Vice President of Sales (CEO Successor Track) (m/f/d)

Phase 1: The Commercial Runway (Years 1–2)

• Market Penetration & Wet Process Expansion: Actively identify, pursue, and close multi-million-dollar capital equipment and process solution contracts. Drive business development across the electronics packaging, advanced substrate (including ABF), high-density interconnect (HDI), Panel-Level Packaging (PLP), and semiconductor industries.
• Key Account & Process Consultation: Nurture relationships with Tier-1 technology manufacturers and industrial partners, moving them seamlessly from technology development into industrial-scale production. Engage in deep technical discussions to translate customer process requirements (e.g., mSAP, SAP, and advanced packaging manufacturing) into scalable equipment solutions.
• Value Proposition & Portfolio Positioning: Position SCHMID as the premier partner for industrialized, high-yield production solutions that deliver strong equipment performance, high uptime, and process stability. Effectively commercialize SCHMID's core wet-process portfolio, including plating lines, desmear (plasma/wet), Electroless Cu deposition, and Development-Etching-Stripping (DES) systems.
• Market Intelligence & Strategic Alignment: Track emerging technical requirements, competitor strategies (both equipment and chemistry suppliers), and global electronics megatrends like AI server boards and high-layer-count PCBs.
• Global Collaboration: Align local North American market opportunities with corporate headquarters in Freudenstadt, Germany, and our global technology centers and production facilities, including China. Lead project coordination from RFQ to final equipment delivery and installation.

Phase 2: The Leadership Succession (Year 2+)

• Executive Transition: Shadow the retiring CEO to absorb full entity operations, local governance, and corporate culture.
• Full P&L Ownership: Assume complete executive responsibility for SCHMID Systems Inc., managing local engineering, service facilities, field service technicians, and administrative staff.
• Strategic Vision: Steer the North American organization to capitalize on global electronics megatrends, such as the accelerating investment cycles in advanced substrate, HDI, mSAP, and advanced packaging applications (including FOPLP and CoWoS-related supply chains) driven by high-performance AI infrastructure.

Experience: 10+ years of high-performance international sales experience in capital equipment, thin-film deposition, vacuum technology, or advanced wet-chemical process solutions. A proven background interface with the PCB manufacturing, substrate, or chemical supplier industries is highly preferred.

• Technical Literacy: Deep technical expertise in printed circuit boards (PCBs), IC substrates, and high-end interconnect manufacturing technologies. Must possess a solid understanding of wet-process parameters (temperature, chemistry, fluid dynamics, and uniformity) across:
• o HDI and high-layer-count multilayer PCB manufacturing.
• o mSAP / SAP processes and ABF substrate technology.
• o Desmear & Electroless Cu deposition, electroplating, and DES (Development, Etching, and Stripping) workflows.
• Track Record: Proven ability to manage long, complex capital expenditure sales cycles with multiple C-level stakeholders, translating complex technical needs into sustainable, low-cost, high-yield production realities.
• Leadership Capability: Natural authority with the emotional intelligence to manage a highly technical team of service specialists, engineers, and cross-functional professionals.
• Education: Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Engineering (Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, Electrical, Mechanical, or Microelectronics) or Business Administration with a strong technical focus.
• Communication & Travel: Exceptional communication skills with the ability to present complex technical concepts clearly to diverse audiences. Willingness to travel extensively mostly domestically but also internationally to stay connected with the SCHMID HQ in Germany. Represent the company at major global industry exhibitions and trade shows.

Operating primarily in the capital equipment and advanced process solution space, this individual will initially focus on securing Tier-1 key accounts and expanding market share. Over a structured 2-year transition period, the successful candidate will assume full P&L, strategic, and operational leadership as the Successor to the current CEO of SCHMID Systems Inc.