Junior Key Account Manager

Position focus:

• The Junior Key Account Manager will work under the guidance of the responsible Key Account Manager, supporting him/her in the daily tasks as well as in the formulation of strategy.
• The job incumbent is responsible for the orderly market penetration and the technical and commercial issues encountered in this context.
• In this position, the employee is the contact person and coordinator between the customer and commercial and technical activities as well as the quality assurance.
• The employee is responsible for communicating and checking all customer requests and requirements. This includes:
  • The selection of product specifications
  • The definition of quality targets
  • The definition of necessary trainings
  • The definition of corrective actions as well as preventive actions
  • The coordination of the product development

Main Tasks include, (but not limited to) the following:

Market penetration

• Estimation of the market potential and maintaining a potential list
• Acquisition of market data
• Creation, execution and review of market concepts and market strategies according to targets set
• Summary of the customer demand for strategic planning and sales planning
• Definition and review of the targets
• Acquisition of new customers/ expansion of the share of wallet at existing customers
• Key account management in cooperation with the worldwide sales team
• Distribution partner search, - management and supervision

Customer Care

Commercial:

• Service the customer according to the requirements incl. creation of necessary documents under the supervision of the KAM (Inspection standards, quotations, standard projects)
• Creation and execution of visit reports and the connected necessary and timely activities
• Review of incoming requests, special customer demands as well as all other documents (incl. contract reviews)
• Quotation and follow up (price negotiation together with the KAM)
• Establishment of personal contacts to the decision makers at customer side as well as their substitutes
• Customer visit planning

Technical:

• Establish and maintain relationships with the technical decision makers at the customers
• Coordination of drawings, specifications as well as requesting customer approvals
• Technical customer care and – consultation
• Clarification, review and selection of product types from requests or sample orders
• Initiate and follow up sample requests
• Support innovation initiatives
• Facilitate deviation approvals
• Conduct and coordinate technical coordination (incl. sign off) internally and/ or externally at the customer
• Review of incoming quality complaints and return shipments in cooperation with the service engineer

Organisation/ Process:

• Quotation and follow up
• Coordination of claims
• Review of all incoming documents and customer requests

Key Account Management:

• Support the Key Account Manager in the daily work with the customer
• Support the Key Account Manager for all activities in the World-Key-Account

Organization

• Project management
• Creation of summary reports accurately reflecting the account situation and necessary actions

Requirements

Experience required

• 2+ years of experience in the respective field (Automotive)
• Technical degree, mechanical engineering preferred
• Sales experience required
• Basic SAP knowledge preferred
• Microsoft office fluency
• Fluent English mandatory
• Native Japanese

Personality Traits

• Team player
• “Owner” mentality – interested and motivated to tackle all related issues
• Able to work with different (cultural) mentalities
• Willingness to learn
• Ability to listen and cooperate
• Readiness to support daily tasks as well as to participate in Account strategy creation