Account Manager, Nissan

Job Description:

Founded in 1912, ITW (NYSE: ITW) is a global industrial company built around a differentiated and proprietary business model. The company’s seven industry-leading segments leverage the ITW Business Model to generate solid growth with best-in-class margins and returns in markets where highly innovative, customer-focused solutions are required. ITW’s approximately 44,000 dedicated colleagues around the world thrive in the company’s decentralized, entrepreneurial culture.

Division Description: 

ITW Deltar Fasteners is a large division within the Automotive Segment and serves all the major OEMs and their tier suppliers with plastic fasteners. Locations include:  Frankfort, IL; Chippewa Falls, WI and our Commercial Sales and Engineering in Troy, MI. 

The division drives profitability by leveraging its innovative solutions and application engineering.  In addition to ITW’s industry leading research and development capabilities, ITW Deltar Fasteners enhances our customers’ competitive advantage by:

• Maintaining advanced engineering and manufacturing facilities in NA.
• Exchanging product, process and benchmarking information with sister units worldwide.
• Continually improving processes, material and designs to ensure every product exceeds customer specifications while providing unparalleled value.

Position Summary:

The Deltar Fasteners Account Manager is responsible for sales and account management for Nissan, related Tier suppliers.  They will reports to the N. America Sales Manager and receives additional support and guidance from global counterparts.

The Account Manager is responsible for growing existing accounts, developing new business opportunities, and establishing strong, long-term customer relationships.  This position will initiate and follow up on new product development activities and identify growth opportunities to support the division’s strategic objectives.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Along with the Sales Manager and Product Market Managers, establishes the goals for customer penetration to ensure growth with core type products on selected Focused Platform launches.   
• Leverage local & global market knowledge to focus on growing products and introduce new ones applying an “outside – in” ITW discipline.
• Nurtures customer relationships that provide insight and a landscape where ITW has a competitive advantage through our “cradle to grave” relationships.
• Ownership of comprehensive market research aligned with the strategic growth priorities, to understand the market niche and growth opportunities within the ITW products.
• Maintains a continuing analysis of product reports for each of the products that the Product Market Managers will own.
• Develop and manage a funnel of new business opportunities, prioritizing key opportunities to achieve annual sold order targets in collaboration with ITW’s global team members.
• Drive Customer Engagements through value-add activities, including Lunch & Learns, product benchmarking, vehicle teardown events, customer line walks, tech shows and wellness visits.
• Increase customer intimacy with both OEM and Tier customers through routine engagements, while fostering relationships across various organizational level and functional areas within the customer base.
• Takes ownership of products on future Focused Platforms within the Long Range Planning (LRP) periods.
• Work closely with Regional Sales Manager and global counterparts to develop local growth opportunities by leveraging global portfolio to proliferate opportunities that may be new to our region but still fit within our product portfolio and manufacturing capabilities. 

Position Skills and Experience Requirements:

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Bachelor’s degree - B.A. /B.S. from four-year College; Master’s Degree a plus
• Minimum 5-7 years of sales experience in the automotive industry
• Sales experience with Japanese OEMs (i.e.: Toyota, Nissan, Honda), proven track record of product knowledge including plastic fasteners a plus. 
• Requires overall knowledge of all areas of the vehicle – interior/exterior, body/chassis, doors, fluid, and electrical routing.
• Ability to develop project budgets where cost, value and profit are fully understood.  Supports Sales Manager and team with product forecasts such as Monthly /Quarterly reporting as well as in Capacity management, Long Range Plan and Annual Plan.
• Excellent interpersonal communication, project management and presentation skills with ability and willingness to communicate, and work with other regions and locations.
• Proven ability to deal with changes in the business or its environment.
• An inner drive to understand, communicate and exceed established agreed upon goals.
• Proven ability to generate respect and trust from staff and external customers/contacts, including the ability to collaborate with colleagues and staff to create a result driven, team-oriented environment.
• Knowledge of 80/20 Toolbox and its principles or proven ability to focus and prioritize task and objectives.
• Excellent personal computer skills in Microsoft Excel, Word and PowerPoint.
• Willing to travel; primarily domestic and occasionally world-wide.

ITW is an equal opportunity employer. We value our colleagues’ unique perspectives, experiences and ideas and create workplaces where everyone can develop their careers and perform to their full potential. 

As an equal employment opportunity employer, ITW is committed to equal employment opportunity and fair treatment for employees, beginning with the hiring process and continuing through all aspects of the employment relationship. 

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, national origin, age, disability, protected Veteran status or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local laws.