OEM Business Development

• Develop and execute growth strategies for targeted automotive OEMs.
• Identify and map decision-making structures within OEM organizations.
• Establish relationships with engineering, manufacturing, quality, purchasing, maintenance, sustainability, and operations leadership.
• Drive lubricant specification and approval programs across vehicle assembly operations.
• Lead efforts to secure inclusion on OEM-approved lubricant lists.
• Identify new platform, vehicle program, battery, powertrain, and assembly opportunities.

Tier Supplier Penetration

• Develop strategic relationships with Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3 suppliers.
• Identify suppliers strongly influenced by OEM lubricant requirements.
• Convert approved OEM specifications into supplier production opportunities.
• Leverage OEM approvals to multiply business throughout the automotive supply chain. • Work closely with customer engineering teams to validate and implement lubrication solutions.

Stakeholder & Decision-Maker Navigation

• Create organizational maps identifying:
• Manufacturing Engineering
• Process Engineering
• Industrial Engineering
• Maintenance Management
• Operations Leadership
• Purchasing
• Quality Assurance
• EH&S
• Product Development
• Corporate Materials Engineering
• Develop influence strategies for each stakeholder group.
• Understand customer approval processes, purchasing cycles, and technical qualification requirements.

Technical Sales Leadership

• Position specialty lubricants based on:
• Productivity improvements
• Reduced downtime
• Energy efficiency
• Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)
• Component life extension
• Warranty protection
• Sustainability initiatives
• Coordinate technical evaluations, product trials, testing, and validation programs.
• Support root-cause investigations and lubrication-related performance improvements.

Strategic Account Management

• Develop and maintain a robust opportunity pipeline.
• Manage long sales cycles common to automotive OEM programs.
• Forecast project development and expected revenue.
• Conduct executive-level business reviews with key accounts.
• Coordinate global opportunities with regional and international teams.

Market Intelligence

• Monitor automotive manufacturing trends including:
• Electric vehicle production
• Battery manufacturing
• Powertrain evolution
• Automation and robotics
• Lightweight materials
• Sustainability initiatives
• Track competitor activities, approvals, and specifications.
• Identify emerging opportunities for growth.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, Technical Sales, Business, Chemistry, Tribology, or related field. MBA preferred.
• 7+ years of automotive business development, technical sales, or account management experience.
• Experience selling into automotive OEMs and Tier suppliers.
• Proven success navigating complex manufacturing organizations.
• Experience with industrial lubricants, specialty chemicals, metalworking fluids, process chemicals, assembly materials, automation solutions, or related technologies.
• Preferred experience in automotive assembly processes, manufacturing engineering, lubrication technology, EV/battery manufacturing, robotics and automation, OEM approval processes, IATF 16949 environment.

Physical Requirements:

• Requires regular domestic travel and occasional international travel, including overnight stays, approximately 50% of the time.
• Visit customer facilities/plants and perform equipment inspections which require the use of personal protective equipment or other onsite required gear
• Frequent use of keyboard, typing and use of personal computer and/or handheld devices
• Communication skills: verbal, writing, public speaking, and presentation

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