Senior Commercial Account Manager - service, niche customer, motorsport & small oem

About The Opportunity

What you’ll do

Manage the customer relationship, utilising a multi-locationed team, ensuring the achievement of customer satisfaction and Driveline’s business objectives

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

  • Develop, implement and update the customer strategy upon appropriate interpretation of: divisional strategy; market intelligence, customer intelligence; costing and pricing agreements; contracts; legal issues.

  • Control the global customer pricing strategy including maintenance of an up-to-date price list and co-ordination of amendments with the selling companies.

  • Devise, implement and control the policy for the disclosure of information to the customer.

  • Identify and promote sales strategies based on a clear understanding of our competitive position, business needs and successful strategies for competitive differentiation.

  • Maintain a proactive account planning process.

  • Lead the representation of the customer within Driveline ensuring that customer information is communicated to the relevant functions and customer issues are appropriately responded to.

  • Prepare submissions in accordance with business processes, eg. Demantra

  • Ratify customer commercial proposals.

    • Manage the preparation and delivery of quotations and new propositions to the customer.

    • Lead negotiations.

  • Manage customer cost down initiatives.

  • Monitor account performance against budget including sales to budget, product margins and cost of sales ensuring that variances are explained.

  • Maintain customer agreements, contracts and licenses ensuring that the relevant expert advice is sought when appropriate.

  • Ensure adherence to internal authorization processes.

  • Ensure that activities are in accordance with GKN guidelines on corporate behavior.

  • In conjunction with the customer chief engineer, ensure that Driveline product selection procedures are followed.

  • Establish and maintain amongst team members an in-depth and current understanding of the customer including: market position; vehicle strategy; commodity purchasing; competitor activities, organisation

  • Monitor measure and manage, both informally and formally, the customer’s perception of Driveline.

  • Maintain an up-to-date profile of the customer’s “spider”.

  • Create and implement a customer contact plan.

  • Lead Driveline’s representation at the customer.

  • In conjunction with the Customer Chief Engineer, ensure that ‘best practice’ advice on driveline engineering is provided to the customer. ”.

  • Promote the benefits of full service supply initiatives with the customer.

  • Promote and manage the involvement in broader vehicle activities of the customer.

  • Initiate and manage networking throughout the customer.

  • Initiate opportunities to extend and enhance the customer relationship through visits and technical days.

About you

Required Qualifications:

  • Bachelors degree in Mechanical Engineering or Business 
  • 5 years experience working as a commercial account manager within the Automotive industry.

Additional Qualifications:

  • RFQ’s: Program launch (prior to SOP)  

    • Account Team AM to compile quotation data and handoff to Service AM

    • All PPBD data to be supplied to Service AM, history etc.

    • Program management to be engaged – part of CAPM process

    • Service AM to interface with customer on all ‘new launch’ RFQ’s

  • RFQ’s:  Production programs (engineering changes)

    • Account Team AM to compile quotation data and handoff to Service AM

    • Full engagement required from both Service and Account Team AM

    • Retroactive / replacement strategy must be communicated and understood through engineering and commercial.

  • RFQ’s:  12 months prior to EOP

    • Service analyst will lead coordination of review - PFEP

    • Full engagement of Account Team AM and Service AM required

    • Service AM to engage customer in forecasting / requirements

    • Any necessary changes to be coordinated with Service AM (example: quantity pack change).

  • RFQ’s:  Past Model

    • Going forward, the PFEP process being developed  will reduce these issues

    • Service AM to take the lead in all discussions with Account Team AM as support.

  • Service AM to review all purchase orders and submit into iShare

  • Service AM to communicate all necessary changes with plants and be the interface on any issues (PO status, engineering changes, etc.).

  • Account Teams need to be fully engaged in PFEP process.

    • Key program / part number information needs to be supported by Account Team during pre-reviews.

    • Service AM to coordinate with Account Teams by program