Summary
About this role
Are you ready for your next career move?
Valmet’s North America Services team is seeking a dynamic and self-driven leader to manage, grow, and develop our Fabrics business, including Paper Machine Clothing and Filtration. This role combines strategic business leadership with hands-on customer engagement, supporting our continued growth and strengthening our presence across the US and Canada.
Every day, Valmet teams around the world share the feeling of achieving something great — that moment when everything works together. If you’re passionate about business growth, team leadership, and delivering exceptional customer value, this may be your next opportunity.
Role Overview
The Director of Fabrics is responsible for managing all aspects of the Fabrics business in North America. This includes strategic planning, sales management, product leadership, market development, and customer engagement.
You will bring a broad understanding of industry technologies, marketplace dynamics, and customer requirements. You’ll support your team through strategic direction, sales coordination, proposal development, project oversight, and technical guidance related to Paper Machine Clothing and Filtration.
A key focus of this role is enabling profitable growth while ensuring high customer satisfaction and representing Valmet’s diverse portfolio of solutions.
Key Responsibilities:
Business & Strategic Leadership
- Set strategic direction for the Fabrics business in North America and drive regional business plans.
- Oversee product management, proposal development, reference management, and warranty/guarantee processes.
- Lead market analysis and identify opportunities for growth across North America.
- Manage business volume, profitability, inventory, and consignment analysis.
Sales & Customer Engagement
- Support a regional sales team across the US and Canada, providing guidance on strategy, presentations, proposals, and negotiations.
- Actively participate in customer meetings to build and maintain strong long-term relationships.
- Promote Valmet’s premium fabrics offerings while ensuring strong technical application support on paper machines (specification, inspection, installation, system reviews).
Team Leadership & Project Execution
- Lead, mentor, and develop a team of sales, technical, and product professionals.
- Support project execution and ensure commitments are met.
- Coordinate cross-functional efforts within a matrixed organization.
Requirements
- College or university degree in engineering, paper science, business, or a related field.
- 5–7 years of relevant technical experience (machine engineering, process management, mill operations, maintenance management, or similar).
- 10+ years of experience leading sales teams, managing strategic plans, a forward looking mindset and a proven track record of execution of targeted business plans.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
- Ability to work independently and manage a wide regional territory.
- Willingness to travel to customer sites throughout North America and attend global events overseas.
What We Offer
We offer a challenging work environment that values innovation and suits development-minded people who enjoy working in a fast-paced and dynamic setting. Includes a generous wage and benefits package that includes a company 401k with company match as well as company-funded pension
When Everything Works Together
Valmet is where the best talent from a wide variety of backgrounds comes together. With 19,000 professionals around the world, we are the leading global developer and supplier of technologies, automation and services for the pulp, paper, and energy industries, and serve an even wider base of process industries with our automation systems and flow control solutions. Our commitment to moving our customers’ performance forward requires creativity, technological innovations, service know-how – and above all, teamwork.
Join the team!
www.valmet.com/careersna
Other facts
About Valmet
Valmet is a global technology leader serving process industries. We work together with our customers throughout the entire lifecycle, delivering cutting-edge technologies and services as well as mission-critical automation and flow control solutions. Backed by more than 225 years of industrial experience and a global team of over 19,000 professionals close to customers, we are uniquely positioned to transform industries toward a regenerative tomorrow.
In 2024, Valmet’s net sales totaled approximately EUR 5.4 billion. Our head office is in Espoo, Finland, and we have experts in approximately 40 countries around the world. Valmet’s shares are listed on Nasdaq Helsinki.
Valmet has two focused segments: Biomaterial Solutions and Services and Process Performance Solutions. Valmet’s operating model consists of five business areas: Automation Solutions; Flow Control; Pulp, Energy and Circularity; Packaging and Paper; and Tissue. The business areas are supported by a separate Latin America unit and a China Chair. The Global Supply unit supports cost-competitiveness by optimizing and leveraging Valmet’s global scale in procurement and production.
What you'll do
- The Director of Fabrics is responsible for managing all aspects of the Fabrics business in North America, including strategic planning and customer engagement. This role involves leading a sales team and ensuring profitable growth while maintaining high customer satisfaction.
Ready to join Valmet?
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