Senior OEM Commercial Leader

Challenge Manufacturing; Walker (MI); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

Health Savings Account

Flexible Spending Accounts

Short-Term Disability

Basic Life Insurance

Voluntary Life

Long-Term Disability options

Employer 401k Match

ESOP shares

Tuition reimbursement

Referral Bonus Program

Challenge Incentive Program

Paid time off

Job summary

Challenge Manufacturing seeks a Sr. Business Manager to own the commercial performance for assigned OEM accounts and lead cross-functional teams. You will drive profitability, manage negotiations, and align customer expectations with internal execution.

The role requires automotive OEM sales experience, strong financial acumen, and the ability to influence without direct authority. Travel may be required as part of strategic growth initiatives.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required; MBA or advanced degree preferred.
• 10+ years of progressive experience in automotive OEM Sales, Account Management, or Commercial Leadership.
• Proven experience leading Account Management and/or Business Development teams.
• Strong understanding of automotive manufacturing processes, program economics, and OEM sourcing models.
• Demonstrated success driving profitable growth and sustaining long-term customer relationships.
• Solid financial acumen including pricing strategy, margin management, and forecasting.
• Strong negotiation, communication, and relationship-building skills with OEM customers.
• Ability to balance strategic thinking with disciplined execution.
• Experience developing high-performing commercial teams.
• Willingness to travel as needed to support customer and business objectives.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary commercial interface to OEM customers, leading executive and working-level relationships across Purchasing, Engineering, Quality, and Program Management.
• Lead all customer negotiations, including piece price, tooling, recoveries, inflationary adjustments, and long-term agreements.
• Represent the company in customer reviews, sourcing discussions, and escalation forums with a strong executive presence.
• Act as the commercial escalation point for delivery, quality, and cost-related matters, ensuring timely resolution and customer satisfaction.
• Own full commercial performance of assigned accounts, including revenue, margin, EBITDA contribution, and forecast accuracy.
• Develop and execute account strategies aligned with OEM platforms, sourcing cycles, and future vehicle pipelines.
• Partner with Finance to monitor cost performance, margin expansion, and variance to quote.
• Support budget development, forecasting, and long-range planning activities.
• Identify, position, and secure new business opportunities, including takeaways, resourcing, and competitive displacement.
• Analyze OEM sourcing strategies, platform roadmaps, and market dynamics to inform growth strategy.
• Provide insights into key industry trends, including EV transition, material cost shifts, and regional demand changes.
• Lead RFQ execution from receipt through submission, ensuring alignment on cost, capacity, and technical feasibility.
• Ensure a seamless transition from award to launch by aligning commercial commitments with Program Management and Operations.
• Support APQP milestones and ensure all commercial deliverables, pricing, tooling recovery, and scope alignment—are achieved.
• Monitor launch performance and proactively address commercial risks, including cost overruns and customer penalties.
• Drive coordination across Engineering, Operations, Supply Chain, Quality, and Program Management to ensure customer expectations are met.
• Align commercial commitments with operational capabilities to enable sustainable execution.
• Maintain strong engagement with plant operations to understand constraints, risks, and improvement opportunities.
• Influence decision-making across the organization without direct authority, driving accountability and results.
• Establish and manage account scorecards and KPIs, including OTD, PPM, margin, and launch performance.
• Lead resolution of commercial open items, including pricing disputes, past dues, tooling, claims, and engineering changes.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives focused on cost reduction, efficiency, and customer satisfaction.
• Ensure compliance with internal commercial processes, quoting governance, and approval frameworks.

Skills

OEM Sales

Account Management

Commercial Leadership

Negotiation

Financial Acumen

Strategic Thinking

Cross-functional Collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree

MBA or advanced degree

Tools

CRM platforms

Microsoft Office

Job description

Challenge Manufacturing seeks a Sr. Business Manager to own the commercial performance for assigned OEM accounts and lead cross-functional teams. You will drive profitability, manage negotiations, and align customer expectations with internal execution.

The role requires automotive OEM sales experience, strong financial acumen, and the ability to influence without direct authority. Travel may be required as part of strategic growth initiatives.