries—including aerospace & defense, industrial & automation, automotive & transportation, energy, and medical; ultimately contributing to solutions that impact lives and shape the future.

The ideal candidate:

• Owns Everything in Their World: Takes complete accountability for Sales initiatives—successes and failures alike—without casting blame. Acts as a true leader who sees obstacles as opportunities for improvement.
• Prioritizes and Executes: Can cut through noise, identify what matters most, and act decisively under pressure. Balances strategic vision with tactical execution, ensuring Sales efforts align with business objectives.
• Leads Up and Down the Chain of Command: Communicates effectively with team members. Understands the importance of alignment and influence at every level of the organization.
• Decentralizes Command: Trusts and empowers others while maintaining accountability. Knows how to delegate and build team ownership, fostering initiative and responsibility across the team.
• Believes in the Mission: Fully understands and commits to our company’s mission, values, and strategic direction. Can translate that belief into compelling messaging and action.
• Checks the Ego at the Door: Welcomes feedback, collaboration, and diverse perspectives. Focuses on results, not credit, and builds trust through humility and consistency.
• Disciplined Yet Flexible: Brings structure and repeatable processes to Sales while remaining adaptable to market dynamics and internal priorities.

Core Values and Behaviors

• Demonstrates a strong work ethic characterized by honesty, integrity, humility, respectfulness, and accountability.
• Consistently strives for excellence and takes pride in delivering high-quality work, even when not directly supervised.
• Exhibits discipline, dedication, and determination to achieve outstanding results, consistently going above and beyond minimum requirements and expectations.
• Maintains calm and clarity under pressure; never robotic, always intentional.
• When faced with stressful or important situations, stay composed and clear-headed. Do not panic or lose focus. Instead, think logically and make well-considered decisions even when the pressure is intense.
• Do not act like a machine or simply follow routines blindly. Responses are thoughtful, not automatic or emotionless.
• Every action or decision you make has purpose and meaning. Lead and communicate deliberately, not just going through the motions or reacting impulsively.
• Leads with confidence grounded in competence—not ego.
• Practices humility as a strength, never backing down from responsibility or difficult decisions, but always open to feedback and self-improvement (seek opportunities to learn, reflect, adapt, and grow).

Work Schedule: M-F (7:00 AM – 4:00 PM) - Onsite

Classification: Exempt

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

Customer Relationship & Business Development

• Develop, execute, and monitor a customer growth plan that aligns with company goals and drives measurable results.
• Identify new business opportunities, using risk-based thinking, within the customer and align internal groups and capabilities to meet customer needs.
• Lead the planning and execution of customer visits (including customer events and internal customer meetings), including agendas, presentations, and travel coordination.
• Establish and monitor metrics to assess performance, optimize processes, and support actions.
• Establish trusted relationships with customer stakeholders, including key decision-makers and representatives across their departments, sectors, and/or groups.

Group Leadership & Development

• Lead, mentor, and develop a group through one-on-one coaching, performance reviews, and feedback.
• Set clear performance expectations and goals to ensure alignment with team objectives and organizational priorities.
• Monitor metrics to assess performance and support actions.
• Organize and lead group meetings.
• Interview, onboard, and lead the training of new team members.

Sales Support

• Support Account Managers with customer RFQs and Purchase Orders (POs), and contract reviews, when needed.
• Ensure RFQs and Bookings, are completed in accordance with our Quality Management System (QMS); including meeting or exceeding our Quality Objectives.
• Monitor customer stocking plans and scheduled Bookings, and take proactive measures to ensure alignment with company expectations and/or customer requirements.
• Assist in identifying and/or proposing alternative solutions (e.g., cross-referencing parts) to effectively meet customer requirements.
• Review and approve Return Material Authorizations (RMAs), Nonconforming Material Reports (NCMRs), Supplier Corrective Actions Requests (SCARs); assisting in their resolution as needed.
• Assign new customers to Account Managers to ensure a balanced workload across the group.
• Attend recurring weekly and monthly customer scheduled meetings.
• Ensure customer requests (e.g., expediting, issue escalations, SCARs, etc.) are resolved in a timely manner.
• Review and/or complete customer related documents (e.g., supplier surveys, NDAs, SCARs, etc.).
• Utilize the customer’s portal to access and accept POs, and resolve any related issues.
• Ensure accepted POs are aligned with our QMS and workflow capacity.
• Prioritize, when needed, customer orders by evaluating workflow capacity and order criticality.
• Ensure the decisions reflect short-time urgency and contractual obligations.
• Maintain visibility and communication around prioritization decisions to support transparency and alignment.

Operational Support & Process Improvement

• Continuously monitor and improve the group’s processes, workflows, and technology for scalability, efficiency, and customer satisfaction.

• Monitor metrics to assess performance, optimize processes, and support actions.

• Develop or assist in the development (or implementation) of processes, technology, and reports.

• Prepare for and lead audits:

      -Obtain supporting documentation necessary for the audit (e.g., Bookings, Certificates, Packing Slips, POs, etc.).  
  
      -Schedule and meet with Account Managers and team members to prepare for the audit.
  

Nothing in this job description restricts management’s right to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time. This job description is subject to change at any time.

Key Skills:

Education

Required: Bachelor’s degree in any field.

Experience

Required: Minimum five years in a B2B Sales management or leadership role.

Required: Minimum three years of Aerospace & Defense experience; including knowledge of quality requirements, DFARs, and FARs.

Language & Communication

Effective Communication: Professional English communication skills, both verbal and written, with the ability to convey ideas clearly and professionally to diverse audiences.

Strong Active Listening: The ability to understand and respond effectively to others by fully engaging with the speaker to grasp their message, emotions, and intent. This skill goes beyond simply hearing words—it involves being present, attentive, and empathetic, which fosters stronger relationships and minimizes misunderstandings.

Other Skills and Abilities:

Computer Literacy: Demonstrated proficiency in using computers efficiently for a variety of tasks, including navigating software systems, managing digital files, and troubleshooting minor issues.

Microsoft Office Proficiency: Advanced working knowledge of MS 365, Outlook, Word, and Excel, with the ability to create, edit, and manage documents, emails, and spreadsheets with accuracy and efficiency.

Proprietary Software Operation: Ability to quickly learn and proficiently operate Area51 Electronics’ proprietary software system to perform daily tasks accurately and efficiently.

Quality Management System (QMS): Ability to quickly learn and adhere to the company’s QMS and comply with all applicable policies, procedures, and forms.

Risk-Based Thinking: Demonstrate strong decision-making skills by evaluating data, assessing risks, and consider financial and operational impacts to choose the most effective course of action. Clearly communicates the rationale behind those decisions.

Critical and Creative Thinking: Applies both analytical and innovative thinking to develop solutions, improve processes, and seize opportunities.

Proactive Problem Solving: Capable of identifying potential challenges early and taking initiative to manage or resolve them independently.

Resource Management: Efficiently allocates resources to meet deadlines.

Time Management: Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple tasks, set priorities, and complete assignments independently with a high level of accuracy and attention to detail.

Adaptability: Maintains a positive, flexible attitude and effectively adjusts to changing priorities, tasks, and schedules.

Confidentiality: Exercises discretion and sound judgment in handling sensitive or confidential information in accordance with the company’s policies and procedures.

Receptiveness to Feedback: Open to receiving constructive feedback and able to implement suggested changes promptly and effectively.

Professionalism: Consistently demonstrates professionalism in behavior, appearance, and interactions with team members, customers, and suppliers.

Team Collaboration: Willing and able to work collaboratively with others, contributing to a positive and productive team environment.

Independent Work Ethic: Self-motivated with the ability to work independently, manage time effectively, and maintain productivity without constant direct supervision.

Travel: Ability to travel domestically, approximately 5–10% of the year.

Required – To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Work Environment — The work environment characteristic described is representative of those an employee will encounter while performing essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Essential Physical Functions

Stand: Moderate

Sit: Moderate to Frequent

Walk: Moderate

Bend: Moderate

Handle Objects: Moderate

Reach Above Shoulder Level: Moderate

Use Fine Finger Movements: Continuous

Carry/Lift Loads up to 25 Pounds: Moderate

Essential Cognitive Functions

Reason and Analyze: Continuous

Read/Comprehend English: Continuous

Generate Written Work Product: Continuous

Communicate Orally in English: Continuous

Work Under Time Pressure: Continuous

Independent Problem Solving: Continuous

Interruptions: Continuous

Maintain Team Collaboration: Continuous

Organize: Continuous

Prioritize: Continuous

Computations: Continuous

Essential Environmental Factors

Interruptions: Continuous

Stairs (2 flights): Moderate

Task takes less than 1/3 of the time: Moderate

Task takes 1/3 to 2/3 of the time: Moderate to Frequent

Task takes more than 2/3 of the time: Continuous