Data Centers Vertical Market Specialist - GCG Automation & Factory Solutions

Overview

GCG Automation & Factory Solutions is seeking a Data Centers Vertical Market Specialist to lead and execute our data center go-to-market strategy across the AFS portfolio. This is a high-level individual contributor role for someone who understands the data center ecosystem, can build credibility with key project stakeholders, and knows how to turn market insight into pipeline growth, specification influence, and measurable sales results.

 

In this role, you’ll work across a distributed network of sellers, branch teams, supplier partners, contractors, engineering firms, system integrators, and consultants to identify new opportunities, influence specifications early in the project lifecycle, and support complex, multi-stakeholder data center pursuits. You’ll play a visible role in helping AFS position its automation, electrical infrastructure, and wire and cable capabilities as differentiated solutions for mission-critical data center environments.

 

This role reports to the VP of Sales and is remote, with a strong preference for candidates located in the Houston, Dallas, or Austin, Texas area. Travel is required up to 50% to meet with customers, partners, contractors, engineering firms, internal teams, and industry groups.

What You’ll Do

• Lead the data center vertical market plan for AFS, including target account mapping, market strategy, specification positioning, pipeline development, and revenue growth initiatives.
• Identify and prioritize new business opportunities across the data center project lifecycle, from early planning and design through construction, commissioning, and ongoing facility support.
• Develop and maintain relationships with general contractors, engineering, procurement, and construction firms, contractors, engineering firms, system integrators, consultants, and other key stakeholders in the data center ecosystem.
• Engage engineering firms, EPCs, consultants, contractors, and other project influencers during early planning and design stages to support specification influence and position AFS solutions for consideration.
• Build stakeholder maps for priority accounts and active projects, identifying decision-makers, influencers, contractors, technical contributors, and commercial contacts involved in each opportunity.
• Drive pipeline creation and opportunity development in partnership with AFS sellers, branch teams, supplier partners, and business leadership.
• Support direct sales results by helping local sellers and branch teams pursue, develop, and advance strategic data center opportunities.
• Maintain disciplined pipeline tracking, project lifecycle visibility, action registers, opportunity updates, next steps, and follow-up cadence across active pursuits.
• Coordinate clear opportunity handoffs between strategic business development, local sales teams, branch teams, product teams, and other internal stakeholders.
• Build bundled solution strategies that combine AFS automation, electrical infrastructure, and wire and cable capabilities to help differentiate AFS in the market.
• Provide market intelligence, customer insight, competitive feedback, and project-specific guidance to support commercial strategy, while partnering with sales and business leadership on pricing and related decisions.
• Work across AFS’s distributed sales network to enable and support local sellers by sharing market intelligence, specification strategies, account insights, and project-specific recommendations.
• Partner with product, marketing, operations, and sales leadership to ensure AFS is positioned effectively in the data center market and can execute on commitments made to customers and partners.
• Represent AFS at industry events, associations, and forums to build brand presence, deepen market relationships, and identify new growth opportunities.
• Stay current on data center construction trends, emerging technologies, competitive activity, specification practices, and market dynamics, and bring those insights back into the business.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

What You’ll Bring

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Business, or a related field, or equivalent experience.
• 8+ years of experience in sales, business development, market strategy, or a related commercial role within the data center, industrial automation, electrical distribution, or mission-critical infrastructure space.
• Demonstrated ability to develop and maintain relationships with general contractors, engineering, procurement, and construction firms, contractors, engineering firms, system integrators, and consultants in the data center ecosystem.
• Proven experience influencing specifications and working within the design-build process.
• Strong understanding of data center project stakeholders, construction workflows, buying influences, technical decision processes, and commercial decision-making.
• Ability to work across a large, distributed sales organization and influence outcomes without direct authority.
• Experience creating and managing target account plans, stakeholder maps, action registers, opportunity handoffs, and project follow-up cadence.
• Strong pipeline discipline, including the ability to track opportunity status, specification influence, next steps, project milestones, and customer engagement activity.
• Technical fluency in industrial automation, controls, programmable logic controllers, operational technology/information technology convergence, electrical infrastructure, switchgear, power distribution, backup power architectures, or related systems used in mission-critical environments.
• Strong communication, relationship-building, and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to engage both commercial and technical audiences.
• Ability to balance strategic market planning with tactical execution and follow-through.
• Ability to travel up to 50%.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with wire and cable, power distribution, controls products, automation solutions, or related offerings in a distribution-based business model.
• Familiarity with customer relationship management platforms; Salesforce experience preferred.
• Experience working in a multi-brand or post-acquisition business environment.
• Experience supporting complex, multi-stakeholder sales opportunities in mission-critical environments.
• Existing familiarity with the Texas data center market, especially in the Houston, Dallas, or Austin area.

Our Use of AI in Recruiting

At GCG, we use AI technology to assist with our interviews by automating note-taking, allowing our hiring teams to focus fully on the conversation. This technology supports efficiency and accuracy in capturing candidate insights during interviews but is not used to evaluate resumes. All resume reviews and candidate assessments are conducted directly by our corporate recruiting team and hiring managers to ensure a thoughtful, human-centered approach.

  About GCG Automation & Factory SolutionsGCG Automation & Factory Solutions is dedicated to advancing the growth of automation and factory solutions across key verticals in North America. With a comprehensive product and service offering that spans the entire automation value chain, our customers trust us as a reliable partner to meet their diverse needs. Our strength lies in our deep technical expertise and specialized knowledge of the products we offer. This enables us to support customers in deploying and delivering high-quality, efficient solutions tailored to their specific requirements. Our commitment to providing an exceptional customer experience—marked by responsiveness, reliability, and personalized service—sets us apart as the supplier of choice in the industry. 

This job description has been designed to indicate the general nature and essential duties and responsibilities of work performed by employees within this classification. It may not contain a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, and qualifications required of employees to do this job.

 

GCG provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or  expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.

 

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