Executive Director of Account Management

Challenge Manufacturing Company•Walker, MI

2d•Onsite

About The Position

Challenge Manufacturing's mission is to manufacture with operational excellence by empowering our employee-owners. As a leading tier 1 supplier of complex metal assemblies for the global automotive industry, we drive innovative solutions for future mobility. We believe the best ideas come from individual unique perspectives. These ideas combined with the teamwork of industry leaders allow us to accomplish any challenge. Our team members take pride in the work we do and embody our core values of safety, ownership, and teamwork every day; they are the true driving force in our operations. Challenge is proud to be one of the largest employee-owned automotive companies in North America. One of the many benefits of joining the Challenge team is the ESOP program. This program allows Challenge to give shares of the Company to all employee-owners annually. These shares are an additional retirement benefit that will continue to grow during your time at Challenge. Being part of an ESOP means our employee-owners share in Challenge's success! Challenge is #QualityDriven and #PeoplePowered! The Executive Director of Account Management provides enterprise-wide leadership for all Account Management and commercial activities. This role owns the full customer lifecycle—from new business pursuit and market expansion through long-term OEM account growth, profitability, and retention. The ideal candidate brings deep automotive OEM experience, a strategic commercial mindset, and a proven ability to lead multi-disciplinary commercial teams. This leader will define commercial strategy, align market opportunities with company capabilities, and ensure disciplined execution across quoting, negotiations, launches, and ongoing account performance. Serving as a trusted executive partner to both customers and internal leadership, this role is critical to driving sustainable growth, margin expansion, and long-term customer partnerships, while developing high-performing commercial talent across the organization.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree required in Business, Engineering, or related field
10+ years of progressive experience in automotive OEM Sales, Account Management, or Commercial Leadership
Proven experience leading both Business Development and Account Management organizations
Strong understanding of: o Automotive manufacturing processes o Program economics and lifecycle costing o OEM sourcing models and customer expectations
Demonstrated success driving profitable growth, market expansion, and long-term OEM partnerships
Advanced financial acumen, including pricing strategy, margin management, forecasting, and commercial risk assessment
Exceptional executive presence, negotiation skills, and ability to influence at senior OEM levels
Ability to operate strategically at the enterprise level while ensuring disciplined tactical execution
Strong leadership capability with a track record of building and developing high-performing commercial organizations
High proficiency with Microsoft, CRM platforms, and sales performance analytics
Willingness to travel as required to support customer and business needs

Nice To Haves

Master's degree in Business, Engineering, or related field
15+ years of progressive experience in automotive OEM Sales, Account Management, or Commercial Leadership
Experience leading commercial strategy across multiple OEMs and vehicle platforms
Background in Tier 1 automotive manufacturing environments
Experience managing long-term agreements (LTAs) and complex commercial negotiations
Exposure to new market entry, electrification platforms, or next-generation vehicle programs
Proven experience implementing enterprise-wide commercial governance models and KPI frameworks
Track record of developing successor leaders and scalable commercial organizations

Responsibilities

Provide executive leadership and oversight for the Account Management organization, aligning new business acquisition and existing account growth strategies.
Define and execute the company's enterprise commercial strategy, aligning sales, account management, and market expansion with long-term business objectives.
Own the commercial P&L for the customer portfolio, including revenue growth, margin performance, forecasting accuracy, and risk management.
Lead OEM customer strategy at the executive level, cultivating senior relationships and positioning the company as a preferred long-term partner.
Guide market entry, diversification, and customer targeting strategies aligned with company capabilities, geographic footprint, and capacity planning.
Oversee all major commercial activities including: Pricing strategy Contract negotiations and long-term agreements Quoting governance and commercial approvals
Ensure disciplined execution of the sales funnel, from opportunity identification through award, launch, and steady-state production.
Partner closely with Operations, Engineering, Program Management, Finance, Quality, and Supply Chain to ensure commercial commitments are executable and profitable.
Serve as the executive escalation point for critical customer, commercial, or performance issues, driving timely resolution and relationship preservation.
Establish standardized commercial processes, scorecards, and KPIs to drive accountability, visibility, and continuous improvement.
Analyze market trends, OEM strategies, and competitive dynamics to proactively adjust commercial priorities.
Develop, mentor, and succession-plan senior commercial leaders (Directors and Managers) to strengthen the leadership pipeline.
Represent the company externally with credibility in executive customer meetings, negotiations, and industry engagements.
Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, customer focus, and results-driven execution across all commercial functions.