Sales Specialist

I.    General Summary:    Coordinate all commodity or program quotations and activity for all stages of development and production with the support of various internal TBA departments.  Develop a strong understanding of assigned programs to serve as the subject matter expert.  Manage tooling and piece price communications and negotiations with customer to achieve expected Return on Sales (ROS) and profitability targets.  Assess engineering changes and cost/price relationship and maintain records in order to report for both internal management and external customers.  

II.    Essential Job Functions:
A.    Obtain and analyze data (drawings, supplier quotes, engineering changes, etc.), create detailed quotes, and negotiate with the customer.
1.    Coordinate new quote activity at all stages for assigned commodities, components, and tooling.
2.    Provide clear explanations for quote strategies.
3.    Make quotations for new business RFQ.
4.    Correspond with customer on pricing details and negotiate on piece price and tooling.
5.    Verify pricing conforms to TBA standards and is accurate.
6.    Investigate cost vs. price with TBA internal departments to improve profitability.
B.    Maintain profit tracking of the program through each engineering change level.
1.    Provide financial status of the program (profit and loss) for piece price and tooling status.
2.    Submit estimates and quotations to the customer for potential Engineering Change Instructions (ECI).
3.    Establish sales recovery associated with ECIs and for budget purposes (e.g., internal approvals).
4.    Review ECI requests for financial impact and approve changes once financial responsibility has been identified.
5.    Submit customer forms for pricing changes when ECIs are implemented.
C.    Follow up on customer purchase orders for tracking and payment.
D.    Provide and explain price detail information to internal management and the customer.
E.    Manage the schedule and ensure clear understanding of cost structure in preparation of customer paperwork.
F.    Develop and determine intercompany pricing (including changes) for components.
G.    Compare new program sales quotation with Cost Planning (CP) calculations to ensure profitability and/or identify delta items.
H.    Recommend improvements to internal sales working processes.
I.    Calculate and report financial feedback for Cost Change Instruction Sheets (CCIS), Value Analysis/Value Engineering (VA/VE) ideas, and pre-ECI documents (i.e. – feasibility studies).
J.    Consult with internal departments to close profit gaps for assigned commodities or programs.    
K.    Follow safety, quality, confidentiality, and information security policies and procedures
        
III.    Minimum Qualifications/Requirements:

Education: 
•    Bachelor’s degree in Business, Engineering, Economics, Finance, Project Management, or related field required.
•    Master’s degree preferred.

Experience:
•    Greater than four (4) years of relevant experience preferred.
•    Project cost management and/or associated automotive sales/finance experience or equivalent formal education.
•    Previous experience working for a Tier I or Tier II Automotive company is preferred.
•    Minimum of three years of automotive interiors experience preferred.
•    Previous experience with commodity based quotations is preferred, to include:
o    Plastic injection, stamping/welding, urethane foam, trim materials, seat/door/carpet/headliner materials, associated assembly processes, and related tooling.

Personal/Technical Skills:
•    Thorough understanding and working knowledge of automotive plants and processes/principles, company products, trade terminology, manufacturing processes, tooling and equipment, and machine operation is strongly preferred.
•    Ability to read, analyze, interpret, and understand engineering documents such as 2D/3D automotive drawings (component, assembly, and equipment), technical standards, and ECI.
•    College level mathematical ability (algebra/geometry/trigonometry).
•    Ability to calculate figures and amounts such as discounts, interest, percentages, commissions, proportions, margins, and mark-up. 
•    Sufficient mechanical aptitude is required.
•    Strong negotiation skills are preferred.
•    Excellent time management skills.
•    Strong multitasking and organization skills.
•    Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills.
•    Ability to work with a dynamic and demanding team.
•    Ability to compile effective and concise visual reports and graphs.
•    Ability to communicate and work well with all levels of the organization.
•    Ability to present financial and/or technical information in support of the company’s goals.
•    Ability to be adaptable and flexible in a constantly changing environment.
•    Ability to work in a team environment to support demanding automotive customer requirements.
•    Ability to take the initiative and work with minimal supervision.
•    Willingness to learn new skills as our product offering and customer base evolves.

Language Skills:
•    Strong verbal and written communication skills in English.
•    Japanese, Spanish, and/or Portuguese is a plus.

Computer/Software:
•    Solid working knowledge and demonstrated experience with Microsoft Office and other computer-based applications (e.g., MS Word, MS PowerPoint, Outlook, Internet, etc.).
•    Functional capability in remote meeting technologies (MS Teams, Skype, FaceTime, etc.).
•    Proficiency in MS Excel required.
•    Proficiency in MS PowerPoint preferred.

IV.    Work Environment/Conditions:

Office:  Primarily Work from Home with access to Open Office Environment, moderate noise level.

Plant:  Various types of manufacturing environments.
•    Standard automotive plant environment with moderate noise level.  
•    PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) such as safety glasses, steel toe shoes, Kevlar sleeves, hearing protection, etc. may be required in designated engineering, manufacturing, or industrial areas.  Personal attire standards may apply.
•    Involves moderate or occasional presence of some slightly disagreeable conditions, i.e., cold, dust, heat, odor, etc.

Travel:  Must be willing to travel up to 25% of the time – sometimes with short notice - to visit manufacturing sites and satellite offices.

V.    Physical Demands:
Ability to sit and work on a computer for extensive periods of time is required.  While performing the duties of this job, the team member is required to talk, see, and hear.  The team member must be capable of walking, sitting, and standing for extended periods of time and is occasionally required to lift, move, and carry up to 30 pounds.

Disclaimer: This job description is intended to identify the general nature and level of work performed by team members within this classification, as well as certain essential job functions. It is not intended, and should not be interpreted, as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, and qualifications required of team members assigned to this job. To qualify for this job, however, a team member must be able to perform its essential functions with or without reasonable accommodation. Under no circumstances may this job description be construed as altering the at-will nature of the employment relationship between TBA and any team member.

EOE