Automotive Industry Go To Market Director

Salesforce•Seattle, IL

2d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Industry Advisor team is a specialized, growing team within Salesforce. Our primary role is to accelerate Salesforce growth by establishing industry credibility, best practices, and thought leadership in the industries we serve. Our deep industry experience, elevated points of view, and non-sales “advisor” approach are the secret sauce for Salesforce's distribution teams. We are the closest thing Salesforce has to a customer internally, and we consistently bring an industry lens to everything we do, ensuring Salesforce is seen as a thought leader, strategic partner, and trusted subject matter expert in the industries we support. We are seeking a dynamic leader to join our Advisory team as the Industry Advisor Director for Automotive. In this role, you will collaborate with customers and a number of cross-functional groups within Salesforce. Your responsibilities will include developing a strong point of view, supporting strategy for the automotive industry, staying abreast of industry trends, and identifying the best opportunities for Salesforce growth in the industry. Additionally, you will engage with customers and collaborate with field leadership teams on strategic customer engagements, approaches, industry events, and localized initiatives. As an advisor to C-level executives at customer organizations, your role will involve ensuring that we effectively listen to the voice of the customer and build lasting partnerships. The ideal candidate will have experience across multiple segments within the automotive ecosystem. Specifically, experience across OEMs, suppliers, manufacturing operations, dealerships, mobility services, electric vehicles (EVs), connected vehicles, and related domains is desired. Ideally, this experience intersects with technology across operations, customers, supply chains, assets, and AI-driven digital transformation initiatives. Furthermore, you should possess comprehensive knowledge of industry trends and how they impact customers. Familiarity with Salesforce’s solutions and capabilities within the automotive industry is crucial. Excellent presentation skills are desired, as you will be the face of the industry and the face of Salesforce when engaging with key customer stakeholders. You will work cross-functionally with a number of internal stakeholders, including sales, marketing, product, solution engineering, enterprise architecture, sales programs, enablement, and others. Ability to travel

Requirements

Industry expertise working in, owning a P&L for, or consulting and implementing technology solutions within the automotive industry
Managerial experience leading geographically dispersed teams with varying experience levels and competencies
Deep understanding of automotive industry challenges, technology trends, and business transformation initiatives, including manufacturing modernization, connected vehicles, electrification, autonomous technologies, mobility services, supply chain optimization, and customer experience transformation
Significant experience translating industry trends into successful business and technology strategies
Held an active role in a company's digital transformation efforts through technology adoption and business process improvements, or served as a key business and/or IT stakeholder
Ability to independently create thought leadership content and executive presentations
Strong communication and writing skills with the ability to work across business functions
Exceptional presentation skills in both small and large-scale settings
Ability to perform effectively in a fast-paced environment and craft compelling positioning
Exceptional team player with proven ability to lead through influence
Ability to synthesize complex ideas and transform them into actionable points of view

Nice To Haves

Experience across multiple segments within the automotive ecosystem. Specifically, experience across OEMs, suppliers, manufacturing operations, dealerships, mobility services, electric vehicles (EVs), connected vehicles, and related domains is desired.
Experience intersects with technology across operations, customers, supply chains, assets, and AI-driven digital transformation initiatives.
Comprehensive knowledge of industry trends and how they impact customers.
Familiarity with Salesforce’s solutions and capabilities within the automotive industry is crucial.
Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
Proven success operating in a matrixed environment
Experience and demonstrated success across multiple roles within the automotive industry
Experience and demonstrated success across multiple organizations in the automotive ecosystem
Membership and preferably active participation in leading automotive industry associations
Experience spanning both business and IT functions

Responsibilities

Leverage deep automotive industry experience to bring a non-sales perspective on key industry topics.
Focus on automotive sub-sectors and emerging trends to elevate customer conversations, increase field acumen, and create internal and external dialogue with influential leaders.
Operate across the full power of Customer 360 and Salesforce’s complete portfolio of solutions.
Partner with AMER OU leaders and business partners to align with priorities and strategies, crafting customized and prioritized points of view for customer engagements.
Engage customers in both 1:1 and 1 settings, including executive briefings, roundtables, customer meetings, and industry events.
Serve as a trusted advisor and partner to sales teams by creating relevant, customized points of view and engagement strategies for key accounts.
Collaborate with internal stakeholders to translate customer needs into impactful Salesforce solutions.
Account planning and target opportunity identification
Convert strategy into actionable account plans
Tailor and translate Salesforce solutions and messaging to customer priorities
Present vision and elevated industry perspectives
Deliver solutions, roadmaps, and value-based outcomes
Develop long-term relationships with prospective and current C-level executives to support their transformation strategies