Description Position at Sumitomo Electric U.S.A., Inc.
The salary range for this position is from $180,000 to $200,000 per year.(Full-Time, Exempt position)I. Job Summary:We are seeking a high-impact leader to serve as the primary strategic interface between our organization and the world's leading Chipmakers, Hyperscalers, and ODM/rack integrators in the US market.
This hybrid leadership role combines the responsibilities of a Strategic Account Manager, Product Manager, Customer Program Manager, and Business Development Manager.
As the "single point of accountability" in the US, the successful candidate will translate complex customer requirements into actionable technical specifications, product roadmaps, and supply chain strategies.
You will lead cross-functional teams across Japan, the US, Vietnam, and Mexico to drive programs from initial RFQ through NPI to full-scale mass production, supporting customers in the rapidly scaling AI and data center infrastructure market.
This job's mission is to bridge the gap between ambitious customer visions and operational reality. Rather than simply relaying information, you will own the entire business lifecycle: capturing the customer's strategic roadmap, defining the business case, negotiating commercial terms, and ensuring stable, profitable mass production.
The End-to-End Value Chain you will lead:
• Customer Strategy & Roadmap
• Specs / Demand / Responsibility Matrix
• Internal Business Case & Strategy
• Cross-functional Design & Quoting
• Price / Investment / Contract Negotiation
• NPI / Certification / Mass Production
• Revenue / Profit / ROI Management
II. Duties/Responsibilities:1. Strategic Relationship & Market Intelligence
• Serve as the primary point of contact for Tier-1 chipmakers, Hyperscalers, and ODMs, building trusted relationships across engineering, procurement, and executive levels.
• Analyze customer technical roadmaps, product architectures, and demand trends to anticipate future needs and secure early positioning in design-in cycles.
• Monitor the competitive landscape, emerging technologies (e.g., higher-speed interconnects, co-packaged optics), and pricing dynamics to inform product and account strategy.
2. Technical Translation & Requirement Management
• Review RFQs, demand forecasts, BOMs, CAD drawings, and connectivity diagrams to identify gaps, inconsistencies, and boundaries of responsibility.
• Translate high-level customer requirements into concrete product specifications, volume targets, cost structures, quality standards, and capacity requirements.
• Own the responsibility matrix and change management process, ensuring that changes to specifications, scope, or schedule are documented, assessed, and reflected in pricing and commitments.
3. Cross-Functional Orchestration (Matrix Leadership)
• Lead a global matrix organization (Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality, Procurement, SCM, Finance) to drive quotations, development, and mass production planning.
• Manage the transition from NPI (New Product Introduction) through customer qualification and certification to stable ramp-up, proactively escalating and resolving risks to schedule, quality, and yield.
• Establish program governance, including milestones, KPIs, and regular reviews, to give internal leadership and customers clear visibility into status and risk.
4. Commercial Negotiation & Risk Management
• Lead negotiations on NRE (Non-Recurring Engineering), CAPEX underwriting, Minimum Purchase Guarantees, Long-Term Agreements (LTA), and inventory liability.
• Manage the balance between customer forecasts, supply scenarios, and investment risks to ensure ROI.
• Own account-level revenue, margin, and growth targets, and report performance to executive leadership.
III. Marginal Functions- Support occasional matters as directed
IV. Required Skills/Abilities:• Strategic Account Management: Proven track record in B2B sales/management for semiconductor manufacturers, Hyperscalers, Cloud providers, ODM/EMS, or network equipment vendors. Experience negotiating with both procurement and C-level executives is essential.
• Technical-Commercial Bridge: Strong knowledge of connectors, optical cables, transceivers, data center equipment, or server/switch architecture. You must be able to interpret drawings and BOMs to translate them into technical challenges for internal teams.
• Full Lifecycle Ownership: Experience leading the entire process from RFQ/RFI and costing to NPI, capacity planning, and mass production.
• Matrix Leadership: Demonstrated ability to drive results and hold stakeholders accountable across different geographies (e.g., Japan, US, SE Asia, Mexico) without having direct hierarchical authority over them.
• Executive Communication: Ability to present complex technical and commercial issues clearly and persuasively to both customer executives and internal leadership.
• Financial Acumen: Proficiency in calculating ROI, NPV, and managing P&L for specific product lines or accounts.
• Supply Chain Knowledge: Understanding of lead-time management, safety stock, and capacity planning in a global manufacturing environment.
• Contractual Literacy: Experience with complex commercial contracts (LTA, Master Service Agreements) and the ability to collaborate with legal teams to mitigate risk.
• Language: Native or professional fluency in English. Proficiency in Japanese is a significant advantage given the global matrix structure involving Japanese headquarters.
• Industry Ecosystem: Familiarity with AI server and rack-scale architectures, relevant industry standards (e.g., OCP, IEEE 802.3, MSAs), and Hyperscaler qualification processes.
V. Education and Experience:- Bachelor's degree in Business, Engineering, or related field. MBA is a plus.
- Experience: 10+ years in B2B sales, account management, business development or product management, with at least 5 years in a leadership role managing a team.
VI. Position in Organization:- Reports to: SVP, Data Center Business Division
VII. Physical Requirements:- Work is performed in an office environment and requires the physical and motor skills typical of an office environment, including, but not limited to: prolonged sitting, working on a computer, using telephones, handheld technology and other office equipment, standing, walking and stooping.
- May be occasionally required to lift objects such as files, boxes of paper, office supplies, and computer / office equipment weighing up to 50 pounds.
- Ability to routinely concentrate, focus and read for general understanding and analytical purposes and ability to communicate effectively.
VIII. Other Duties: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 description. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.
IX. Travel Required: Yes ☒ 20-30% No
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