Function: To be responsible for the automotive industry sectors in the UK & Scandinavia. To achieve the agreed sales / account objectives as defined annually by the Sales Manager (Automotive) Europe. To lead, develop and commercialise new business activities typically via multiplication of successful existing or newly developed applications at existing (and new) accounts. Duties, accountability and responsibility Define targets and execute the sales / account plans derived from the various product line strategies and the UK 1 & 3-Year Plans to realize annual sales and account objectives. Lead, manage and support the direct report – Key Account Managers. Coordinate and support the Scandinavian direct and distribution business in line with the company core strategy. Execute negotiations about pricing, delivery etc. within boundaries set by sales and product management. Responsible for quotations, contracts, complaint ownership and consignment contracts. Responsible for accurate sales forecasting via CRM System. Responsible for defining, developing and commercialising new projects, customers and applications within the BU strategy and the ambition of individual product lines. Responsible for leveraging and co-ordinating Application Development and research colleagues efforts for his / her accounts and projects and to co-ordinate all internal activities concerning the account to ensure a consistent approach in sales, support and development. Responsible for positioning new value propositions at target accounts for commercial development and for communicating value propositions to the market. Accountable for initiating development agreements with customers and responsible to communicate the business case as necessary. Responsible for adding and maintaining projects in the CRM’s project module. Develop and maintain networks at adequate levels of the value chain and accounts organisation focusing on engineering, technology and sales. Responsible to communicate internally and to the customer new product development needs / requests / availability. Responsible for collecting market information and communicating current and emerging needs for existing and potential accounts within the region to drive new business development. Responsible for monitoring credit limits as defined by the CFO and if needed, initiating a request for a higher (or lower) credit limit to the CFO. Ownership for handling communication to the customer regarding complaints and proposing settlements (including product returns) to be approved by the Superior. Accountable for dunning and communicating timely, accurate instructions to the accounts receivable administrator. Responsible for the timely communication of potential bad debts and for preparing and settling rebates after internal approval. Authorities: Within the commercial framework set by the UK Sales & Marketing Director, negotiates the closing of a sale with customers. Directs and supervises sales to meet or exceed volume, pricing and margin goals. Development of an account plan to partner with current and future customers for further business development to obtain sustainable, profitable growth. Value proposition development and improvement. Identify stakeholders and decision makers in the value chain and convince them of our value proposal. Commercialisation of targeted value propositions. Network building with the industry. Knowledge building and propagation of that knowledge with the company across the globe. Monitoring of Key Account Manager performance, including targets, action plans and corrective actions as necessary. Knowledge and Educational Level: Minimum of Bachelor's degree in a relevant technology and/or business related field. Knowledge of the industry and markets, detailed know-how of products, applications, competitive materials and competitors. Knowledge of sales processes. Experience of finance, product management and additional understanding of technical service and application development. Excellent communication and social skills. Required level of experience: Minimum of 5 years relevant B2B experience in the field of sales and business development. Analytical with good judgement, business sense and problem-solving skills. A strong negotiator able to identify customers’ needs and be persuasive when presenting ideas. A team player able to work interdependently. Creative with entrepreneurial experience. Relation builder with good social and networking skills. Structured worker with good time management and project management ability. Experienced in managing a sales person or sales team as necessary.
