Chief Sales Officer (CSO)

About Solex Thermal Science

Solex Thermal Science is a global leader in moving bed heat exchanger and heat pipe heat exchanger solutions, pioneering energy-efficient and sustainable thermal process technologies. Our mission is to drive operational excellence and innovation in heat transfer, helping industries achieve superior performance while reducing their environmental footprint.

Role Overview

The Chief Sales Officer (CSO) is responsible for developing and executing strategies that drive long-term goals, growth, competitive advantage, and market leadership. The CSO will work closely with the CEO, executive team, and key stakeholders to ensure strategic alignment across business functions, optimize resource allocation, and accelerate decision-making. This role requires a high-caliber, first-principles thinker with a relentless focus on value creation, operational efficiency, and market positioning. The ideal candidate has some technical background and will push our heat exchanger technologies on the market together with an experienced sales team.

Crucially, for this "Player-Coach" role, the CSO is expected to lead the sales organization, and simultaneously maintain an active presence in the field -- personally leading negotiations for strategic accounts and demonstrating sales excellence through direct execution.

Key Responsibilities

• Strategy Development & Execution
  • Architect and implement company-wide strategic plans that drive growth, profitability, and market expansion.
  • Develop with the CEO and the sales team market entry, expansion, and optimization strategies to strengthen Solex’s position in targeted industries.
  • Prioritize high-impact initiatives based on ROI, scalability, and risk mitigation.
• Active Sales Execution & Key Account Management
  • Lead from the Front: Personally manage and close a select portfolio of high-value, complex opportunities, serving as the primary closer for critical deals.
  • Technical Sales Partnership: Partner directly with the CTO and Engineering leadership to pitch complex technical value propositions to C-level stakeholders, bridging the gap between Solex’s technical innovation and commercial value.
  • Deal Structuring: Take a hands-on role in contract negotiations and commercial structuring for Tier-1 clients, ensuring speed-to-close.
• Market Intelligence & Competitive Analysis
  • Conduct deep-dive competitive landscape analysis to benchmark against industry leaders and identify differentiation opportunities.
  • Build predictive models for markets, customer behavior, and technology disruptions.
  • Define and track key competitive metrics, ensuring Solex remains ahead of market trends and competition.
  • Independent Quantitative Analysis: Transform the "hunt" into strategy by independently analyzing sales data. Develop TAM (Total Addressable Market) models to validate hypotheses and formulate sales opportunities — active executor.
  • Commercial Guidance for R&D: Translate raw field sales data into 'First Principles' direction for the CTO. Quantify commercial value of technical features to help inform where Solex deploys its R&D resources.
• Business Growth & M&A
  • Identify and assess strategic partnerships, acquisitions, and investment opportunities that drive the growth of the business
  • Support M&A due diligence and integration strategies to maximize synergy and minimize risk.
  • Develop frameworks for international market expansion, balancing speed, risk, and resource allocation.
• Operational Alignment & Performance Optimization
  • Partner with functional leaders (Sales, Product, Engineering, Finance) to ensure execution aligns with strategic priorities.
  • Establish and monitor performance KPIs, ensuring teams deliver measurable outcomes.
  • Drive organizational and sales operational efficiency by removing bottlenecks and optimizing end-to-end workflows, ensuring sales processes are streamlined, purposeful, and designed to maximize speed, agility, and seller productivity.
• Key Metrics for Success
  • Revenue growth & margin expansion– direct contribution to bottom-line improvement.
  • Personal Deal Contribution – Measurable contribution to pipeline velocity and deal closure on strategic accounts (leading by example).
  • Market share increase– penetration into new industries, geographies, and customer segments.
  • Competitive positioning– differentiation through technology, efficiency, and customer value.
  • Operational effectiveness– alignment of strategy with execution, measurable impact on efficiency.
  • M&A success rate– ability to identify, acquire, and integrate high-value targets effectively.

Who You Are

• Data-driven decision-maker– You demand evidence, eliminate guesswork, and execute based on first-principles reasoning.
• Execution-focused– Strategy is useless without impact; you ensure ideas translate into measurable outcomes.
• Hunter mindset – You lead by example, actively pursuing and closing strategic opportunities while inspiring the team to do the same.
• High-accountability leader– You set ambitious goals, hold teams accountable, and drive performance consistently.
• International leader– You have experience working with international, multicultural, and diverse teams, and are comfortable providing in-person support to both internal stakeholders and customers in global locations.
• Collaborative team-focused leader – You build strong cross-functional partnerships and elevate organizational performance through teamwork and shared accountability.

Qualifications

• 15+ years of experience in strategy, business development, or corporate leadership roles within industrial, energy, or technology sectors.
• Proven track record in driving revenue growth, supporting M&A, and executing large-scale strategic initiatives.
• Recent Direct Sales Experience – Demonstrated history of carrying and hitting a personal sales quota or managing key accounts directly within a leadership role (i.e., sales practitioner).
• Deep expertise in market analysis, financial modeling, and strategic planning.
• Analytical Competence: Advanced capability with modeling and data analysis. Ability to quantify market opportunities and guide technical strategy.
• Technical Fluency – Ability to understand engineering technology solutions and articulate technical differentiators.
• Strong leadership, communication, and executive influence skills.
• Experience in B2B industrial solutions, manufacturing, or thermal processing industries is a strong advantage.
• MBA or equivalent experience in strategy, economics, or engineering preferred.

Compensation & Benefits

• Role is based in Calgary, with a hybrid work arrangement. Employees may work from home on Mondays and Fridays, with in-office work Tuesday through Thursday.
• Solex offers a competitive compensation and benefits, including health and dental benefits, wellness support, paid vacation, and performance-based incentives tied to strategic KPIs.

Solex Thermal Science is committed to fostering a diverse, inclusive, and equitable workplace. We welcome applications from all qualified individuals, regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, disability, or background.