Automotive & Energy Storage Business Development Manager

Ash Ind France SAS; France; Hybrid; EUR 90,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Ash Ind France SAS is seeking an Automotive & Energy Storage Business Development Manager to lead regional growth in LiB, energy storage systems and emission control markets, in a remote role from France or at the Schaffhausen site. You will manage global customer programs, drive new business opportunities and coordinate with R&D, quality, operations and legal teams to ensure successful program delivery.

This individual‑contributor role emphasizes strategic account leadership, technical

Qualifications

• Demonstrated experience in automotive project management, business development and continuous‑improvement methods.
• Experience with automotive customers, RFQs, contract negotiation, project delivery and product lifecycle management.
• Working knowledge of automotive quality standards, including IATF 16949 and VDA 6.3.

Responsibilities

• Lead global customer programs for defined automotive LiB and EC&C customers from RFQ to series production and lifecycle.
• Drive regional business development for LiB, energy storage systems and EC&C markets by identifying opportunities.
• Lead innovation projects through the INNOVA stage-gate process including market analysis and launch planning.
• Build relationships with customer stakeholders across R&D, procurement and quality; manage RFQs and contracts.
• Collaborate with Operations and Quality at sites to support audits, certification readiness and change management.
• Coordinate cross‑functional teams across Sales, R&D, Quality, Operations, Supply Chain, Finance and Legal.
• Travel regularly for regional customer visits, audits and on‑site support; drive actions to commitments.

Skills

Automotive project management

Business development

Continuous improvement

RFQs & contract negotiation

Product lifecycle management

IATF 16949

VDA 6.3

English proficiency

CRM systems

Microsoft Office

Driving licence

Travel willingness

Tools

CRM systems

Microsoft Office

Job description

Ash Ind France SAS Are you the kind of person who is always thinking, sketching, seeking and adjusting? Do you need to understand how things work and then determine how they can work better? Are you a passionate, tenacious problem solver who enjoys working with others who share your drive? Are you positive, constructive and ingenious? Are you always solving? Then we’d like to meet you, and we bet you’d like to meet us. Ashland has an exciting opportunity for an Automotive & Energy Storage Business Development Manager to join our Specialty Additives team in Schaffhausen, Switzerland or remotely from France. This highly visible role combines global customer-program leadership with regional business development across lithium-ion batteries, energy storage systems and emission control & catalyst markets. The position reports to the Sr Business Development Manager, Performance Specialties, Europe.

Responsibilities

• Lead global customer programs for defined multinational automotive lithium-ion battery (LiB) and emission control & catalyst (EC&C) customers, from request for quotation (RFQ) through series production and lifecycle management.
• Drive regional business development for LiB, including energy storage systems, and EC&C markets by identifying opportunities, unmet customer needs and attractive market segments.
• Lead priority innovation projects through the INNOVA stage-gate process, including market analysis, segmentation, business cases, launch planning and commercialization.
• Build trusted relationships with customer stakeholders across R&D, procurement and quality; lead RFQs and contract negotiations in partnership with Sales and Legal.
• Partner closely with Operations and Quality, particularly at the Alizay, France productionsite, to support IATF 16949 accreditation, VDA 6.3 compliance, customer audits, change management and certification readiness.
• Coordinate international, cross‑functional teams across Sales, R&D/Innovation, Quality, Operations, Supply Chain, Procurement, Marketing, Finance, Sustainability, Regulatory and Legal.
• Be accountable for clear ownership, timely decisions, consistent execution and customer commitments relating to quality, cost, delivery, service, compliance and growth.
• Lead internal performance‑improvement initiatives using structured project-management and DMAIC methods, tracking actions through completion.
• Travel regularly for regional customer visits, customer audits and rapid on‑site support when urgent issues arise.
• Actively contribute to organizational goals by taking initiative, executing goals and focusing on performance and safety.
• Improve organizational capacity and capabilities by building collaborative relationships, optimizing diverse talent and using positive communication and influence with others.

What This Role Is Not

Not a people‑management position: this is an individual‑contributor role with no direct reports, requiring leadership through influence in an international matrix organization.

Not a desk‑only role: success requires close collaboration with manufacturing sites, regular customer visits, participation in audits and rapid on‑site support.

Not a purely commercial sales role: the position combines customer leadership with technical understanding, innovation, quality, compliance and operational coordination.

Qualifications

• Demonstrated experience in automotive project management, business development and continuous‑improvement methods.
• Experience with automotive customers, RFQs, contract negotiation, project delivery and product lifecycle management.
• Working knowledge of automotive quality standards, including IATF 16949 and VDA 6.3.
• Ability to lead market segmentation‑led business cases, go‑to‑market strategies and product‑launch plans.
• Strong technical or scientific understanding, with the ability to translate complex information into concise recommendations and decisions.
• Professional proficiency in English and confidence working across regional and global teams.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office, CRM systems and digital tools.
• A valid driving licence and willingness to travel regularly within the region.
• Demonstrated responsible and ethical behavior at all times.
• The ability to help the company drive greater value through understanding the business, making complex decisions and creating the new and different.

Preferred Skills

• Six Sigma Yellow Belt or Green Belt capability.
• Experience leading customer plant audits, questionnaires, certification‑readiness activities and change‑management processes.
• Experience in lithium‑ion batteries, energy storage systems, emission control or catalyst markets.
• Experience coordinating multinational customer programs across Europe, North America and China.
• Practical knowledge of structured stage‑gate innovation and DMAIC methodologies.

Benefits

• A global and regional scope with meaningful exposure to strategic automotive and energy‑storage customers.
• Close collaboration with the Alizay, France site and other relevant manufacturing locations in Belgium and the Netherlands.
• The opportunity to shape growth, innovation and customer execution across a highly cross‑functional international network.
• Location flexibility: Schaffhausen, Switzerland or remote working from France, with regular regional travel.

In more than 100 countries, the people of Ashland LLC. (NYSE: ASH) provide the specialty chemicals, technologies and insights to help customers create new and improved products for today and sustainable solutions for tomorrow.

Visit www.ashland.com to see the innovations we offer.

Ashland is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer Minorities/Women/Veterans/Disabled/Gender Identity/Sexual Orientation. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, or protected veteran status and will not be discriminated against on the basis of disability.

NOTE: We do not accept resumes from external staffing agencies or independent recruiters for any of our openings unless we have a signed recruiting agreement in place to fill a specific position.

Infinite possibilities Creating good chemistry isn’t just about what happens when you add the right ingredients together. It’s about what happens when the right people are one of the ingredients. Good chemistry – the kind that can transform a market or a world – is what makes Ashland different and what makes us better. If you’re passionate about the infinite possibilities created through good chemistry, we have a rewarding and challenging opportunity for you to help us make great things happen every day for our customers, our communities, our investors and our colleagues around the world.