Sales Manager - Superhard Materials & Advanced Components

Job Description

Element Six is seeking an experienced, technically adept commercial leader to serve as Sales Manager – Advanced Diamond Materials & High-Tech Solutions (North America). Based at our Customer and Application Technology Centre (CATEC) in Santa Clara, CA, this role is responsible for delivering significant revenue in 2027 by driving commercial adoption of synthetic diamond solutions grown via Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD).

This position leads the commercialization of precision-engineered synthetic diamond materials, substrates, and components into high-value, volume-scaling technology applications where diamond's extreme physical, thermal, optical, and electrochemical properties outperform all conventional materials.

A primary strategic objective for this role is to partner with our Business Development and Operations teams to transition breakthrough designs into sustained high-volume production, driving capacity utilization of the CVD reactor fleet at our Gresham, Oregon synthesis facility.

1. Commercial Leadership & Revenue Delivery

• Own and execute the North American commercial growth strategy to hit and exceed therevenue target for 2027.
• Manage sales forecasting, pipeline conversion, pricing strategies, and contract negotiations across tier-1 technology OEMs, defense contractors, research institutions, and emerging tech innovators.
• Identify application opportunities where diamond’s superior thermal conductivity, optical transparency, wide bandgap, electrochemical stability, and hardness unlock step-change system performance while driving down total cost of ownership as CVD synthesis volumes scale.

2. Target Market & Application Focus

Lead customer acquisition and design-in cycles across core high-technology focus areas:

• Thermal Management: Diamond heat spreaders and substrates for next-gen semiconductor packaging, high-power compute/AI silicon cooling, optical transceivers for telecommunications, and defense RF/radar systems.
• Optical Systems: High-power laser optics, Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) lithography windows, fusion energy diagnostics/optics, and advanced laser metrology.
• Quantum Technologies: Diamond substrates with engineered nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers for quantum sensing, magnetometry, RF detection, and quantum communications.
• Water Treatment & Electrochemistry: Boron-Doped Diamond (BDD) wafers and electrodes for industrial wastewater remediation, PFAS degradation, and electrochemical oxidation.
• Mechanical & Precision Applications: Precision mechanical CVD diamond wear parts, dressing tools, and abrasive solutions for mission-critical mechanical environments.

3. Team Leadership & Talent Development

• Directly lead, mentor, and hold accountable a high-performing 5-person technical sales and application team:
  • 3 Field Sales Account Managers: Covering regional territories and major target market verticals across North America.
  • 1 Diamond Applications Engineer: Providing front-line technical support, design-in assistance, and proof-of-concept modeling for prospective customers.
  • 1 Inside Sales Engineer: Managing rapid inbound customer conversion and driving digital sales through the Element Six e-commerce web platform.
• Foster a culture of technical rigor, active pipeline management, customer empathy, and aggressive value selling.

4. Operational Alignment & Capacity Utilization

• Collaborate closely with the Gresham, Oregon CVD production and engineering teams to balance customer demand forecasts with synthesis reactor schedules, ensuring flawless quality and on-time fulfillment.
• Align commercial strategy with plant economics, prioritizing product lines and large-scale supply agreements that maximize CVD reactor run-time and asset utilization at 100% capacity.
• Interface with the global Element Six Business Development and R&D organizations to transition new material formulations and product developments into scalable commercial revenue streams.

Qualifications

Position Requirements

Education

• Required: Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Materials Science, Physics, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Chemistry, or a closely related STEM discipline.
• Preferred: Master of Science (M.S.) in a technical discipline or a Master of Business Administration (MBA).

Experience & Industry Expertise

• 8–10+ years of progressive commercial sales and business development experience selling high-performance materials, advanced engineered components, or substrates into the semiconductor, optoelectronics, defense, or advanced hardware sectors.
• Minimum 3–5 years of direct commercial or technical experience involving synthetic diamond, carbon materials, wide bandgap semiconductors, or CVD thin-film/bulk material processes.
• Proven track record of managing a team delivering an annual revenue budget in OEM/design-in component environments.
• Deep understanding of high-tech OEM qualification lifecycles, IP frameworks, and custom material integration.
• Demonstrated leadership capability in coaching both technical application engineers and commercial sales representatives.
• Strong willingness to travel (approximately 30–40%) across North America to client facilities and the Gresham, Oregon production plant.

Other Skills and Capabilities

• Adaptability. Ability to work in a fast-moving work environment. Comfortable with leading change.
• Decision Making.  Makes clear, timely decisions and gives explicit and clear guidance.  Decisions are focused on increasing or improving the company’s options and are owned.
• Development. Comfortable working to develop the behaviour and performance of the team.
  • Simplifies and Avoids Complexity. Doesn’t over-engineer solutions and stays focused on the problem being solved. Considers the implications of local decisions across the whole organisation.
  • Accountability.  Looks beyond what is good for the business.  Holds self and others to account.  Understands that no one can see the complete picture and values perspectives from across the business.
  • Leadership. Self-motivated and comfortable taking on responsibility. Demonstrable experience of mentoring and coaching.
  • Collaboration. Understands the importance of and has the ability to communicate effectively.

Additional Information