Manager, Customer Strategy & Market Insights

HARMAN International; Novi (MI); Hybrid; USD 125,000 - 184,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Employee discounts

HARMAN University training

Wellness benefits

Tuition reimbursement

Be Brilliant recognition program

Inclusive and diverse environment

Job summary

HARMAN Innovation Novi, MI is seeking a Manager for Customer Strategy & Market Insights to integrate market intelligence, consumer insights, and stakeholder input across CAMs, Product, Marketing, Design, and Engineering. You will synthesize perspectives into practical input for customer strategies, value propositions, and executive discussions.

The role emphasizes tracking automotive and consumer trends, preparing strategic narratives, and coordinating cross-functional inputs for executive

Qualifications

• 7+ years of project-management experience across cross-functional teams.
• Ability to connect customer priorities with market dynamics and technology capabilities.
• Excellent written and verbal communication; translate complex info into clear recommendations.
• Advanced PowerPoint skills: architecture, storytelling, visuals.
• Experience supporting customer strategies, sales-enablement materials, or market analyses.
• Strong business judgment and curiosity to understand new tech and markets.

Responsibilities

• Support development of customer-specific strategies by gathering cross-functional input.
• Develop market, competitive, and consumer-insight materials for automotive audio and OEM activity.
• Coordinate cross-functional teams to craft strategic recommendations and executive materials.
• Plan on-site customer immersion experiences and follow-up actions.
• Support development of strategic/executive presentations and review cycles.
• Produce short-form videos explaining HARMAN Car Audio strategy and initiatives.
• Assist outbound Car Audio communications and sales-enablement tools.

Skills

Project management

Strategic thinking

Written and verbal comms

Executive storytelling

Customer strategies

AI productivity tools

Business judgment

Attention to detail

Independence

Global collaboration

Tools

PowerPoint

Generative AI

Job description

About The Role

As the Manager, Customer Strategy & Market Insights, you will support Car Audio and customer pursuit strategies by integrating market intelligence, consumer insights, stakeholder input, and HARMAN Car Audio’s technologies, brands, and priorities. Working across Customer Account Management, Product, Brand, Marketing, Design, Engineering, Consumer Insights, and Strategy, you will synthesize perspectives and ensure customer-facing teams have accurate, differentiated, and strategically aligned information reflecting HARMAN’s capabilities, market dynamics, competition, and consumer needs. A key focus will be tracking automotive, branded-audio, technology, competitive, and consumer trends to guide decisions. You will identify insight gaps, coordinate research, and translate findings into practical input for customer strategies, value propositions, and business discussions. You will coordinate cross-functional input, incorporate stakeholder feedback, and translate complex information into clear narratives, recommendations, and materials for executive reviews and customer engagement. Success requires strong business judgment, market curiosity, project-management discipline, customer confidence, and excellent communication skills. In this role, you will report to the VP, Business and Brand Strategy.

What You Will Do

• Support the development of customer-specific strategies by gathering input from cross-functional teams (including CAMs, Product, Marketing, Engineering, etc.) and connecting OEM priorities with HARMAN Car Audio capabilities and strategic direction.
• Develop and maintain market, competitive, and consumer-insight materials covering automotive audio systems, OEM activity, competing suppliers, technology trends, brand positioning, regional dynamics, and changing consumer expectations. Translate these insights into practical input for customer strategies, value propositions, and sales discussions, and identify where additional research or insight is needed.
• Coordinate cross-functional teams to develop strategic recommendations, customer narratives, market analyses, communication videos, executive materials, and other high-priority deliverables.
• Plan on-site customer immersion experiences, including objectives, agendas, strategic themes, demonstrations, stakeholder participation, logistics, and follow-up actions.
• Support the development of strategic and executive-level presentations by managing template requirements, consolidating cross-functional input, building PowerPoint slide content, scheduling working sessions, and managing review cycles.
• Produce short-form videos that explain HARMAN Car Audio's strategy, capabilities, market insights, or key initiatives in an accessible and engaging format.
• Support the development of outbound Car Audio communications, including website content, general customer pitch materials, capability presentations, strategic messaging, and foundational sales-enablement tools.

What You Need To Be Successful

• 7+ years of project-management experience, with demonstrated ability to coordinate multiple contributors, manage deadlines, resolve gaps, and deliver high-quality work in a fast-moving environment.
• Strong strategic-thinking skills, with the ability to connect customer priorities, market dynamics, competitive activity, technology capabilities, brand positioning, and consumer needs.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to convert complex technical, commercial, and strategic information into clear and compelling recommendations.
• Advanced PowerPoint skills, including presentation architecture, executive storytelling, visual hierarchy, data visualization, slide design, and editing.
• Experience supporting customer strategies, value propositions, sales-enablement materials, market analyses, or other strategic business communications.
• Ability to engage confidently and professionally with automotive OEM customers, senior leaders, Customer Account Managers, technical experts, designers, and cross-functional stakeholders.
• Practical proficiency with generative AI and other AI-enabled productivity tools for research, synthesis, ideation, analysis, content development, and workflow improvement.
• Strong business judgment and intellectual curiosity, with the ability to quickly understand unfamiliar technologies, brands, customers, and market dynamics.
• Excellent attention to detail, particularly in relation to data accuracy, messaging consistency, strategic alignment, visual quality, and readiness for external audiences.
• Ability to work independently, manage competing priorities, and provide structure to ambiguous or rapidly evolving business needs.
• Ability to operate effectively across global teams, cultures, functions, and time zones.

Bonus Points if You Have

• Previous experience in automotive, automotive audio, consumer electronics, technology, a Tier-1 supplier, or an automotive OEM.
• Familiarity with branded automotive audio, premium consumer brands, vehicle technology, infotainment, acoustics, or automotive electrical/electronic architectures.
• Experience supporting global sales organizations or working directly with automotive Customer Account Managers.
• Experience supporting customer account strategies, value propositions, go-to-market plans, or strategic sales-enablement programs.
• Experience planning customer workshops, innovation immersions, executive meetings, product demonstrations, or experiential events.

What Makes You Eligible

• Willingness to travel 20% of the time.
• Willingness to work hybrid in the HARMAN Novi, MI office 3+ days a week.
• Any offer of employment is conditioned upon the successful completion of a background investigation and drug screen.

What We Offer

• Access to employee discounts on world-class products (JBL, HARMAN Kardon, AKG, and more).
• Extensive training opportunities through our own HARMAN University.
• Competitive wellness benefits.
• Tuition reimbursement.
• "Be Brilliant" employee recognition and rewards program.
• An inclusive and diverse work environment that fosters and encourages professional and personal development.

Pay Transparency

$ 125,250 - $ 183,700 Dependent on the position offered, other forms of compensation are also available, such as bonuses or commission. Pay is based on a wide range of factors, including, without limitation, skill set, experience, training, location, and business need. While the above range is a reasonable estimate of the wage range for this position, please note the disclosed range estimate has not been adjusted for the applicable geographical differential associated with the location where the position may be filled.

Benefits

HARMAN is interested in the health and wellbeing of you and your family and offers a range of benefits designed to support your needs for holistic wellbeing. Benefits and perks may vary depending on the nature of your employment with HARMAN, and may include paid vacation and holidays, paid sick leave, volunteer leave, and paid bonding and caregiver leave. Employees may also be eligible to participate in comprehensive medical, dental, and vision plans, fertility support and adoption assistance, Health Savings and Flexible Spending Accounts, retirement savings plan with employer match, short and long term disability coverage, life insurance, and more.

You Belong Here

HARMAN is committed to making every employee feel welcomed, valued, and empowered. No matter what role you play, we encourage you to share your ideas, voice your distinct perspective, and bring your whole self with you – all within a support-mind culture that celebrates what makes each of us unique. We also recognize that learning is a lifelong pursuit and want you to flourish. We proudly offer added opportunities for training, development, and continuing education, further empowering you to live the career you want.

About HARMAN: Where Innovation Unleashes Next-Level Technology

Ever since the 1920s, we’ve been amplifying the sense of sound. Today, that legacy endures, with integrated technology platforms that make the world smarter, safer, and more connected.

Across automotive, lifestyle, and digital transformation solutions, we create innovative technologies that turn ordinary moments into extraordinary experiences. Our renowned automotive and lifestyle solutions can be found everywhere, from the music we play in our cars and homes to venues that feature today’s most sought-after performers, while our digital transformation solutions serve humanity by addressing the world’s ever-evolving needs and demands. Marketing our award-winning portfolio under 16 iconic brands, such as JBL, Mark Levinson, and Revel, we set ourselves apart by exceeding the highest engineering and design standards for our customers, our partners and each other.

HARMAN is proud to be an Equal Opportunity employer. HARMAN strives to hire the best qualified candidates and is committed to building a workforce representative of the diverse marketplaces and communities of our global colleagues and customers. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics. HARMAN attracts, hires, and develops employees based on merit, qualifications and job-related performance. (www.harman.com)