Solugen

Solugen

Houston, TX 77035

Position

Director of Sales - Wastewater

About Solugen

At Solugen, we believe planet-scale change starts with the chemistry we use every day. So, we’ve built the world’s first carbon negative molecule factory. Fusing biology with chemistry and technology to make the materials we need to sustain life on Earth. Solugen, Inc. is a revolutionary product and technology company using biology to transform the chemicals industry. Solugen was founded in 2016 and is a post-Series D venture-backed biotechnology company supported by renowned venture capital firms including Founders Fund, FiftyYears, Refactor, Y Combinator, Temasek, GIC, Baillie-Gifford, Lowercarbon Capital, and Kennivik. Located in Houston, Texas, Solugen has recently started-up a first-of-its-kind carbon-negative manufacturing facility - The Bioforge TM - that uses a novel chemienzymatic technology to manufacture bio-based chemistries for a wide range of applications including water treatment, agriculture, HI&I, personal care, energy, and other applications. Solugen currently has 230+ full time employees.

Mission

Solugen’s mission is to decarbonize chemicals manufacturing. As a first step, Solugen has commissioned BioForge I with a nameplate manufacturing capacity of 10,000 tpy and the potential to offset up to 37,000 tpy of carbon dioxide equivalents. BioForge 2 construction is underway with a mid-2025 commission date target in Marshall, MN and presents an opportunity to build a once in a lifetime business portfolio.

The mission of this role is to expand Solugen’s Sales presence in Wastewater markets, including Industrial, Municipal, and Energy wastewater.

In addition to face-to-face meetings, this role will engage with customers over the phone and Internet (e.g., chat, email, video conferencing, etc.) to close sales and support clients. The role will also respond to client inquiries and offer guidance on appropriate products and services.

As an experienced sales executive with a track record of success, this role will execute sales strategy, and identify opportunities to increase sales volume while ensuring service levels are met.

This role will serve as an authority within the wastewater chemicals industry and should demonstrates mastery of sales techniques and understanding of incumbent products and pain points. The successful candidate will help Solugen build a presence in waste water chemicals markets such as industrial, municipal, Oil & Gas, mining, and food processing. Familiarity with flocculants, coagulants, and disinfectants used in these applications is ideal. They should have a highly visible industry presence. Travel for customer calls and trade shows for this role are essential.

Key Outcomes

  • Build Solugen’s presence in the Wastewater segment.
  • Develop a >$10 mil revenue portfolio of products in this segment within 1 year, including distributed, formulated, and Solugen produced products.

Responsibilities

  • As a Director of Sales for Wastewater, you will be responsible for expanding the company's market presence, identifying new business opportunities, and cultivating relationships with potential clients.
  • Build and maintain strong relationships with key stakeholders and open doors to enable sales of Solugen’s product portfolio.
  • Create your own opportunities by maximizing customer interactions and having a creative mindset
  • Find unmet needs and pain points in the market and bring to Solugen’s high powered technical team to develop solutions.
  • Utilize Solugen’s distribution and formulation capabilities to gain access to strategic customers and grow share of wallet
  • Understand how existing products are used and help Solugen’s application development team prioritize its focus areas on developing solutions for the largest market opportunities with unmet needs.

Key Competencies

  • Always acts with integrity and honesty to customers, colleagues and other stakeholders
  • Sets ambitiously high sales goals and works incredibly hard to execute on them
  • Good communication, negotiation, and project management skills
  • Ask a lot of questions, be curious, and have insights into your work
  • Be extremely nimble and flexible, embrace the speed and ambiguity of startup culture
  • Ability to self-manage and set your own priorities and schedule
  • Respect for others
  • Creative problem solving, focus on deep customer understanding, ability to find the true pain point beyond “cost”
  • Willingness to learn, grow, and adapt
  • Positive Attitude

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Business Administration, or a related field (or equivalent experience)
  • Proven track record (5+ years) in chemicals sales, business development, or related roles, preferably within the chemical manufacturing or distribution industry
  • Strong understanding of chemical products, market dynamics, and customer needs in the wastewater industry
  • Excellent communication, negotiation, and presentation skills, with the ability to build rapport and influence key stakeholders
  • Strategic thinking, analytical mindset, and ability to drive initiatives independently without clear direction
  • Willingness to travel >50%

Solugen is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status or any other legally protected status.

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