Strategic Account Director - OEM Business

Affinitiv•Detroit, MI

6h•Hybrid

About The Position

The Strategic Account Director – OEM Business develops, manages, and grows strategic relationships with automotive Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs). This senior-level role acts as a trusted advisor to OEM partners, aligning Affinitiv’s marketing technology, customer engagement, CRM, digital marketing, and data-driven solutions with OEM business objectives to produce measurable results across OEMs and dealer networks. The role requires extensive experience working directly with automotive OEMs and a deep understanding of automotive retail, OEM corporate and regional/zone organizations, dealer networks, digital marketing programs, customer experience initiatives, and automotive technology providers. The successful candidate combines automotive industry expertise with consultative sales, executive relationship management, strategic planning, and business development capabilities. Familiarity with partners and platforms such as Shift Digital and J.D. Power is valued. The position involves strategic account management, business development, executive engagement, and collaboration with internal teams to deliver successful OEM programs. It also includes forecasting and reporting, representing Affinitiv at industry events, and travel of approximately 30–50%. Affinitiv’s Work from Here program offers a choice to work on campus or remotely, with in-person or virtual collaboration.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, Communications, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience.
10+ years of professional experience working directly with automotive OEMs in account management, strategic partnerships, enterprise sales, digital marketing, automotive technology, consulting, or related disciplines.
Understanding of OEM corporate, regional/zone, and dealer network structures and operations.
Demonstrated experience developing and managing senior- and executive-level OEM relationships.
Success managing large, complex automotive accounts and multi-stakeholder engagements.
Strong understanding of automotive retail, dealer operations, digital marketing, CRM, customer engagement, and performance measurement.
Experience developing and presenting strategic recommendations, business reviews, and performance results to executive audiences.
Ability to navigate complex sales cycles, contract negotiations, renewals, and enterprise-level business development opportunities.
Excellent communication, presentation, negotiation, and executive relationship-management skills.
Ability to travel approximately 30–50%.

Nice To Haves

Experience developing, managing, or supporting OEM-sponsored dealer marketing, digital, CRM, customer engagement, or retention programs.
Direct experience working with OEM corporate and regional/zone teams.
Familiarity with Shift Digital and its role in OEM and dealer digital marketing programs and ecosystems.
Familiarity with J.D. Power, including automotive data, analytics, consumer insights, and industry benchmarking.
Experience with other automotive technology, data, digital marketing, or customer experience platforms.
Experience with Salesforce or similar enterprise CRM platforms.
Experience with SaaS, marketing technology, data-driven marketing, or automotive technology solutions.

Responsibilities

Develop and execute strategic account plans for assigned OEM partners.
Build and maintain relationships with executive and senior-level stakeholders across OEM corporate, regional, and field organizations.
Serve as a senior strategic point of contact and trusted advisor for assigned OEM accounts.
Understand OEM business objectives, retail strategies, dealer initiatives, customer experience priorities, and digital transformation efforts.
Navigate complex OEM structures and engage multiple stakeholders and decision-makers.
Drive customer satisfaction, retention, account growth, and long-term strategic partnerships.
Identify and develop opportunities to expand Affinitiv solutions across existing and prospective OEM programs.
Translate OEM business challenges into solutions using Affinitiv’s marketing technology, CRM, customer engagement, data, and digital capabilities.
Lead executive-level solution presentations, strategic planning sessions, business reviews, and program discussions.
Develop proposals, business cases, pricing strategies, and contract renewal recommendations.
Identify opportunities to expand programs across dealer networks, regions, brands, and business units.
Collaborate with leadership to achieve annual revenue, retention, and growth objectives.
Provide strategic guidance on automotive digital retail, dealer marketing, CRM, customer lifecycle management, retention, and customer experience.
Maintain knowledge of OEM digital marketing programs, dealer digital ecosystems, lead management, performance measurement, and vendor integration.
Apply industry benchmarks, market intelligence, and performance data to develop strategic recommendations for OEM clients.
Partner with Product, Marketing, Operations, Customer Success, Analytics, Technology, and Implementation teams to deliver OEM programs.
Coordinate internal resources for OEM initiatives, program launches, integrations, and strategic priorities.
Translate client objectives into clear internal requirements and action plans, advocating for client needs while balancing company priorities.
Lead Quarterly Business Reviews, executive business reviews, and strategic planning sessions.
Present performance metrics, industry insights, program results, and recommendations to executive audiences.
Proactively identify emerging client needs, risks, and opportunities.
Monitor automotive industry developments, competitive activity, benchmarks, OEM programs, dealer marketing strategies, and customer engagement models.
Represent Affinitiv at automotive industry conferences, OEM meetings, dealer meetings, and strategic partner events.
Maintain accurate revenue forecasts, opportunity pipelines, and account plans in CRM.
Track account revenue, program performance, account health, retention risks, and expansion opportunities.
Develop executive-level reporting and business updates for Affinitiv leadership.
Maintain visibility into upcoming OEM initiatives, renewals, RFPs, and growth opportunities.
Establish credible relationships and comprehensive account plans, grow revenue, meet sales and retention targets, lead business reviews, develop new program opportunities, expand Affinitiv’s footprint, and strengthen cross-functional collaboration.