What are the responsibilities and job description for the Global Account Director – Strategic Automotive Account position at SCN - Search Consulting Network?
The Opportunity
A leading global automotive supplier is seeking a Global Account Director to lead and grow a highly strategic global customer relationship with a premier electric vehicle and technology company.
Candidates must have current experience directly supporting Tesla and a strong understanding of how Tesla operates as a customer. This individual will bring established customer relationships, firsthand knowledge of Tesla’s expectations and decision-making processes, and the ability to navigate a fast-paced, demanding commercial environment.
This is a high-visibility leadership role responsible for protecting existing business, expanding current programs, securing new opportunities, and developing relationships across Tesla and its broader affiliated business ecosystem.
Key Responsibilities
• Lead global account strategy, customer engagement, and commercial growth for Tesla.
• Maintain and expand existing business while identifying new opportunities across vehicle platforms, future programs, and related technology ventures.
• Leverage established Tesla relationships to strengthen customer alignment, anticipate business needs, and accelerate new business development.
• Navigate Tesla’s operating culture, decision-making structure, purchasing processes, and expectations for supplier responsiveness, cost, quality, and execution.
• Lead, mentor, and manage the account management team supporting Tesla, providing strategic direction, establishing priorities, and ensuring strong customer coverage, accountability, and execution across the global account.
• Build and maintain relationships with key decision-makers across purchasing, engineering, program management, and executive leadership.
• Lead commercial negotiations, pricing discussions, forecasting, and strategic account planning.
• Coordinate global cross-functional teams to ensure alignment on customer priorities, program execution, and business objectives.
• Proactively manage customer escalations, resolve commercial and operational issues, and maintain customer confidence.
• Identify opportunities to expand the relationship across Tesla and other affiliated businesses within the broader enterprise ecosystem.
• Provide executive leadership with account performance updates, growth strategies, competitive insights, and recommendations.
Required Qualifications
• Current, direct experience supporting Tesla in a commercial, sales, or global account management capacity is required.
• Demonstrated understanding of Tesla’s operating culture, customer expectations, organizational dynamics, and supplier engagement processes.
• Proven success managing and growing a major automotive OEM account.
• Established relationships with Tesla purchasing, engineering, program, or executive stakeholders.
• Experience managing complex global accounts, commercial negotiations, and long-term business growth strategies.
• Strong ability to operate in a fast-paced, high-pressure environment requiring responsiveness, accountability, and decisive action.
• Demonstrated success partnering with cross-functional teams across sales, engineering, manufacturing, program management, and executive leadership.
• Excellent communication, negotiation, relationship management, and strategic planning skills.
• Willingness to travel as needed to support customer relationships and global business objectives.
•
Why This Opportunity?
This is an opportunity to take a leadership role with an established global supplier and influence the future of one of its most important customer partnerships. The successful candidate will have the relationships, experience, and commercial judgment to protect existing revenue, expand the business, and pursue new opportunities across a rapidly evolving automotive and technology ecosystem.
If you are interested and qualified, please send your updated resume as a Microsoft Word document, along with a brief summary of how your experience aligns with this specific position, to jim.guerrera@scnteam.com.