John Crane, a business of Smiths Group, is a global leader in mission-critical flow control solutions for energy and process industries that enable efficient and sustainable operations. Our products include mechanical seals and systems, couplings, bearings, filtration systems, and predictive digital monitoring technologies.
We have a global network of more than 200 sites in over 50 countries and employ more than 6,000 people worldwide. We partner with our customers to help them keep their operations safe, reduce downtime, improve efficiency, and meet the latest environmental standards.
The Inside Sales Specialist is responsible for driving consistency, efficiency, and operational excellence across Inside Sales and Customer Service functions, with a specialized focus on customer procurement portals such as Ariba, GEP SMART, and other e-procurement platforms.
Responsibilities include but limited to the following:
- Develop long-term working relationships within and outside of the company to successfully be an extension of the external sales team.
- Good stakeholder management skills will be required as the role will require close working with other departments.
- Serve as the subject matter expert (SME) for customer procurement platforms, including Ariba, GEP SMART, and other e-procurement portals, ensuring accurate and timely processing of transactions.
- Manage and oversee end-to-end portal workflows, including quote submissions, purchase order intake, order confirmations, change requests, and issue resolution.
- Monitor and improve data accuracy, turnaround times, and transaction quality within digital procurement systems.
- Act as a key liaison between customers, Inside Sales, Customer Service and other internal stakeholders to resolve portal-related issues and streamline processes.
- Identify and implement process improvements, automation opportunities, and system enhancements to increase efficiency and scalability within portal operations.
- Ensure compliance with customer-specific requirements, contractual obligations, and digital transaction protocols across all supported platforms.
- Lead and deliver training programs and onboarding initiatives focused on customer portal usage, best practices, and process adherence.
- Support team development by coaching and mentoring colleagues on portal tools, workflows, and customer expectations.
- Enhance the overall customer experience by ensuring responsiveness, accuracy, and efficiency in all portal interactions.
- High school diploma or equivalent required.
- Associate's degree or 5 years of relevant experience.
- Minimum 5 years of customer service experience.
- Effective interpersonal and communication skills both verbal and written.
- Multi-channel Communication: Experience in communicating with customers through various channels such as team, phone and email.
- Self-Starter and highly motivated to achieve results with minimal direct supervision.
- Computer literate with good working knowledge of MS Office suite and ERP systems
- Experience working with a diverse group and a global company is a plus.
- Experience in an ERP system is preferred.
- Ability to work effectively in a team-orientated environment.
All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.
We believe that different perspectives and backgrounds are what make a company flourish. All qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment regardless of color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, economic status, disability, age, or any other legally protected characteristics. We are proud to be an inclusive company with values grounded in equality and ethics, where we celebrate, support, and embrace diversity.
At no time during the hiring process will Smiths Group, nor any of our recruitment partners ever request payment to enable participation – including, but not limited to, interviews or testing. Avoid fraudulent requests by applying jobs directly through our career’s website (Careers - Smiths Group plc)
Skills Required
- High school diploma or equivalent
- Associate's degree or 5 years of relevant experience
- Minimum 5 years of customer service experience
- Experience with customer procurement platforms (Ariba, GEP SMART, e-procurement portals)
- Effective interpersonal and communication skills, both verbal and written
- Multi-channel communication experience (Teams, phone, email)
- Self-starter with minimal supervision
- Computer literate with good working knowledge of MS Office suite and ERP systems
- Experience in an ERP system
- Experience working with a diverse group and a global company
- Ability to work effectively in a team-oriented environment
What We Do
For over 170 years, Smiths Group has been pioneering progress by engineering a better future. We serve millions of people every year, to help make the world safer, more energy efficient and productive, and better connected, across four global markets: Energy, General Industrial, Safety & Security, and Aerospace & Defence. Listed on the London Stock Exchange, Smiths employs more than 15,000 colleagues in over 50 countries. For more information visit www.smiths.com. We're looking for people with curious minds. Who want responsibility and relish a challenge. Whether you're an experienced professional or just starting out, our global scale and focus on growth means we have some great career opportunities for you. There's never been a better time to join Smiths.
