Sr. Business Manager

Challenge Manufacturing•Walker, MI

10d

About The Position

The Sr. Business Manager is accountable for the commercial performance, customer relationship leadership, and growth strategy of assigned OEM accounts. The role owns the full book of business, driving profitability, advancing new business opportunities, and aligning customer expectations with internal execution. The ideal candidate brings deep automotive experience, commercial and financial acumen, and the ability to influence cross-functional teams. This individual serves as a trusted customer advisor while driving disciplined execution and sustainable organizational growth. Challenge Manufacturing is a leading tier 1 supplier of complex metal assemblies for the global automotive industry. Its mission is to manufacture with operational excellence by empowering employee-owners, guided by the values of safety, ownership, and teamwork. The company is employee-owned and offers an ESOP program through which employee-owners receive annual company shares as an additional retirement benefit.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree required.
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.
Proficiency in Microsoft Office, CRM platforms, and sales analytics tools.
Willingness to travel as needed to support customer and business objectives.

Nice To Haves

MBA or advanced degree in Business, Engineering, or a related field.

Responsibilities

Serve as the primary commercial interface to OEM customers and lead executive- and working-level relationships across Purchasing, Engineering, Quality, and Program Management.
Lead customer negotiations covering piece price, tooling, recoveries, inflationary adjustments, and long-term agreements.
Represent the company in customer reviews, sourcing discussions, and escalation forums.
Act as the commercial escalation point for delivery, quality, and cost matters, ensuring timely resolution and customer satisfaction.
Own assigned accounts’ commercial performance, 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.
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 on industry trends, including the EV transition, material cost shifts, and regional demand changes.
Support strategic initiatives such as customer segmentation, portfolio optimization, and diversification.
Lead RFQ execution from receipt through submission, aligning 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 commercial deliverables, pricing, tooling recovery, and scope alignment are achieved.
Monitor launch performance and proactively address commercial risks, including cost overruns and customer penalties.
Coordinate across Engineering, Operations, Supply Chain, Quality, and Program Management to meet customer expectations.
Align commercial commitments with operational capabilities for sustainable execution.
Maintain engagement with plant operations to understand constraints, risks, and improvement opportunities.
Influence organizational decision-making 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.