Accessory Sales Manager

Ford

2d • Hybrid

About The Position

We are the movers of the world and the makers of the future. We get up every day, roll up our sleeves and build a better world -- together. At Ford, we're all a part of something bigger than ourselves. Are you ready to change the way the world moves? In this position... This is an exciting time, as Ford Motor Company focuses on growing Accessory Sales by partnering with our Dealers! The Accessory Sales Manager will report to the East Market Area Sales & Marketing Manager. This position will be matrixed to Vehicle Personalization/Accessories National Sales and Distribution Manager (General Office). We are looking for an individual who will exhibit passion and enthusiasm for Accessories and vehicle customization, combined with strong sales capability and understanding of Ford Dealer Operations, to ultimately DRIVE FOR RESULTS. The Accessory Sales Manager will report to the East Market Area Sales and Marketing Manager. This position will be matrixed to Vehicle Personalization/Accessories National Sales and Distribution Manager (General Office). This individual will exhibit passion and enthusiasm for Accessories and vehicle customization, combined with strong sales capability and understanding of Ford Dealer Operations. This role will be a very proactive part of Vehicle Personalization's efforts to grow Accessory sales in the Field by influencing Dealer behavior. Additionally, in this role, this individual will apply the framework of the Ford Operating System (Ford OS). This individual will proactively identify opportunities for improvement with Dealer processes and talent within our dealer body. You will utilize data/industry research, Dealer feedback, and observation to develop best practices and create a continuous improvement process with a feedback loop to Sales and Marketing Managers and Vehicle Personalization Team. This role will interact closely with a variety of internal and external partners, FADs (Ford Accessory Distributors), Marketing/Sales (Field), Parts/Service (Field), General Office, Customer Experience, and leadership, to name a few.

Requirements

• Bachelor's Degree
• 7+ years Dealer-facing operations and/or retail experience (i.e., Field Ops, Sales and Service, CX, etc.) required
• Understanding and applying the synergy between process and people at retail to create BIC dealer experience for both dealer employees and their customers
• Strong people skills to build a network of company employee advocates from current Dealer-facing organizations (e.g., Sales, Field Ops, FCSD, Ownership, etc.)
• Demonstrated examples of advocacy and empathy
• Must care deeply and passionately about the company and its culture, learning and development, inclusion, the customer experience, and its products
• Experience in influencing key partners at all levels to collaborate on shared objectives
• Champion lean practices and Ford OS behaviors: Be eager to learn and incorporate these into your daily work
• Promotes an inclusive environment and embodies our FordOS behaviors
• Project management experience, including multiple, complex projects simultaneously
• Strong organization, interpersonal, analytical and communication skills
• Extraordinary teamwork, collaborative skills and superior customer service mindset
• Ability to work independently, under time and workload constraints and prioritize effectively
• Ability to travel domestically. Expected travel 80%.

Nice To Haves

• Prior experience of working with an organization to deliver change strongly preferred
• Automotive retail business acumen and intimate working knowledge of dealership operations, business practices, and operating structure preferred.
• Demonstrated experience in working with Ford Dealers to successfully implement company initiatives and deliver results.
• Leverage critical strategic thinking skills to develop an executable strategic vision around dealer culture improvement.

Responsibilities

• Execute Dealer adoption of Vehicle Personalization/Accessories Sales within the Field and thus business growth for Dealers and Vehicle Personalization/Accessories various sales channels
• Manage and support the Ford Accessory Distributor network to deliver sales and service performance.
• Be a self-starter to initiate a deep understanding of Dealer Operations at Target Dealers.
• Lead and manage the regional alignment, communication on priorities for accessories, and the various initiatives.
• Creating and executing monthly presentations and training to regional field teams is expected.
• Execute and deliver NEW “FCG” (Ford Custom Garage) sales/distribution process, which includes a new way for Dealers to offer Accessories through vehicle wholesaling/unique ordering interface
• Sell and grow “Dealer Channel” (over counter sales) for Vehicle Personalization's various business portfolios-GFA (Genuine Ford Accessories), FLA (Ford Licensed Accessories), and FPP (Ford Performance Parts)
• Sell and grow “DIO” (Dealer Installed Options) through enhanced Dealer sales processes
• Sell and grow Vocational accessory packages with CVC/Elite/Ford Pro Dealers
• Support Ford's eCommerce Accessories business through enhanced Dealer and FAD (Ford Accessory Distributor) processes
• Provide service to Dealers related to accessory installation escalation issues, warranty, etc.
• Through the National Accessory Business Development Manager, collaborate with Ford's General Office, including Purchasing, Planning, Program Management, Sales, Marketing, etc., to adopt new products, sales processes, incentives/promotions, etc.
• Identify best practices throughout the East Market Area to share and collaborate with peers for continuous improvement
• Assist with talent acquisition and recruitment strategies to drive Vehicle Personalization's Field Team
• Provide regular updates and communicate to local and global management on progress, challenges, and real-time feedback from stakeholders.
• Track and communicate the performance of Target Dealers.
• Collaborate with key Ford stakeholders, including the core skill teams of Field/Dealer Operations
• Proactively work to understand and communicate best practices and unique regional requirements to stakeholders
• Support miscellaneous team assignments as needed

Benefits

• Immediate medical, dental, vision and prescription drug coverage
• Flexible family care days, paid parental leave, new parent ramp-up programs, subsidized back-up child care and more
• Family building benefits including adoption and surrogacy expense reimbursement, fertility treatments, and more
• Vehicle discount program for employees and family members and management leases
• Tuition assistance
• Established and active employee resource groups
• Paid time off for individual and team community service
• A generous schedule of paid holidays, including the week between Christmas and New Year's Day
• Paid time off and the option to purchase additional vacation time.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Manager
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees