Job Description

Team Lead - Customer Project Manager - Industrial Sales

Department: Stabilus US / Americas, Industrial Sales Division

Reports to: Director of Engineering

Location: Gastonia, NC (Hybrid) at Stabilus Americas Headquarters

Travel: Less than 10%

Classification: Full-Time, Salary, Exempt

Summary:

The Customer Project Manager (CPM) Team Lead is a key operational leadership role within the Industrial Sales Division. This position is responsible for building and leading a team of Customer Project Managers who coordinate new product projects from commercial opportunity through series production launch - serving both direct customers and distributor partners across the Americas region.

The CPM Team Lead combines hands-on project oversight with people leadership, ensuring every project is delivered on time, at the right quality, and with a consistent customer experience. This role partners closely with Application Engineering, Sales, Quality, and Manufacturing to drive alignment and accountability across the full project lifecycle.

Key Responsibilities

Team Leadership & Organizational Development

• Lead, coach, and develop a structured team of Customer Project Managers across varying levels of experience.
• Define, develop, and continuously refine team roles, responsibilities, and escalation paths to support organizational growth and project complexity.
• Build team capability through regular one-on-one coaching, performance feedback, development planning, and succession planning.
• Identify skill gaps and coordinate targeted training to strengthen team effectiveness and consistency.
• Update and maintain the RASI and Support Matrix, with approval from department heads, to ensure clear ownership, accountability, and cross-functional alignment.
• Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, professionalism, and continuous improvement within the team.

Project Management & Operational Oversight

• Oversee the full customer project coordination lifecycle, from opportunity handoff through launch and series production release.
• Establish, maintain, and continuously improve project templates, task lists, and standardized workflows, including communication of expected lead times for critical activities.
• Evaluate project tasks and progress to ensure due dates are achieved; proactively escalate risks, identify bottlenecks, and address internal capacity or process constraints that could impact delivery.
• Confirm that solution levels are properly assigned and consistently utilized across projects to confirm it represents sustainable business for Stabilus
• Monitor project timelines, deliverables, and quotation quality to ensure execution meets company and customer expectations.
• Lead the ongoing improvement of project workflows, documentation practices, and standard operating procedures.
• Manage the implementation and maintenance of tiered project structures to support appropriate project governance and execution discipline.

Launch Management & Execution Accountability

• Hold overall responsibility for ensuring all customer project launches are executed on time, meet target objectives, and satisfy quality and business requirements.
• Drive launch readiness by monitoring key milestones, coordinating cross-functional actions, and escalating issues that place launch timing or quality at risk.
• Facilitate formal pre-release review meetings as required gates prior to series production release.
• Ensure timely communication with materials planning and purchasing when new components or requirements are introduced during launch preparation.
• Maintain focus on launch discipline and executional excellence across the entire project portfolio.

Customer, Distributor & Commercial Coordination

• Serve as the senior escalation point for distributor and direct customer account issues requiring leadership involvement.
• Oversee the team's day-to-day coordination of distributor relationships, including quotations, pricing alignment, account reviews, and commercial support.
• Ensure quotations are prepared within established pricing authority and escalation guidelines according to agreed structures.
• Support distributor account planning, demand forecasting, and joint commercial initiatives to strengthen customer relationships and business performance.

Capacity Planning & Escalation Management

• Maintain visibility across team workload, project pipelines, and internal task queues to identify constraints before they affect customer commitments.
• Evaluate project activities to identify bottlenecks, restrictions, and capacity limitations across internal functions.
• Serve as the primary coordination link between Sales and internal prototype, pilot, and launch execution teams.
• Balance priorities across the active project portfolio to protect customer commitments and business objectives.
• Evaluate PPAP pilot requests to confirm appropriate quantities, validate customer requirements, and ensure no practical alternative solution exists before approval.

Cross-Functional Leadership

• Serve as the central liaison between Customer Project Management, Application Engineering, Quality, Launch Coordination, Sales, and other supporting functions.
• Ensure project ownership, responsibilities, and expectations are clearly communicated at project initiation and throughout execution.
• Act as an internal advocate for the customer experience by promoting transparency, responsiveness, and alignment across all functions.
• Drive strong collaboration across both direct and distributor sales channels to ensure consistency in execution and communication.

Metrics, KPI Ownership & Continuous Improvement

• Develop and own the KPI framework for the Customer Project Management function, including measures related to speed, quality, customer satisfaction, team performance, and structural effectiveness.
• Establish metrics that evaluate whether team structure, processes, and project execution methods are contributing to business success or revealing areas of inefficiency or loss.
• Lead regular performance reviews and provide concise, actionable reporting to leadership.
• Analyze recurring issues, project delays, and process bottlenecks to identify root causes and implement sustainable corrective actions.
• Drive process simplification, automation, and knowledge capture initiatives, including playbooks, standard operating procedures, and reference guides.

Key Performance Indicators

• Customer Net Promoter Score (NPS)
• Team Employee Net Promoter Score (eNPS)
• Quotation Cycle Time by Project Type
• On-Time Milestones
• Launch Quality
• Project Launch Performance vs. Target Timing
• Internal Process Efficiency and Capacity Utilization

Required Skills & Competencies

• Proven leadership capability with the ability to coach, develop, and hold a team accountable in a high-performance environment.
• Strong project management and organizational skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities across a complex stakeholder landscape.
• Excellent communication, facilitation, and escalation management skills.
• Demonstrated ability to build alignment and resolve issues across functions without direct authority.
• Advanced knowledge of project management methodologies, tools, and process governance.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to develop, interpret, and act on performance metrics and operational data.
• Commercial awareness, including a working understanding of pricing, margin considerations, and customer profitability.
• Continuous improvement mindset with the ability to create structure, standardize processes, and improve execution in evolving environments.
• Servant-leadership approach, leading with accountability, humility, and professionalism.

Education & Certifications
• Bachelor's degree in Business, Engineering, or a related field - Required
• PMP or equivalent project management certification - Preferred
• Credentials in APQP, ISO/IATF, or Lean Six Sigma - Preferred
• Formal training in leadership or people management - Preferred

Experience

Required
• 5-8 years of experience in project or program management, sales operations, or technical sales coordination
• Minimum 2 years of direct team leadership or supervisory experience
• Proven track record of delivering projects on time in a cross-functional environment
• Hands-on experience with ERP systems (SAP preferred), CRM platforms, and MS Project or equivalent
• Background in manufacturing, industrial, or automotive environments

Preferred
• Background in manufacturing, industrial, or automotive environments
• Familiarity with product development lifecycles and production launch processes (e.g., PPAP, APQP)
• Experience managing distributor or channel partner relationships
• Exposure to quality systems and production readiness reviews