Strategic Account Sales Lead - Automotive

Position Overview

Sapphire Stream Technology (SST) is seeking a Strategic Account Sales Lead– Automotive Solutions to drive business growth, own strategic customer relationships, and lead the commercial and delivery lifecycle of automotive engineering solutions across North America.

This is a senior, revenue-accountable individual contributor role responsible for acquiring new customers, expanding existing accounts, developing sales opportunities, leading technical pre-sales, negotiating commercial agreements, and ensuring successful project execution.

The Senior Account Manager will serve as the business owner for assigned accounts , with direct accountability for revenue performance, gross margin, and project delivery quality. The role requires a combination of business development expertise, automotive industry knowledge, commercial acumen, and project leadership.

Reporting directly to the Business Unit Head, the successful candidate will be a core member of the business unit's North American leadership circle, working cross-functionally with engineering and delivery teams in Asia to drive profitable growth and customer success.

Key Responsibilities

Business Development & Account Ownership

• Own and execute business development and account growth strategies across the North American automotive market.
• Identify, pursue, and secure new business opportunities, including new customer acquisition and expansion within existing accounts.
• Develop and maintain a qualified sales pipeline, managing opportunities from initial identification and qualification through proposal development, negotiation, and contract signing.
• Build and strengthen relationships with automotive OEMs, Tier 1 suppliers, and automotive technology companies.
• Develop strategic account plans aligned with customer technology roadmaps, engineering priorities, and business objectives.
• Lead customer engagements, executive-level discussions, business reviews, and strategic account development initiatives.
• Drive long-term account growth through new projects, expanded service offerings, and deeper customer partnerships.
• Own sales forecasts, pipeline reporting, and revenue performance for assigned accounts.

Technical Pre-Sales & Commercial Management

• Lead technical pre-sales activities for SST's automotive software, hardware, and engineering solutions.
• Own the development and submission of RFIs, RFPs, RFQs, technical proposals, commercial quotations, and statements of work.
• Work directly with engineering and solution teams to translate customer requirements into technically feasible and commercially competitive solutions.
• Lead solution presentations, technical workshops, customer demonstrations, and proposal discussions.
• Own quotation development, pricing strategy, cost evaluation, and gross margin performance for assigned opportunities and accounts.
• Lead commercial negotiations, including pricing, contractual terms, project scope, and service agreements, in alignment with company policies and approval requirements.
• Evaluate project feasibility, resource requirements, delivery schedules, and commercial risks to ensure profitable and sustainable business commitments.
• Drive opportunities through the complete sales cycle, from initial customer engagement to contract execution.

Project & Program Delivery Management

• Own the successful delivery of assigned automotive engineering projects, ensuring alignment with contractual commitments, customer expectations, and business objectives.
• Lead project planning, milestone tracking, resource alignment, and delivery governance in collaboration with engineering and delivery teams.
• Serve as the primary customer-facing business owner throughout project execution.
• Drive project performance against agreed scope, schedules, quality standards, and commercial commitments.
• Proactively identify and manage project risks, scope changes, delivery challenges, and customer escalations.
• Lead customer project reviews, performance discussions, and issue-resolution activities.
• Monitor project profitability, delivery efficiency, and customer satisfaction throughout the project lifecycle.
• Ensure timely resolution of delivery issues and drive continuous improvement in project execution.
• Identify additional business opportunities arising from ongoing customer engagements and project delivery.

Cross-Functional Leadership & Global Collaboration

• Lead cross-functional initiatives involving business development, engineering, solution architecture, and project delivery teams across North America and Asia.
• Drive alignment between customer expectations, technical capabilities, resource availability, and commercial commitments.
• Influence and lead geographically distributed teams without direct reporting authority.
• Partner with engineering and delivery leadership to establish execution priorities, resolve resource constraints, and meet customer commitments.
• Provide the Business Unit Head with regular updates on revenue forecasts, sales pipeline, account profitability, project performance, and business risks.
• Contribute to North American business unit planning, growth strategies, and operational decisions as a core member of the leadership circle.

Success Metrics

Performance in this role will be evaluated across three key dimensions:

• Sales Performance
• Achievement of annual sales bookings and revenue objectives.
• New customer acquisition and expansion of existing accounts.
• Sales pipeline development, opportunity conversion, and account growth.
• Gross Margin & Commercial Performance
• Gross margin performance across assigned accounts and projects.
• Effectiveness of quotation development, pricing, and commercial negotiations.
• Profitable business growth and management of commercial risks.
• Project Delivery Quality
• On-time delivery and fulfillment of contractual commitments.
• Customer satisfaction and long-term relationship development.
• Effective management of project risks, delivery escalations, and customer issues.
• Specific performance targets will be established in alignment with business objectives.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Business, or a related field.
• 5+ years of experience in automotive account management, business development, technical sales, or engineering services, with demonstrated ownership of commercial outcomes.
• Proven track record of acquiring new customers, developing business opportunities, and growing automotive accounts.
• Demonstrated experience managing the full sales cycle, including prospecting, opportunity qualification, solution development, pricing, negotiation, and contract closure.
• Experience working with automotive OEMs, Tier 1 suppliers, or automotive technology companies.
• Strong understanding of automotive software, embedded systems, vehicle electronics, or related engineering technologies.
• Experience developing commercial quotations, managing pricing, and driving account or project profitability.
• Ability to lead customer-facing engineering projects and manage delivery commitments, project risks, and escalations.
• Strong business acumen, commercial negotiation skills, and customer relationship management capabilities.
• Ability to influence and lead cross-functional teams without formal reporting authority.
• Excellent communication, presentation, problem-solving, and stakeholder management skills.
• Experience collaborating with geographically distributed engineering and business teams.
• Willingness to travel within North America as required.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in automotive engineering services, technology consulting, or outsourced engineering delivery.
• Familiarity with automotive technologies and solutions, including:
• Smart cockpit and in-vehicle infotainment systems
• Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS)
• Software-Defined Vehicles (SDV)
• Automotive operating systems, including QNX, Android Automotive, and Linux
• Automotive embedded software and middleware
• Human-Machine Interface (HMI) technologies
• Automotive hardware engineering and system integration
• Automotive software testing, validation, and automation
• Established professional relationships within the North American automotive industry.
• Experience managing multiple customer accounts or complex engineering programs.
• Familiarity with automotive development standards, quality requirements, and engineering delivery processes.
• PMP or equivalent project management certification.
• Experience working with engineering and delivery teams based in Asia.
• Professional proficiency in Mandarin Chinese is an asset.

About Sapphire Stream Technology

Sapphire Stream Technology (SST) is a global technology and engineering solutions company delivering software, hardware, and engineering services across automotive and other advanced technology industries.

SST partners with customers to develop and deliver innovative solutions through its global engineering capabilities. As the company expands its presence in North America, we are seeking commercially driven professionals who can build strategic customer relationships, create new business opportunities, and lead successful engineering engagements.

• Contribute to the expansion of SST's automotive business across North America.
• Work with advanced automotive technologies and next-generation mobility solutions.
• Engage directly with automotive industry leaders and global engineering teams.
• Take ownership of both customer relationships and project delivery.
• Grow professionally within an expanding international technology organization.

Equal Opportunity Employer

Sapphire Stream Technology is an equal opportunity employer committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse workplace. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment in accordance with applicable employment laws.