Jr Account Manager

Junior Account Manager

LAEPPLE Automotive is a leading supplier in the automotive industry, specializing in high-quality components and systems for body components manufacturing. Our innovative technologies and efficient production processes set benchmarks in the industry. To grow our team in Detroit, we are seeking an early career Junior Account Manager responsible for supporting the Sales Manager with coordination of sales and marketing activities, customer relationship management, and successful execution of customer programs. This role serves as a key liaison between customers and internal departments, development of cost estimates, communication and execution of engineering change requests, participation in the RFQ process, attendance at trade shows, and hosting customer visits to the manufacturing facility. The ideal candidate is customer-focused, detail-oriented, commercially minded, and capable of managing multiple priorities in a fast-paced automotive environment.

Key Responsibilities:

• Assist in preparing quotations, cost breakdowns, and pricing analyses.
• Support RFQ activities by coordinating cross-functional input from Engineering, Purchasing, Operations, and Finance.
• Maintain quote logs and track business opportunities through the sales pipeline.
• Support annual pricing negotiations and customer cost-reduction initiatives.
• Monitor sales performance, volumes, and revenue against forecasts and budgets.
• Serve as a point of contact for routine customer inquiries and requests.
• Maintain strong customer relationships and ensure timely communication of customer requirements.
• Assist in preparation and delivery of customer presentations, business reviews, and commercial meetings.
• Track customer issues and coordinate resolution activities with internal teams.
• Coordinate with Program Management teams to support new product launches and engineering changes.
• Track key customer milestones and ensure commercial deliverables are completed on time.
• Assist in managing change requests, customer purchase order updates, and contract documentation.
• Help facilitate communication between customers and internal project teams through product development and launch phases.
• Maintain accurate customer information, opportunity tracking, and meeting records within the CRM system.
• Prepare reports on customer activities, sales forecasts, and market trends.
• Support customer visits, plant tours, and business review meetings.
• Represent the Company at trade shows.
• Work closely with Engineering, Quality, Production, Supply Chain and Finance teams to ensure customer expectations are met.
• Assist in resolving customer concerns related to delivery, quality, pricing, and service.
• Support implementation of corrective actions and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Ensure compliance with customer and company policies, procedures, and contractual requirements.
• Other duties and tasks as assigned

Education and Experience:

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Sales, Marketing, Engineering, Supply Chain Management, or a related field.
• 1 3 years of experience in sales, account management, customer service, program management within the automotive industry.
• Understanding of automotive OEM and Tier 1 manufacturing environments.
• Experience with cost analysis and estimation.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (i.e. Excel, Powerpoint, Word, Outlook).
• Experience with CRM systems and ERP platforms (SAP a plus).
• Ability to analyze sales data, pricing information, and business metrics.
• Familiarity with automotive product development and launch processes is beneficial.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
• Excellent organizational and time management abilities.
• Customer-focused with a proactive problem-solving approach.
• Ability to work effectively with cross-functional teams.
• Strong attention to detail and accuracy.
• Analytical and business-oriented mindset.
• Ability to management multiple projects and deadlines simultaneously.
• Willingness and ability to travel as business needs dictate.