Sr. Program Manager

Who We Are:
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!

Who We Want:

The Account Manager is responsible for managing current books of business, assisting with growth of existing accounts, and working in the best interest of Challenge Manufacturing Company to foster supplier relationships at multiple levels within a customer organization.

What You'll Do:

• Promotes and helps facilitate new business opportunities within a specific key OEM account. Coordinates with internal support staff such as Program Managers, Engineers, Quality, Estimating and Plant Operations to provide the customer with a single point of contact encompassing all issues and providing a well-rounded, focused service of professional representation. Team efforts include strong communication and market analysis with OEM.
• Works closely with customers to build strong relationships that promote new innovative solutions incorporating and customizing the sales strategy.
• Manages and maintains open commercial issues with customers while working jointly for resolution and keeping accounts up to date.
• Provides technical training and presentations to customers and communicates feedback internally for future product development ideas.
• Support the Program and Project Teams for your OEM Account to discuss new business opportunities and share market information.
• Act as a liaison between Engineering, Quality, and customer.
• Manage quoting, sampling, and quality issues for customers where required.
• Champion and drive completion of requests to meet customers on-time expectations.
• Team member of OEM Account Team. Will work hand in hand with Engineers, Designers, Supply Chain, and other account team employees.
• Be a solutions provider for our customers to allow the overall business to operate as smoothly as possible to maintain/grow customer loyalty.

When and Where:
This position is located at our Corporate Office in Walker, MI. 
Occasionally, this may require you to arrive early, stay late, or work on weekends, outside of our regular hours, to ensure we successfully meet customer needs, deadlines, or urgent requests.

What You Need to Have:

• Minimum of three years’ OEM Account Management and/or Program Management experience required
• Bachelor’s Degree strongly preferred
• Technical or automotive background is a strong plus
• Ability to plan and manage at both strategic and operation levels
• Expert knowledge in Microsoft Office Applications
• Outstanding consultative selling skills
• Excellent communication, follow-thru, interpersonal, presentation, problem solving, and analytical skills
• Team player and self-directed
• Sales growth and strategic planning to support the Company Sales Strategy
• Forecasting and budgeting experience
• Proven ability to learn the manufacturing processes of multiple suppliers
• Has high standards of performance for self
• Takes responsibility for actions, results, and mistakes
• Self-motivated and driven performer
• Is thorough, accurate, and reliable when performing and completing job tasks; demonstrates honesty and integrity in all aspects of work
• Takes positive action to objectively resolve conflict by listening, staying focused on issue to find resolution, and monitoring progress
• Maintains positive relationships by constructively resolving conflicts
• Uses feedback from others to continuously improve performance and work relationships
• Moves within own and/or other work areas (flexes) to support plant flow
• Works with sense of urgency to meet needs of customers
• Has necessa