Assistant Sales Director

Essential responsibilities and duties

The Assisstant Sales Director leads the Sales Organization of a given Customer Business Unit (“CBU”), being responsible for the Sales development for the whole Product Life Cycle (Program, Serial Life, Acquisitions) or part of it, for a specific Region / Division.

The main missions of the role are:

• Entertain in-depth intimacy with his/her Customer contacts (Purchasing, Engineering, Programs):
  • Interfaces with the customer at Senior level.
  • Develop the relationship with his direct counterparts at the customer and with the assigned contacts by the sales network.
  • Participate regularly to customer meetings (progress reviews, quality reviews, commercial global meetings).
  • Understand OEMs product plan for the future in India and complete the strategic plan.
  • Understand what competition is doing.
• Oversee the commercial offers preparation to answer on due time to Customer requests :
  • Get a good understanding of the costing files (“hands on”).
  • Validate the targeted pricing and the negotiation path / tactics to convince the customer.
  • Check the offers (coherence, quality, respect of contractual guidelines,…) and validate them.
• Manage a team of Sales Managers & Engineers :
  • Ensure the proper talent at the right place through internal or external recruitment processes.
  • As and when properly staffed and organized, responsible for coaching, developing and promoting the Sales team.
  • Assign objectives and follow-up.
  • Evaluate & sales team for asnwering to RFQs and negotiation skills to acquire new programs.
• Serial Life, Programs & Acquisitions :
  • Responsible for all commercial activity on the defined perimeter.
  • Deep understanding and dynamic drive of Squeeze management (productivity, raw materials compensation, claims, economics…).
  • Follow the P&L and Cash performance of the Account.
  • Responsible for the Account claim management.
  • Contribute to the selection of targeted acquisitions.
  • Effective Sales Administration management (purchase orders, invoices, terms of payment, overdues…).
  • Oversees CBU programs from Sales perspective.
  • Follow the profitability of the CBU Program Dashboard.
  • Prepare the escalation negotiation when necessary.
  • Responsible for the Order Intake performance (LifeTimeSales, Operating Income, MaximumCashOut).

Qualifications

The ideal candidate will have/be :

Minimum Education Level: Business Master Degree or Engineering Degree with a willingness to develop a career path in business.

Experience :

• • Minimum 10 to 17 years of experience in Sales in the Automotive industry with a succesful track record of order in take with two or three Customers.
  • Previous assignement outside of sales (Program management experience) is a plus.
  • Experience with international exposure.

Skills and competencies :

• • Fluent in english and if necessary in the Customer language.
  • Broad and comprehensive understanding of theories and practices in sales discipline.
  • Strong competencies in relationship management, and negotiation.
  • Demonstrated management skills.
  • Comfortable with financials.
  • Developed communication, interpersonal and negotiation skills, and capacity of empathy.
  • Business international mindset, ability to develop relationship and network internally and within the customer organization.
  • Customer orientation and strong business understanding.
  • Accountable and results oriented – Get the things done.

The Employee is aware and ensures the respect of the Internal Rules, Code of Ethics and Management Code applicable in the establishment to which she/he is assigned.