Account Manager

Who We Are:

Challenge’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!

Together we own Safety! Challenge is #QualityDriven and #PeoplePowered!

Who We Want:

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

What You'll Do:

• Manage current books of business
• Coordinate with internal support staff such as Program Managers, Engineers, Quality, Estimating, Plant Operations and Finance to encompass all issues and provide the customer with a single point of contact.
• Provide a well-rounded, focused service of professional representation.
• Manage and maintains open commercial issues with customers while working jointly for resolution and keeping accounts up to date.
• Manage quoting, sampling, and quality issues for customers where required.
• Profitability and Growth of existing accounts
• Performs market analysis of assigned OEM accounts and assesses the portfolio profitability.
• Supports the Business Development, Program and Project Teams for your assigned OEM Accounts.
• Team member of OEM Account Team. Will work hand in hand with Engineers, Designers, Supply Chain, and other account team employees.
• Team efforts include strong communication and market analysis with OEM.
• Strengthen and Maintain Relationships
• Work closely with customers to build strong relationships that promote new innovative solutions incorporating and customizing the sales strategy.
• Provide technical training and presentations to customers and communicates feedback internally for future product development ideas.
• Be a solutions provider for our customers to allow the overall business to operate as smoothly as possible to maintain/grow customer loyalty.
• Champion and drive completion of requests to meet customers on-time expectations.

When and Where:

This will be a Corporate role / 8AM-5PM M-F position located at our Walker, MI headquarters. 

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 wi