Senior Director, Automotive Global Sales & Customer Marketing

About Bose

You know the moment. It’s the first notes of that song you love, the intro to your favorite movie, or simply the sound of the voice of someone you love. It’s in these moments that sound matters most!

At Bose, we believe sound is the most powerful force on earth. We’ve dedicated ourselves to improving it for nearly 60 years. And we’re passionate down to our bones about making whatever you’re listening to a little more magical.

About The Automotive Systems Division (ASD)

For over 40 years, we have partnered and seen rapid growth with some of the finest automobile brands in the world to create unique sound solutions for our customers on the road. With a meticulous blend of hardware and software design, we can deliver a magical listening experience in the car with more of the sound you want—your music, your phone calls—and reduce the sounds you don’t want, like engine and road noise.

The Sr. Director of Automotive Global Sales and Customer Marketing will plan, run, coordinate, and lead all aspects of the global customer strategy and relationship to align and deliver ASD Division strategies and objectives globally and regionally. Lead an impactful, cross-functional Bose team to drive growth, profit, and customer satisfaction by developing and deploying processes, procedures, and best practices. Identify new business opportunities, business development tactics, customer engagement plans, and customer relationship development / management approaches. Form & nurture long lasting working relationships with customers by anticipating, analyzing, and responding quickly to opportunities, needs, and problems. Lead the internal Customer Account Strategy process and Annual Plan along with Customer specific Revenue, Gross Margin, and Net Operating Profit (annual and 3-year plan commitments). Support the deployment of other critical internal and customer specific business activities (i.e. Annual Price Negotiations) and engineering processes and requirements. Build and maintain functional metrics to measure efficiency and effectiveness that drive the right behaviors and prioritization. Ensure Customer Management & Business Development functional excellence is developed and maintained.

This role is a critical member of the Automotive Senior Leadership Team.

Primary Responsibilities And Tasks

• Ensure access of customer vehicle and product development schedules, product plans and marketing strategies. Be the Bose authority and reference for these items globally.
• Identify and gain organization alignment on which Targets to pursue. Incorporate these into Division Long Range Sales Plan (LRSP)
• Entrepreneurial owner of customer account and partner during the entire customer and project lifecycle
• Deeply understand, and represent Bose ASD to our customers to gain data, knowledge, relationships, and customer access/intimacy that create insight to drive business results.
• Monitors, consolidates and communicates global competitor activities at the customer sites.
• Identifies specific market and consumer research vital to support Concept and Selling activities; use knowledge and results to trigger events in the buying-decision process.
• Handles any internal / external issue escalation.
• Drive innovation and pre-selling activities at each targeted brand with involvement of Bose Corporate R&D and ASD functions; gather and communicate information about customer related trends and requirements, market activities and competitor information to influence the Bose technology and product development plan / pipeline.
• Coach and/or mentor organization about inner workings, culture, and strategies of the customer
• Identify and define long-term growth potential with the customer globally and by region.
• Ensures consistent global approach on customer contracts / general terms and conditions (e.g., warranty, quality, logistics)
• Build and lead customer relationships at multiple levels and across multiple Customer functions (Engineering, Marketing, Product Planning, and Purchasing). Ensure team applies consistent approach to customer mapping and CRM; develop plans to build and/or convert to Bose “Advocates.”
• Define customer strategy (e.g., product, pricing, growth, and manufacturing) for relevant markets that Bose operates in. Align with ASD leadership while acting as the “Voice of customer into Bose.”
• Leads and coordinates high level customer meetings (e.g., site visits, strategy meeting, demo’s, tech shows)
• Oversee and coordinate customer account activities in collaboration with the resources in our regional and/or satellite offices around the world.
• Is responsible for the global department budget and coordinates headcount planning.

Education

Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering, Business Administration, or equivalent experience; MBA preferred. Ongoing Executive Training and Development desired.

Experience

Candidate should have a minimum of 15 years of progressive business, customer management, customer account planning, and / or technical experience in the functional areas of product planning, sales, business development, strategic marketing, strategy development or engineering.

Other Requirements / Skills / Competencies

• Strong customer orientation while having the ability to balance and implement Division strategies and objectives within the context of the Bose essence and values.
• International experience and work experience within automotive OEMs, Tier 1 suppliers, Infotainment / Audio suppliers or Content providers (i.e. Pandora, XM/Sirrius) is desired
• Validated and proven functional excellence relating to Customer Account management, processes, tools, playbook/approaches.
• Knowledge of the purchasing and engineering strategies of the major automotive manufacturers including product knowledge, product codes, logistics and inventory management, pricing and quoting, and global sourcing is desired.

Bose is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to inclusion and diversity. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other legally protected characteristics. For additional information, please review: (1) the EEO is the Law Poster (http://www.dol.gov/ofccp/regs/compliance/posters/pdf/OFCCP_EEO_Supplement_Final_JRF_QA_508c.pdf); and (2) its Supplements (http://www.dol.gov/ofccp/regs/compliance/posters/ofccpost.htm). Please note, the company's pay transparency is available at http://www.dol.gov/ofccp/pdf/EO13665_PrescribedNondiscriminationPostingLanguage_JRFQA508c.pdf. Bose is committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation because of a disability for any part of the application or employment process, please send an e-mail to [email protected] and let us know the nature of your request and your contact information.