Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Service Deionized Water Sales Manager

🎯 Role Definition

The Service Deionized Water Sales Manager owns sales growth, retention and commercial operations for deionized/ultrapure water products and services. This role builds and executes territory strategies, manages key accounts and route-based delivery operations, develops technically accurate proposals (on-site generation, rental exchange, point-of-use systems), and partners with operations, service techs and quality teams to deliver compliant DI water solutions that meet customer process requirements. The ideal candidate leverages CRM discipline, technical credibility with ion exchange/EDI/RO systems, and proven negotiation skills to secure multi-year service agreements and maximize margin while ensuring safety and regulatory compliance.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Territory Sales Representative – Industrial Water / Chemical Distribution
Technical Sales Engineer — Water Treatment Systems
Account Manager — Bulk Chemical or Utilities Distribution

Advancement To:

Regional Sales Director — Water & Fluid Management
Director of Service & Rentals / National Accounts Manager
VP of Sales — Industrial Water Services

Lateral Moves:

Operations Manager — Service / Logistics
Technical Services Manager — Water Treatment
Product Manager — Water Treatment Solutions

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Own the end-to-end commercial strategy for DI water sales across an assigned territory, including account segmentation, route optimization, target setting and quarterly forecasting to achieve revenue and margin goals.
Build and maintain a qualified sales pipeline of industrial, pharmaceutical, semiconductor and laboratory customers for deionized / ultrapure water delivery, on-site generation (EDI, mixed-bed ion exchange), and rental exchange programs.
Develop detailed, technical proposals and RFQs that specify water quality requirements (resistivity/µS, TOC limits), system configuration (RO pre-treatment, EDI, mixed-bed), service frequency and SLA terms; translate customer process needs into accurate scopes and pricing.
Negotiate and close multi-year service contracts, master service agreements and purchase orders that include delivery, sampling, monitoring, preventative maintenance and emergency response terms while protecting company margin.
Partner with operations/dispatch to design efficient delivery routes, fleet utilization and tank exchange schedules ensuring on-time delivery, inventory control and minimized deadhead miles.
Manage key account relationships with plant engineering, quality assurance, procurement and production managers; perform regular business reviews and escalate service or quality issues to resolution.
Provide technical leadership during sales calls, facility surveys and system audits—explain ion exchange chemistry, RO/EDI performance, resin life, conductivity/resistivity metrics and troubleshooting protocols.
Oversee sampling and QA/QC coordination: ensure certificates of analysis (COA), test result documentation, chain-of-custody procedures and compliance with customer-specific water specifications (USP, EP, ASTM, SEMI).
Monitor and report pipeline health, win/loss, churn, customer lifetime value and margin analytics via CRM (Salesforce preferred) and monthly sales operations meetings.
Train, coach and mentor inside sales, customer service reps and field service technicians on sales support, upsell techniques, technical product knowledge and service-level expectations.
Implement pricing strategies, promotional programs and bundled service offerings (delivery + maintenance + on-site monitoring) to increase average contract value and recurring revenue.
Lead bid responses for national or multi-site contracts coordinating operations, technical, legal and finance to deliver compliant commercial proposals on time.
Manage emergency and 24/7 on-call escalation for major customers — coordinate rapid response deliveries, temporary exchange units and technical troubleshooting to avoid production downtime.
Maintain inventory visibility for DI tanks, rental skids, resins, anion/cation beds and consumables; coordinate replenishment with supply chain to prevent stock outs that affect service continuity.
Drive cross-sell and upsell programs aligned with complementary categories (RO systems, filtration, chemical additives, monitoring sensors, preventive maintenance plans).
Ensure pricing governance, margin protection and contract compliance with approvals, credit checks and periodic contract reviews.
Collaborate with marketing and product management to develop case studies, technical collateral, pricing sheets and SEO-optimized content that highlight DI water capabilities and compliance expertise.
Conduct site surveys and technical due diligence for on-site DI generation projects including footprint, utilities, waste/bleed management, resin disposal, and site safety requirements.
Maintain up-to-date knowledge of regulatory and industry standards affecting DI water (OSHA, EPA, USP for pharmaceutical water, SEMI standards for semiconductor) and ensure customer-facing materials reflect compliance.
Lead regional trade show presence, seminars and customer trainings to generate leads, demonstrate technical competence and elevate brand presence in the water treatment marketplace.
Manage and report on sales KPIs: new account acquisition, retention rate, average revenue per user (ARPU), on-time delivery, order accuracy and first-time fix rates for service.
Facilitate technical escalation paths between customers, field service technicians, lab teams and R&D to resolve root causes of water quality deviations and implement corrective actions.
Support capital opportunity identification (system installs, upgrades, remote monitoring) by building ROI cases, total cost of ownership analyses and payback timelines for customers.
Enforce health & safety, environmental and site-specific permitting requirements for delivery, resin disposal, transport of acid/caustic cleaning chemicals and hazardous waste handling.

Secondary Functions

Provide market intelligence on competitor pricing, service models and product innovations to influence product roadmaps and pricing strategies.
Coordinate with finance on contract invoicing cycles, billing disputes, and working capital optimization for route operations.
Support pilot programs for new service offerings such as remote conductivity monitoring, IoT-enabled dispensers or subscription models.
Collaborate with HR and operations to recruit, onboard and certify drivers and service technicians in safe handling and technical downtime procedures.
Participate in cross-functional sprint planning for commercial process improvements (CRM automation, digital quoting, route optimization tools).
Support ad-hoc data requests for executive leadership and contribute insights to the commercial forecasting model.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Deep technical knowledge of deionized water production, ion exchange resin technology, electrodeionization (EDI), reverse osmosis (RO), mixed-bed systems and ultrapure water applications.
Proven B2B sales experience selling DI water delivery, rental/exchange programs, on-site generation systems or industrial water treatment solutions.
CRM proficiency (Salesforce or similar) for pipeline management, forecasting, reporting and opportunity tracking.
Strong contract writing, pricing, and negotiation skills for commercial service agreements, NDAs and master service agreements.
Familiarity with water quality testing and instrumentation: resistivity, conductivity, TOC analysis, pH, turbidity measurements and COA documentation.
Experience with route planning, fleet operations, logistics optimization and inventory control for delivery-based services.
Ability to read technical drawings and P&IDs for specifying system installations and service access points.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite (Excel modeling, PowerPoint proposals) and use of business intelligence or quoting tools.
Understanding of regulatory and industry compliance standards: OSHA, EPA, USP/EP/JP, SEMI standards and hazardous materials handling.
Experience coordinating laboratory testing, sample chain-of-custody and quality assurance workflows.

Soft Skills

Consultative selling and technical communication: explain complex water chemistry and service solutions to both technical and procurement stakeholders.
Strong negotiation and closing skills with a focus on long-term customer partnerships and recurring revenue.
Leadership and team development: mentor field teams, drive accountability and foster cross-functional collaboration.
Analytical mindset: use metrics and data to prioritize accounts, forecast revenue and make pricing decisions.
Customer-centric orientation with a bias for responsiveness, urgency and delivering SLA commitments.
Problem-solving under pressure — coordinate rapid field responses to production-impacting water events.
Time management and territory discipline to balance new business development and account retention.
Presentation and public speaking skills for trade shows, customer trainings and executive briefings.
Adaptability to changing customer needs, seasonal demand and operational disruptions.
Ethical judgment and compliance orientation when managing contracts, safety and environmental obligations.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor's degree in Business, Chemical Engineering, Environmental Science, Chemistry or related technical field OR equivalent practical experience (5+ years) in industrial water sales.

Preferred Education:

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Chemical Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Chemistry or Business (MBA desirable for senior roles).
Relevant industry certifications (WQA, Certified Water Technologist, OSHA 10/30, HAZWOPER) are a plus.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Chemical Engineering
Environmental Engineering
Chemistry
Business Administration / Sales & Marketing

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

5 to 10+ years in B2B sales within water treatment, chemical distribution, utilities or industrial services, with at least 2–3 years in a sales leadership or management capacity.

Preferred:

7+ years selling DI water delivery, on-site DI generation (EDI/RO), rental exchange programs or related industrial water services.
Demonstrated track record of closing multi-site/multi-year accounts, managing route operations and collaborating with technical service teams.
Experience working with regulated customers (pharmaceutical, biotech, semiconductor, food & beverage) and understanding their QA/Regulatory requirements.