Senior Sales Specialist

JOB SUMMARY:

Under moderate direction, promotes and sells the organization's products and services within an assigned geographic area, product range, or list of customer accounts to meet or exceed sales targets.

ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Acts as a liaison between customers, plants and affiliate personnel to coordinate and resolve commercial and business related issues. Coordinates pre-production activities including processing orders, quoting pricing, developing new product schedules, coordinating tooling, ensuring part readiness, etc. Assists with program timing and related activities including design changes, build out of vehicle, part number changes, obsolescence claims and packaging approvals. May lead improvement activities with the plants regarding delivery performance.

• Interacts with and acts as a liaison between customers, DENSO plants, affiliates and DNJP regarding customer requirements and capacity issues. Works with production control as needed. Coordinates production parts approval process (PPAP) schedule and ensures launch preparedness by managing late design changes and ensuring plants meet delivery targets.

• Follows up and assists in resolving accounts receivable related issues. Ensure accuracy and completionof all related paperwork (purchase orders, airfreight bills, etc.)

• Builds and maintains relationships with internal and external customers to address and resolve daily issues, gather information, focus on customer and competitor trends and relay pertinent information back to management.

• Completes, maintains and ensures adherence to policy, contract and related information as outlined in DIAM standards processes.

• Implements customer/product based strategies, as directed by management. May gather and summarize information related to customers, competitors, business and market environment in order to identify and plan for current and future business opportunities. Maintains related information and completes variance analysis. May assist in developing sales plans for existing customers and in identifying potential and/or future business opportunities. • Works closely with quality engineering in supporting and resolving quality related issues.

• Works closely with materials management, production control and plant personnel in product phaseout activities. Works to ensure no obsolescence.

• Assists in cost analysis, tracking and coordination activities as required. Assists plants in investigating value-added (VA) opportunities and obtaining customer approval of process and design changes related to cost saving efforts. Monitors and tracks previously identified value-added (VA) opportunities and profitability related information. May assist with updating and reviewing annual percentage rate (APR) parts lists.

• Assists in negotiating internally and externally regarding pricing, costs and timing. Assists in negotiating pricing and cost reductions with DENSO plants and DNJP on behalf of the customer. Negotiates directly with the customers on cost-related issues. Negotiates internally with plants on the timing of parts releases.

• May assist in compiling, preparing and reviewing request for quotation (RFQ) materials and related information. Follows up on, summarizes and ensures the adherence to internal processes and procedures. Ensures plants and manufacturing contacts are appraised of quotations and may explain pricing, tooling price and approved pricing strategy to the customer.

• Performs other duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• 3+ years of applicable experience required

• Bachelors Degree in business, marketing or related field

• Experience working with GM or OEM's / Tier Suppliers preferred

SKILLS AND ABILITIES:

• Written and verbal communication skills and presentation skills. Ability to communicate with internal and external customers on issues of moderate to considerable importance, up to and including senior management.

• Customer service skills. Ability to promote and support a service-oriented environment.

• Negotiation skills. Ability to defend position strongly while keenly aware of the need to maximize benefits for all sides.

• Maintains a high degree of professionalism and composure under pressure

• Demonstrated time management and priority setting skills

• Demonstrates strong capability to use Microsoft Office products such as Word, Excel and PowerPoint