Sales Manager, Japanese & Korean OEMs - North America

ZF Group; Lansing (MI); Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual Incentive Plan

401k Plan

Health Care Benefits

Paid Holidays

Hybrid Work Schedule

Employee Groups & Outreach

Job summary

ZF Group in North America seeks a Sales Manager for Japanese & Korean OEMs to lead the sales team, manage key accounts, and drive profitability.

You will align cross-functional teams, spearhead pricing and contract negotiations, develop annual account plans, and forecast revenue while maintaining strong customer relationships in the NA market. Hybrid work schedule offered.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of automotive sales or account management experience.
• Experience leading and developing employees.
• Ability to manage OEM customer relationships and negotiations.

Responsibilities

• Lead the sales team and client accounts to meet revenue objectives.
• Serve as primary commercial contact for Nissan, Mazda, and other OEMs in NA.
• Lead pricing, quotations, and contract negotiations; drive cost recovery.
• Develop annual account plans and manage forecasts and profitability.
• Align cross-functionally with engineering, quality, supply chain, and finance.
• Monitor customer scorecards and manage commercial risks.

Skills

Account management

Leadership

Pricing negotiations

Forecasting

Cross-functional collaboration

Communication

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Business Management, Marketing, Engineering, or a related field

Job description

About the Team:

Lead the sales team and commercial management of assigned Japanese and Korean OEM accounts in North America, including Nissan and Mazda. Responsible for customer relationships, account strategy, commercial negotiations, and achieving sales and profitability objectives.

What you can look forward to as Sales Manager, Japanese & Korean OEMs - North America:

• Serve as the primary commercial contact for assigned customers, building strong relationships and coordinating internal actions to meet customer expectations for quality, cost, delivery, development, and management.
• Lead and develop the sales team, establish priorities and performance objectives, and provide coaching and accountability for results.
• Lead pricing and contract negotiations, oversee quotations and commercial documentation, and drive cost recovery related to inflation, raw materials, tariffs, foreign exchange, and customer changes.
• Develop and execute annual account plans; manage sales forecasts, revenue and profitability objectives; and monitor customer scorecards, commercial risks, and corrective actions.
• Align engineering, quality, supply chain, manufacturing, program management, and finance to support launches, production programs, and resolution of customer issues.
• Understand customer strategies and product roadmaps, support RFQs and quotations, and collaborate with the business development team on opportunities within assigned accounts.

Your profile as Sales Manager, Japanese & Korean OEMs - North America:

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Business Management, Marketing, Engineering, or a related field.
• 10+ years of experience in automotive sales or account management, including experience leading and developing employees.
• Demonstrated ability to manage OEM customer relationships, lead commercial negotiations, and achieve sales and profitability objectives.
• Strong financial, communication, and cross-functional leadership skills, with experience in forecasting, pricing, contracts, and cost recovery.
• Experience with Japanese or Korean OEMs in North America, particularly Nissan, and a background in ADAS or automotive electronics preferred.

What We Offer:

• A supportive collaborative team environment
• Annual Incentive Plan
• 401k Plan
• Health Care Benefits
• Paid Holidays
• A Hybrid Work Schedule (2 days remote/3 days onsite)
• Supportive Employee Groups and community outreach activities