Job Description
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Sales Manager
Division:  FAS DIV NORTH AMERICA
Contract Type: 
Job Location:  AUBURN HILLS HQ R&D
Job Description: 

Forvia, a sustainable mobility technology leader

We pioneer technology for mobility experience that matter to people.

Your mission, roles and responsibilities

Overall responsibilities and duties:

 

At FORVIA Seating, the Senior Sales Manager plays a strategic, end‑to‑end leadership role, owning customer relationships from business acquisition through serial life. With a high level of autonomy and accountability, you act as the primary customer reference, driving trust, profitable growth, and long‑term partnerships.

Based at our Auburn Hills R&D Center, you are fully responsible for a customer portfolio, including commercial strategy, negotiations, program profitability, and team mentorship. You operate as the business owner for your perimeter, with direct responsibility for P&L performance and sustainable growth.

 

Key Responsibilities & Duties

 

Customer Ownership & Strategy

 

  • Own the customer relationship from acquisition to serial life, acting as the single point of accountability.
  • Build and maintain trusted, executive‑level relationships with customer Purchasing, Engineering, Program, and Finance organizations.
  • Define and execute the customer commercial strategy, aligned with FORVIA Seating objectives.
  • Represent FORVIA as a credible, strategic partner, capable of influencing customer decisions and long‑term roadmaps.
  • Monitor competitive landscape and proactively position FORVIA to win and protect business.
  • Initiate and support business development activities, including customer technology days, trade shows, and targeted commercial campaigns, to promote FORVIA Seating innovations and drive growth with assigned customers.

 

Business Acquisition & Negotiation

 

  • Lead all RFQs, nominations, and commercial negotiations for your customer portfolio.
  • Define pricing strategies, negotiation paths, and risk mitigation plans.
  • Ensure offers are robust, competitive, compliant, and aligned with internal governance.
  • Secure profitable business awards while balancing customer expectations, internal constraints, and long‑term margin targets

 

P&L Ownership & Performance Management

 

  • Own the full P&L for the assigned customer portfolio, including program financials and overall customer profitability.
  • Ensure disciplined management of pricing, margins, tooling recovery, commercial claims, and lifecycle profitability.
  • Define, track, and deliver against key performance indicators (KPIs) related to sales growth, margin, cash, and customer performance.
  • Proactively identify financial risks and opportunities, and lead corrective or value‑creation actions to secure targets.
  • Report performance transparently and drive accountability across cross‑functional teams.

 

Leadership & Team Development

  • Mentor, coach, and develop Sales Managers / Sales Engineers within your scope.
  • Set clear objectives, ensure accountability, and foster a high‑performance, team‑oriented culture.
  • Act as a role model for ownership mindset, professionalism, and customer centricity.
  • Work cross‑functionally with Engineering, Purchasing, Finance, Program Management, and Operations.

 

 

Your profile and competencies to succeed

Required Qualifications

 

  • Bachelor’s degree in Business, Engineering, Finance, or a related field (Master’s degree preferred).
  • 10+ years of experience in automotive sales, with strong exposure to OEM customers.
  • Demonstrated success in business acquisition, complex negotiations, and full P&L ownership.
  • Solid understanding of program management, cost structures, and commercial governance.
  • Proven ability to operate with a high level of autonomy, make sound decisions, and manage complex, high‑stakes situations.
  • Strong communication, leadership, and stakeholder management skills.
  • Experience with Class A products; seating experience is a strong plus.
  • Previous experience managing GM accounts is highly preferred.

What we can do for you

  • At Forvia, you will find an engaging and dynamic environment where you can contribute to the development of sustainable mobility leading technologies.  
  • We are the seventh-largest global automotive supplier, employing more than 157,000 people in more than 40 countries which makes a lot of opportunity for career development. 
  • We welcome energetic and agile people who can thrive in a fast-changing environment. People who share our strong values. Team players with a collaborative mindset and a passion to deliver high standards for our clients. Lifelong learners. High performers. Globally minded people who aspire to work in a transforming industry, where excellence, speed, and quality count. 
  • We cultivate a learning environment, dedicating tools and resources to ensure we remain at the forefront of mobility.  Our people enjoy an average of more than 22 hours of online and in-person training within FORVIA University (five campuses around the world) 
  • We offer a multicultural environment that values diversity and international collaboration. We believe that diversity is a strength. To create an inclusive culture where all forms of diversity create real value for the company, we have adopted gender diversity targets and inclusion action plans. 
  • Achieving CO2 Net Zero as a pioneer of the automotive industry is a priority: In June 2022, Forvia became the first global automotive group to be certified with the new SBTI Net-Zero Standard (the most ambitious standard of SBTi), aligned with the ambition of the 2015 Paris Agreement of limiting global warming to 1.5°C. Three principles guide our action: use less, use better and use longer, with a focus on recyclability and circular economy. 

Why join us

FORVIA is an automotive technology group at the heart of smarter and more sustainable mobility. We bring together expertise in electronics, clean mobility, lighting, interiors, seating, and lifecycle solutions to drive change in the automotive industry.

With a history stretching back more than a century, we are the 7th largest global automotive supplier, employing more than 157,000 people in 43 countries. You'll find our technology in around 1 out of 2 vehicles produced anywhere in the world.

In June 2022, we became the 1st global automotive group to be certified with the SBTI Net-Zero Standard. We have committed to reach CO2 Net Zero by no later than 2045.

As technological innovation and the need for sustainability transform the automotive industry, we are ideally positioned to deliver solutions that will enhance the lives of road-users everywhere.
 
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