Senior Account Manager

About the Role

Maintain favorable relationships and create new business opportunities with current and potential customers. Develop sales strategies for focused products by identifying product requirements and customer pain points.

Responsibilities

• Account Maintenance / New Business Development
  • Accept accountability and ownership for all aspects of Account & Focused Products.
  • Develop, lead, and execute strategies for new or replacement business.
  • Understand market price for products.
  • Identify, establish, and communicate RFQ strategy/process with BU/PM/Eng members, factory, and customer.
  • Submit management-approved quotations to customer.
  • Use technical capabilities to discuss basic product functions and features with customers (accountable if applicable for position).
  • Explain pricing, cost breakdowns, and development spending curves in context of technical requirements (accountable if applicable for position).
  • Develop, prepare, and maintain price calculation sheets (including product pricing files).
  • Create new product and technology introductions, identify prospects for new business, tailor presentations to customer needs, and relate product to their business strategies.
• Technology / Product Knowledge
  • Data Management
    • Demonstrate comprehensive understanding of customer and auto industry trends, developments, and standards.
    • Demonstrate and communicate expert knowledge of trends in the automotive industry and with customers as they relate to product.
• Customer Management
  • Program Management
    • Initiate and implement program management project initiatives for new development projects.
    • Supervise program management including monitoring, creating, and overseeing timelines with appropriate follow-up and necessary updates.
    • Analyze, identify, and resolve obstacles, as well as ensure timely resolution of open issues on existing products.
    • Communicate critical path.
  • Factory Relationships
    • Coordinate, oversee, and monitor internal resources and systems to ensure product is shipped to the customer within the agreed-upon timeframe.
    • Identify, develop, and establish product and customer strategy and align internal resources to support the strategy.
    • Work effectively and professionally with all levels of factory personnel to ensure customer requirements are met.
  • Customer Relationships
    • Develop, nurture, maintain, and establish strong working relationships with current and future key decision-makers within the customer organization.
    • Build strong customer relationships through frequent contact and follow-up, including regular in-person meetings at the customer’s place of business on a weekly or more frequent basis.
    • Analyze, monitor, and lead sales and purchasing plans to maintain necessary inventory levels.
• Budget and Midterm Plan
  • Develop monthly sales forecasts on focused products/accounts and monitor performance to plan for accuracy.
  • Develop and implement annual sales budget and divisional midterm plan.
  • Monitor actual results versus plan for accuracy.
  • Use AI tools to assist with advanced forecasting metrics to improve sales efficiencies (where possible).

Requirements

• High school diploma and six (6) years of related experience, or Bachelor's Degree in a related field and four (4) years of related experience.
• Two (2) of the required years must be in automotive parts, systems, or components experience.
• A proven track record of developing new sales opportunities.
• Experience in developing and leading sales presentations.
• Strong price negotiation skills with the ability to close difficult negotiations.
• Ability to explain pricing, cost breakdowns, and development spending curves in context of technical requirements.
• Technical capabilities to discuss basic product function and features with customers.
• Proficiency with MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and other computer applications related to the position.

Benefits

• Great Medical/Dental Benefits
• Company-Matched 401K Retirement Savings
• Annual Bonus Program
• Educational Assistance
• Relaxed Dress Code
• PASATalks Speaker Summits
• Leadership & Mentorship Programs
• High5 Reward Recognition Program
• Onsite Happy Hours
• And many more benefits & perks found within the ‘Our Culture’ section.

About the Company

At Panasonic, our technology and engineering expertise delivers innovation across diverse industries. We focus on enhancing the consumer experience through audio and safety enhancements inside the vehicle. Panasonic Automotive Systems Company of America (PASA) is an industry-leading global supplier to Automotive Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM’s) for infotainment systems and advanced connected car solutions. Our clients include Ford, GM, Chrysler, Daimler, Fiat, Tesla, Honda, and Toyota.

Panasonic is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer.