Automotive Accounts Manager

Job Description

Job Description

Automotive Accounts Manager

Since 1934, Stabilus has offered components for diverse applications. We started out as a manufacturer of retrofittable stabilizers for the American automotive industry in 1962 and were the first company in the world to produce gas springs as standard equipment. Since then, we have continued to establish our pioneering role: With a wide range of applications, our unique product range and decades of experience, we are the world's leading manufacturer of solutions based on gas springs, dampers and electromechanical drives.

Job Summary:

This position will be located in Sterling Heights, MI. The Accounts Manager will assist with:

• Customer Relationship - Customer Relations / Primary Contact
  • Cultivate relationships with key customer individuals across a variety of Functions (Purchasing, Engineering, Quality, VA/VE, etc.)
  • Ensure that other key employees have relationships with their counterparts at the customer (STUS President, VP Purchasing, Engineering, etc.; Sales Director, Purchasing Director/Manager; STUS Quality Management, Customer Quality Management)
• New Business Development - Development of customer strategy and pursue new opportunities
  • Develop a customer strategy that identifies new opportunities, positions Stabilus to win new business, and exercises leadership in the execution of the strategy.
• Commercial Manager - Primary interface to customer on commercial issues
  • Act as focal point for all commercial discussions/negotiations (contracts, pricing, etc.)
• Account Management - Ongoing existing production or development programs at assigned Accounts
  • Customer / Market intelligence
  • Customer correspondence
  • Presentations / shows and collateral material
• Customer Program Manager - coordinate activities with Program Manager in the event of a pending milestone might be missed to establish “get well” plan and notify customer

Main Tasks:

• Understand macro automotive industry trends, how they affect Stabilus customers, how the customers’ reaction affects Stabilus, and recommend course of action for Stabilus to best leverage said changes/trends to Stabilus’ benefit
• Manage the overall relationship between Stabilus and assigned Accounts/Customers (up/down and across key functional groups)
• Establish matrix identifying key customer individuals (decision makers & influencers), who at STUS should interact with them, and the frequency
• Determine which customer individuals are pro, con or neutral toward Stabilus and develop plan to maximize the number that at pro-Stabilus
• Main customer contact (the “go-to” person for assigned Accounts/Customers)
• Entertain customers
• “Educate” customers about the value proposition that Stabilus provides to them. Requires a good understanding of customer needs/requirements and then tailoring the value proposition
• Timely quotation of new business by internally driving the quote process (prepare internal RFQ, ensure that all necessary technical/commercial information is included, and submit for costing exercise)
• Prepare pricing proposals (unit price, tooling), review them with customers and address any customer questions such as possible price discrepancies with similar products
• Attend and lead commercial customer meetings
• Develop a customer strategy that identifies new opportunities, positions Stabilus to win new business, and exercises leadership in the execution of the strategy
• Lead the sales effort to achieve internal acceptance of the customer strategy from other functional areas before implementation
• Plan, prepare, and conduct customer presentations as appropriate
• Coordinate customer visits to the plant (externally with the customer)
• Negotiate long term contracts, new production pricing (annual productivity, design and/or process change related, new product, etc.), warranty terms & conditions, prototype prices
• Obtain and approve production and prototype purchase orders
• Keep the rest of the assigned Stabilus team members up-to-date regarding quotes submitted and requests-for-quotes
• Address customer concerns or issues as they arise by determining who at Stabilus is best suited to resolve it and marshalling Stabilus resources to address the concern to the customer’s satisfaction
• Provide customer market intelligence to Stabilus and act as focal point to determine how best to respond to the information
• Attend trade shows to collect market/competitor intelligence
• Monitor customer activities in new procedural policies and notify affected Stabilus functional groups so that appropriate action can be taken
• Commercial liaison for Japanese automotive customers (through MJC / STJ) as necessary
• Commercial liaison for Tier 1 customers as necessary
• Travel as required (domestically and internationally)
• Prepare Local Key Report (Monthly)
• Prepare World Key Report (Monthly)
• Automotive Program Review Report (Monthly)
• Proactively obtain program updates from Stabilus Program Manager to ensure that program timing is not in jeopardy
• With the Program Manager, determine what, when and how to notify customer in the event of a milestone that is going to be missed, or a test failure occurred, etc. and then be part of the communication loop

Secondary Tasks:

• Provide input as necessary to the Automotive Forecast Preparation (Monthly)
• Assist STUS Accounting in resolving invoice discrepancies, delinquent payments, etc. by contacting the appropriate customer individuals
• Provide input to the preparation of obsolescence claims and negotiate the claims with the customer
• Communicate/clarify issues related to prototype orders with the customer
• Track customer purchase orders
• Participate in senior management meetings as needed
• Program file maintenance (copies only)
• Submit capital requests for customer tooling
• Provide periodic updates on outstanding quotes submitted and RFQ’s received

Education, Training, Certifications:

• Minimum four (4) years Marketing and/or Technical Degree
• MBA is optimal

 

Experience:

• Minimum five (5) years automotive Original Equipment experience, preferably in sales

Job Knowledge and Skills:

• Language Skills – English fluency; in addition, German would be optimal 
• Software Skills – Microsoft Office Package, SAP, Customer specific (web-based supplier portals, modem-based downloads of certain information)
• Reasoning Ability – 
  • Works independently. Seeks direction for general policy matters.
  • Strategic and lateral thinking 
  • Be able to identify opportunities as they arise
  • Anticipate customer and/or competitor reactions/positions to guide Stabilus in its actions
  • Problem solving skills in resolving pricing disputes, competitive positioning of Stabilus, overcoming customer objections, improving customer dissatisfaction, preparing the proper “sales pitch”, contract negotiations, etc. for example
  • Requires ability to manage an account/customer, or more than one, which entails in-depth knowledge of contract negotiations and product development
  • Be able to achieve a working knowledge of Stabilus core competencies (technology, products, processes, methodologies, etc) to effectively “sell”
• Interpersonal Skills –
  • Must have excellent communication skills, with the ability to communicate clearly and effectively with all levels of the organization as well as outside contacts.
  • Interacts effectively with a broad number of disciplines, externally and internally
  • In-depth industry familiarity with numerous senior level internal and external contacts.
  • Write comprehensive business reports of a complex nature.
  • Articulate customer strategies and exercise leadership in their execution
  • Provide training/guidance to other Stabilus employees with respect to conducting business with a given customer and its employees
  • Communicate effectively with personnel in foreign affiliates, especially Germany, Japan, Brazil and Mexico by being aware of cultural differences and taking them into consideration
• Supervisory Skills – 
  • Exercise leadership with respect to marshalling Stabilus resources to win new business, achieve customer satisfaction, keep/maintain existing business
  • Ability to maintain a customer focus in serving the needs of the total organization and its business objectives
  • Ability to establish and maintain positive working relationships with those encountered during the course of work
• Resourcefulness and Initiative -- 
  • Creative thinking, problem solving, judgment and initiative are mandatory
  • Market / Planning strategy development & implementation

Working Condition:

• Works in a normal office environment
• Frequent use of computer and telephone
• Requires travel to various domestic and international locations on periodic basis

 

Accountability:

• Accountability Authority: Account Manager makes many independent decisions effecting the direction of the company’s efforts and relationships with our customers. These decisions include, but are not limited to priority, focus, pricing strategy, problem solving and response.
• Accountability: The Account Manager is held accountable for overall performance to the Customer’s expectations as well as for the successful performance to forecast and planning budgets. 
• Responsibility: The Account Manager is responsible to both the Customer and the Stabilus Team, coordinating the efforts of Stabilus to maximize the long-term profitability of the Company in meeting the Customer’s requirements. The Stabilus Team includes people with Engineering, Manufacturing, Logistics, Customer Service, Quality and Accounting responsibilities.
• Confidential Data: The Account Manager has access to a great deal of highly confidential materials, including Business Plans, Sales Forecasts / Budgets, Customer / Product Strategies, Product Technical Data and Pricing.
• Span of Control: While there are no personnel directly reporting to the Account Manager, there is a significant amount of leadership and direction provided to the Team.

 

Other Duties:

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.