Industrial Retrofit & Modernization Sales Engineer

Industrial Retrofit & Modernization Sales Engineer

Help Manufacturing Customers Improve Performance, Reliability, Safety, and Efficiency

Location: Wauwatosa, WI (Hybrid)
Travel: Customer visits and plant assessments as required
Employment Type: Full-Time
Reports To: Director of Sales & Marketing

About ITS

Do any of these titles describe you? Technical Sales Engineer, Industrial Equipment Sales Engineer, Applications Sales Engineer, Industrial Upgrade Specialist, Industrial Equipment Solutions Consultant, or Industrial Retrofit & Modernization Sales Engineer. Do you have familiarity with ovens, furnaces, washers, finishing systems, thermal processing equipment, material handling systems, or industrial automation. If so let’s talk.

International Thermal Systems (ITS) designs and manufactures industrial thermal processing and finishing equipment for customers throughout North America and around the world. Our solutions include industrial ovens, washers, finishing systems, aftermarket parts, field service, retrofits, modernizations, and engineered equipment solutions.

As we continue to evolve our sales organization, we are building specialized roles that create clear ownership, accountability, and growth opportunities. We are looking for a technically minded sales professional who enjoys solving customer problems, working directly with manufacturing operations, and turning equipment challenges into profitable solutions.

Position Summary

This is not a traditional territory sales role.

You will be responsible for identifying, developing, and converting opportunities involving industrial equipment upgrades, retrofits, modernizations, controls upgrades, reliability improvements, efficiency improvements, and equipment replacement projects.

You will work directly with manufacturing customers to evaluate equipment, understand operational challenges, identify improvement opportunities, and develop solutions that create measurable value.

Success in this role comes from technical curiosity, strong discovery skills, relationship-building, and the ability to convert customer needs into real opportunities and revenue.

What You'll Do

Evaluate Equipment and Identify Opportunities

• Conduct equipment assessments and plant walk-throughs.
• Identify reliability, performance, safety, efficiency, and obsolescence concerns.
• Evaluate both ITS and competitor equipment.
• Recommend upgrades, retrofits, modernizations, repairs, or replacement solutions.
• Identify opportunities for additional aftermarket and capital equipment sales.

Develop and Advance Opportunities

• Qualify customer needs and business drivers.
• Understand project timing, budget considerations, decision processes, and key stakeholders.
• Create and maintain qualified opportunities in HubSpot CRM.
• Coordinate technical reviews and solution development.
• Drive opportunities from discovery through proposal and close.

Build Strong Customer Relationships

• Meet with maintenance, engineering, operations, production, purchasing, and leadership teams.
• Become a trusted advisor for equipment improvement initiatives.
• Expand relationships within customer organizations.
• Conduct purposeful follow-up and maintain customer engagement throughout the sales cycle.

Coordinate Internal Resources

• Work closely with Engineering, Service, Parts, Operations, Technical Sales, and Project Management.
• Help translate customer needs into practical technical solutions.
• Coordinate site information, technical requirements, and proposal development.
• Ensure commitments and action items are completed.

Maintain CRM and Pipeline Discipline

• Track all customer activities and opportunities in HubSpot.
• Maintain accurate opportunity stages, values, forecasts, and next steps.
• Document customer intelligence and project information.
• Participate in regular pipeline and opportunity reviews.

What Success Looks Like

Within your first year you will:

• Create a consistent pipeline of qualified retrofit and modernization opportunities.
• Develop relationships across customer organizations.
• Generate technical opportunities that convert into proposals.
• Help customers improve performance, reliability, safety, and productivity.
• Identify opportunities that lead to both aftermarket revenue and capital equipment sales.
• Maintain accurate CRM records and opportunity forecasts.
• Become a recognized technical resource for customers and internal teams.

Qualifications

Required

• 3+ years of experience in industrial sales, applications engineering, field service, project management, technical support, equipment sales, automation, controls, maintenance, or a related manufacturing environment.
• Strong mechanical and technical aptitude.
• Ability to conduct discovery conversations and equipment assessments.
• Strong communication and relationship-building skills.
• Ability to manage multiple projects and opportunities simultaneously.
• Experience using CRM software.
• Valid driver's license and ability to travel.

Preferred

• Industrial equipment sales experience.
• Retrofit, modernization, controls, automation, combustion, or process equipment experience.
• Experience supporting manufacturing operations.
• Familiarity with ovens, furnaces, washers, finishing systems, thermal processing equipment, material handling systems, or industrial automation.
• Engineering, technical, maintenance, or field service background.

Who Succeeds Here

The best candidates often come from:

• Industrial equipment sales
• Automation and controls sales
• Applications engineering
• Field service management
• Maintenance leadership
• Reliability engineering
• Manufacturing engineering
• Capital equipment sales
• Technical project management

You may be a salesperson who became highly technical, or a technical professional who enjoys helping customers solve problems and creating business opportunities.

Why Join ITS?

• Established and respected industrial manufacturer.
• Strong installed customer base and market reputation.
• Opportunity to sell value rather than commodities.
• Direct access to engineering, service, and leadership teams.
• Ability to influence the future of the sales organization.
• Competitive compensation package.
• Career growth opportunities as the commercial organization expands.

Education

College degree preferred but not required.

We place a high value on real-world experience, technical capability, business judgment, customer relationship skills, and a proven record of success. Strong candidates without a four-year degree are encouraged to apply.

Apply Today

If you enjoy solving technical problems, working directly with manufacturing customers, uncovering improvement opportunities, and turning those opportunities into real business results, we'd like to hear from you.

International Thermal Systems is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Pay: $90,000.00 - $130,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• Health insurance
• Paid time off
• Retirement plan

Work Location: Hybrid remote in Wauwatosa, WI 53222