Construction Engineering Executive Search Firm: Successfully Recruited a Director of International Sales in 1.5 Months, with an Annual Salary of 660,000 RMB

In China, competition in the existing domestic housing‑construction and infrastructure markets has intensified, prompting many companies that provide construction‑related services, execute projects, and integrate building materials to pivot toward overseas infrastructure markets in search of growth. Unlike consumer‑goods trade, engineering‑project‑related foreign trade is characterized by long order cycles, complex bidding processes, stringent cross‑border payment‑term management, and high local compliance barriers. Relying solely on individual, ad‑hoc sales representatives makes it difficult to effectively coordinate global customer relationships, regional bidding activities, cross‑border receivables, and local partnership resources. Consequently, foreign‑trade sales managers with deep expertise in the engineering sector have become an essential strategic asset for companies expanding internationally.

We specialize in cross-border talent sourcing for the construction engineering, infrastructure‑related sectors, and engineering‑building materials industries. Recently, we successfully placed a candidate in the role of Director of International Sales for an engineering‑focused company. Leveraging our established network within the closed talent pool of overseas infrastructure projects, we proactively identified internally available candidates and managed the entire recruitment process—from interview coordination and alignment of performance‑based compensation to non‑compete screening. The end-to-end search took 1.5 months, with the successful hire receiving an annual salary of RMB 660,000 and a seamless onboarding transition.

Real-World Case Review | Construction Engineering Executive Search Firm: Successfully Recruited a Director of International Sales in 1.5 Months, with an Annual Salary of 660,000 RMB

Job Title: Director of International Sales

Industry: Construction Engineering Sector

Delivery lead time: 1.5 months

Annual salary upon arrival: 660,000 RMB

This partner company specializes in overseas prefabricated infrastructure and the export of engineering‑related equipment. Previously, its international business relied on third‑party trade agents to secure orders, which not only diluted profit margins but also left the company unable to independently manage the bidding cycles of overseas projects or enforce consistent client‑performance standards. As order volumes for international infrastructure projects continue to grow steadily, the company plans to establish its own overseas sales team, moving away from the agency model to proactively cultivate relationships with project owners across Southeast Asia and the Middle East. Meanwhile, the company’s existing domestic sales team has focused exclusively on the Chinese market and lacks expertise in overseas procurement regulations, cross‑border letter‑of‑credit procedures, and foreign‑currency collection risk management, making it ill‑suited to oversee end‑to‑end international operations.

This time, the company has steered clear of general‑purpose foreign‑trade management talent and explicitly stipulated that candidates must align with the engineering‑focused business segment. On one hand, they must excel at developing large B2B infrastructure clients overseas, establishing distribution channels, and maintaining long‑term client relationships. On the other hand, they need in-depth knowledge of the unique requirements of engineering‑related international trade, including cross‑border project qualification registration, pre‑payment risk management, compliance with local labor laws in host countries, and seamless after‑sales coordination. They should also be capable of building a standardized overseas sales team and designing performance‑and‑collection evaluation frameworks tailored to the engineering sector.

Talent misalignment is a pressing issue in the industry: most foreign‑trade sales directors on the market have deep expertise in fast‑moving consumer goods or machinery export, mastering general cross‑border sales principles but lacking familiarity with overseas construction project tendering, performance bonds, and local construction‑compliance requirements. Bridging these gaps often demands an exceptionally long adjustment period. Meanwhile, the existing pool of senior foreign‑trade executives in the construction sector is largely concentrated within leading engineering‑construction groups, where they are tightly tied to stable overseas projects, resulting in very low turnover and minimal participation in public recruitment channels.

In this recruitment effort, we bypassed the general pool of foreign‑trade talent and instead engaged directly with in‑house sales managers at overseas engineering contractors and construction‑services firms expanding abroad. We placed particular emphasis on verifying candidates’ track records in securing contracts for international infrastructure projects, managing bad‑debt risks, and building local teams, while de‑emphasizing the mere tally of client numbers. At the same time, taking into account the industry’s unique employment dynamics—such as expatriate assignments, time‑zone coordination, and cross‑border travel—we aligned expectations in advance regarding the frequency of overseas postings, compensation structures, and commission‑calculation protocols, thereby mitigating potential misalignments between both parties.

Upon assuming the role, the incumbent will be responsible for developing overseas infrastructure clients across all geographies, coordinating tender‑related documentation, managing cross‑border payment‑collection risks, establishing an internal overseas sales pipeline, and mapping out end‑to‑end risk‑control checkpoints in international engineering projects. The position will also help the company reduce its reliance on agents and enhance the overall profitability of its overseas projects.

Specialized Services for Cross-Border Talent in the Construction Industry

In the construction engineering sector, roles in foreign trade, overseas project management, and local‑market operations are characterized by subtle industry barriers. Generalist foreign‑trade professionals often struggle to meet the specialized compliance requirements of construction projects, while high‑level positions tend to be confined within tightly knit talent networks, resulting in low organic recruitment reach. With deep, long‑term expertise across the entire construction‑engineering value chain, we specialize in sourcing candidates for positions such as overseas sales, chief engineers on international projects, local‑compliance officers, and supply‑chain foreign‑trade managers. We are thoroughly familiar with the industry’s regulatory landscape, including qualifications for going global, cross‑border labor‑management practices, and project‑payment procedures.

If your company has recruitment needs for mid-to-high‑end positions in overseas construction projects, feel free to leave a message for further discussion.