About this role
Location: United States - Minneapolis, MN
Pay: $104,000 - $156,000
With more than $1B in revenue, Tennant Company is a globally recognized leader in the cleaning equipment industry. For the past 150 years, we have been passionate about developing and manufacturing innovative and sustainable solutions for our customers. At Tennant Company, we are committed to stewardship and creating a cleaner, safer and healthier world. With manufacturing, operations and sales, service, and support functions across the globe, your journey at Tennant can take you places you never expected.
Automation Advisor - Transportation & Aviation
Airports | Airlines | Transit | Rail | Ports | Passenger Terminals
Own an account-based transportation growth strategy, with aviation at its center, that navigates public authorities, operators, contractors, airlines, and complex facility ecosystems.
Location: Open to candidates in any location or remote.
The Transportation & Aviation Automation Advisor is Tennant Robotics market expert for airports and the broader transportation sector. The role places particular emphasis on aviation and requires a practical understanding of airport and port authorities, airlines, terminal operators, concession and facility-management partners, public procurement, security-sensitive operations, and multi-party decision structures.
Market Mission
- Build and execute a national account-based strategy for priority airports, authorities, airlines, passenger terminals, transit systems, rail, and ports.
- Develop relationships across the authority, operator, airline, contractor, BSC, concession, and facility-management ecosystem.
- Create scalable automation programs for large, high-traffic, extended-hour, security-sensitive transportation environments.
Core Responsibilities
- Develop and Advance Robotics Opportunities
- Build and maintain a focused portfolio of high-potential targets, including new customers, existing Tennant customers not yet using robotics, and installed-base expansion opportunities.
- Research target organizations, stakeholders, operating environments, business priorities, and automation maturity.
- Create informed outreach and account-based pursuit strategies with field sales, strategic accounts, channel partners, Marketing, and leadership.
Lead Discovery and Solution Development
- Understand the customer's cleaning operation, labor model, workflow, facility conditions, performance requirements, and business objectives.
- Evaluate automation fit, identify readiness risks, and translate customer challenges into clear use cases and measurable outcomes.
- Design the evaluation pathway, including site assessments, demonstrations, testing, pilots, success criteria, and multi-site validation.
Build the Business Case
- Translate capabilities into operational and financial value, including labor optimization, consistency, safety, data visibility, service support, and scalability.
- Develop credible ROI assumptions and adapt the value proposition for operations, facilities, procurement, finance, IT, security, and executive stakeholders.
- Position automation as a long-term operating capability rather than a stand-alone equipment purchase.
Orchestrate the Opportunity
- Serve as commercial quarterback when designated, maintaining the opportunity strategy, stakeholder map, risks, next actions, and path to decision.
- Coordinate account teams, technical resources, Customer Success, Service, Product, Engineering, Marketing, Pricing, and executive sponsors.
- Maintain accurate CRM information and provide a reality-based view of timing, customer commitment, deployment readiness, and deal risk.
Transportation and Aviation Market Leadership
- Map governance, ownership, operating, contracting, and procurement structures for priority transportation accounts.
- Identify decision-makers and influencers across facilities, terminal operations, custodial services, procurement, engineering, innovation, finance, IT/security, sustainability, and executive leadership.
- Develop evaluation strategies for terminals, concourses, baggage and support areas, parking structures, maintenance facilities, depots, and other large transportation spaces.
- Coordinate account-based pursuits across local sales teams, strategic accounts, BSCs, facility operators, distributors, and executive sponsors.
- Create directive aviation and transportation training that helps local teams understand entry points, buying groups, authority structures, and opportunity-development steps.
Experience and Capabilities
- Bachelor's and minimum of 7-10 years of strategic sales, account-based marketing, business-development, or facilities experience in aviation, transportation, infrastructure, public authorities, or adjacent markets.
- Demonstrated ability to navigate complex accounts with public and private stakeholders.
- Strong operational discovery, stakeholder mapping, executive communication, pilot design, and commercial judgment.
- Ability to travel 25% nationally for account development, site evaluations, industry events, and field enablement.
Preferred Background
- Experience selling into airports, airport authorities, airlines, transit agencies, rail operators, ports, passenger-terminal operators, or their service partners.
- Knowledge of authority governance, public procurement, facility-management agreements, operating partners, and security-sensitive environments.
- Aviation-focused ABM, strategic-account, capital-equipment, facilities-technology, automation, or infrastructure background.
- Established transportation-industry relationships and experience with multi-site or network deployments.
Critical Competencies
- Aviation and authority-account fluency.
- Sophisticated stakeholder and ecosystem mapping.
- Operational judgment in high-traffic, continuously operating environments.
- Account-based discipline, executive credibility, persistence, and collaborative orchestration.
Measures of Success
- Access and qualified pipeline within priority aviation and transportation accounts.
- Clear account plans covering authorities, operators, airlines, contractors, and service partners.
- Progression from site evaluation to pilot, procurement, deployment, and network expansion.
- Effective transportation playbooks and field enablement.
- Strong forecast accuracy, risk visibility, and cross-functional coordination.
Total Compensation = Pay range + Benefits
Posted salary ranges are made in good faith. Tennant Sales and Service Co. reserves the right to adjust ranges depending on the experience/qualifications of the selected candidate as well as internal and external equity. The salary range reflects both entry into the role and future growth. Total Compensation = Base Salary + Benefits
Benefits = A comprehensive benefits package including multiple medical plan options, 401(k) with a 100% match up to 6%, paid vacation time, 8 paid company holidays and 3 personal holidays dental and vision coverage, wellness rewards, robust family support programs, company‑paid disability and life insurance, and a full Employee Assistance Program.
Defining Our Employee Value Proposition
At Tennant Company, we…
Discover fulfilling work with opportunities for growth and meaningful recognition.
Drive the quality and innovation our customers rely on in our products and services.
Connect with people who care about each other, our brands and our communities.
These are the principles that define how our employees experience Tennant Company, make Tennant a great place to grow your career, and are at the core of our legacy and future. Together, they serve as guideposts for working with our customers, our partners and one another.
Begin your journey with us. Let's reinvent how the world cleans.
Equal Opportunity Employer
Tennant Company is an equal opportunity employer. Employment decisions are made on the basis of individual skill, ability, reliability, productivity, and other factors important to performance. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, sex, national origin, physical or mental disability, age, veteran status, pregnancy, sexual orientation, genetic information, gender identity, or any other basis protected by state or federal law or local ordinance.