For over 65 years, Columbia Helicopters has been a trusted provider of heavy-lift helicopter services. We create new aircraft, fly heavy-lift helicopters around the world, and provide maintenance support to ensure you are mission-ready for critical operations. If you are passionate about aviation, join our Columbia Family!
The Senior Sales Director - Firefighting Segment is responsible for supporting the development, coordination, and execution of Columbia Helicopters' firefighting sales strategy. This position will partner closely with the Vice President, Sales, the Chief Executive Officer, senior leadership, and cross-functional teams to identify, pursue, and capture qualified firefighting opportunities that support profitable aircraft utilization and long-term segment growth.
The position serves as a senior external-facing representative for Columbia within the firefighting market, including federal, state, provincial, commercial, and international firefighting organizations. The role will help present Columbia's values, solutions, aircraft capabilities, and operational credibility to senior-level customers and partners while supporting the company's broader strategic growth plans for the Firefighting Segment.
WHAT YOU WILL DO:
• Partners with the Vice President, Sales, CEO, and senior leadership to develop and execute the Firefighting Segment sales strategy.
• Act as a senior representative and external face of Columbia Helicopters to firefighting customers, agencies, industry groups, prime contractors, strategic partners, and international organizations.
• Builds and maintains relationships with federal, state, provincial, municipal, commercial, and international firefighting decision makers.
• Identifies, qualifies, and develops new firefighting opportunities with the potential to become multi-year contracts or strategic growth programs.
• Supports capture strategy, customer engagement plans, competitive positioning, proposal development, pricing discussions, and contract pursuit activity.
• Works with senior leadership and subject matter experts to present Columbia's capabilities, values, operating experience, safety culture, aircraft performance, and customer solutions.
• Coordinates with Operations, Flight Operations, Maintenance, Engineering, Finance, Contracts, Marketing, and executive leadership to align customer requirements with Columbia's operating capabilities.
• Provides market feedback and customer requirements to support aircraft configuration, mission equipment, tanking capability, NVG capability, avionics, logistics, and other fleet investment decisions.
• Supports development of domestic and international firefighting growth plans, including agency outreach, partner identification, customer visits, trade shows, demonstrations, and market-entry planning.
• Use knowledge of aviation operations, logistics, maintenance, flight operations, military/government customers, and international business practices to help shape credible customer solutions.
• Maintains accurate CRM records, account plans, opportunity updates, call reports, forecasts, and capture activity summaries.
• Attends industry functions including trade shows, conferences, association events, customer briefings, and operational demonstrations to build market awareness and customer relationships.
• Collaborates with internal stakeholders to qualify opportunities, avoid unfocused pursuits, and ensure Columbia is pursuing work that supports safety, margin, staffing, aircraft availability, and strategic priorities.
• Supports executive briefings, board-level updates, customer presentations, and internal strategy reviews as requested.
• Leads opportunities through designated sales stages while maintaining quote delivery timelines.
• Provides price to win and competitive guidance to shape company response to quotes.
• Provides after actions feedback to leadership and supporting departments post bid award/loss/cancellation.
WHAT WE NEED FROM YOU:
• Bachelor's Degree required; MBA or advanced military/professional education preferred.
• 15+ years of aviation, aerospace, defense, government, or commercial aircraft experience preferred.
• Demonstrated experience in aviation sales, business development, capture management, customer engagement, program management, or strategic account management.
• Experience working with government, military, international, or highly regulated aviation customers preferred.
• Strong understanding of aircraft operations, maintenance, logistics, mission planning, and operational customer requirements.
• Experience supporting complex customer pursuits, proposals, pricing strategy, contract development, or long-cycle sales campaigns.
• Working knowledge of firefighting aviation, utility aviation, rotorcraft operations, heavy-lift aircraft, or missionized aircraft preferred.
• Experience with international business development, foreign customers, agents/representatives, export processes, or government approvals preferred.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including executive briefings and customer presentations.
• Ability to influence internal teams and external stakeholders without direct authority.
• Ability to travel domestically and internationally as required.
• Proficient with Microsoft Office programs and CRM systems.
PREFERRED BACKGROUND
The preferred candidate will bring a broad aviation background that may include military flight operations, aircraft maintenance and logistics, rotorcraft operations, firefighting or utility mission experience, government programs, aircraft integration or certification exposure, international aviation sales, and senior-level customer relationship development. Experience across multiple aviation functions is preferred because the role must credibly connect customer needs with Columbia's operational, technical, commercial, and strategic capabilities
WHAT YOU WILL LOVE ABOUT WORKING HERE:
At Columbia, we believe great people do their best work when they feel supported, challenged, and valued. We’re more than a workplace, we’re a team built on trust, collaboration, and a shared commitment to doing meaningful work.
Competitive Pay & Strong Benefits
We offer a comprehensive benefits package designed to support your health, financial wellness, and work–life balance. Depending on your role, this may include medical, dental, and vision coverage, retirement plans with company contributions, paid time off, and employee wellness resources.
Growth & Career Development
We invest in our people. From training and development opportunities to internal mobility and leadership support, Columbia encourages continuous learning and long-term career growth.
Purpose-Driven Culture
Your work matters here. Every role contributes to our broader mission, and we believe in empowering employees to make an impact, share ideas, and help shape the future of the company.
A Team That Has Your Back
We foster a collaborative, inclusive environment where people are respected, encouraged, and supported. You’ll work alongside talented teammates who care about doing great work, and doing it together.
Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities
The contractor will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor’s legal duty to furnish information. 41 CFR 60-1.35(c)
