European Key Account Manager for Chinese OEMs

Job Description

European Key Account Manager OEM – Chinese speaker | Saint-Gobain

The Tone:
This is a full-time role at Saint-Gobain, situated in either France, Spain, or Poland, and demands regular weekly travel to Thourotte, France, alongside frequent international travel to China. Saint-Gobain, through its Sekurit division, specializes in high-performance automotive glazing and related solutions for the global automotive industry. This position is crucial for navigating the complex and expanding market of Chinese Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) in Europe, directly impacting Saint-Gobain’s market share, strategic partnerships, and financial success within this key segment.

The TL;DR
• Role: Full Time
• Type: Full-time
• Location: Hybrid – France, Spain or Poland

• Mission: Lead and manage key Chinese OEM accounts in Europe, driving business acquisition, fostering growth, and improving overall profitability.

What You’ll Actually Do
• Account Leadership: Lead and manage key Chinese OEM accounts across Europe, serving as the primary commercial contact for these relationships.
• Strategic Coordination: Coordinate actively with both the European and Chinese organizations of C-OEM and Sekurit to ensure strategic alignment and collaborative execution.
• Business Growth: Spearhead RFQ processes, driving new business acquisition, securing new opportunities, and fostering overall growth for assigned accounts.
• Product & Profitability Management: Drive product value enhancement through VA/VE initiatives, HAVP introduction, and innovation, while improving profitability via Commercial Action Plans and strategic price negotiations.
• Operational Sales & Standards: Manage local sales operations in Europe, encompassing order processing and pricing, support commercial project follow-up, oversee contract management, and contribute to establishing and applying global standards for COEMs.

The Must-Haves
• Background: Master’s degree or an equivalent qualification, specifically preparing for a Key Account Manager role within the automotive or a related industrial sector, emphasizing commercial strategy and technical understanding.
• Experience: A minimum of 3 to 5 years of relevant professional experience, with a significant portion spent as a Key Account Manager. Essential experience includes successful engagement with Chinese customer organizations and a deep understanding of Chinese business culture.
• Skills: Native-level proficiency in Chinese, fluent command of English, a strong technical understanding and the capability to effectively promote complex products, proven strong analytical skills for market and financial assessment, and excellent negotiation and communication abilities to manage diverse stakeholders.
• Bonus: The ability and willingness to quickly learn a local European language (French, Polish, or Spanish), coupled with a demonstrated ambition to drive teams towards excellence and success, a highly adaptable and agile approach, and a strategic aptitude for prudent risk-taking.