What are the responsibilities and job description for the Assistant Manager, Sales Engineering position at Yamaha?
Yamaha Fine Technologies is an automotive supplier manufacturing real material interior trims for the automotive sector. The team located in the U.S. works with internal & external stakeholders for developing interior trims and creating value by managing customers’ relationships in North America.
Purpose of Role
Provide effective technical and design proposals to improve customer satisfaction and win new programs and new business. This is a remote position based in Detroit, MI.
Key Accountabilities Include
- Lead sales engineering activities to ensure accurate, timely, and high‑quality technical support to customers across multiple programs.
- Ensure customer requirements are fully understood and translated into feasible designs
- Manage product development timelines and technical deliverables
- Drive effective technical communication with customers and internal stakeholders
- Ensure material and validation compliance to support production readiness
- Support customer satisfaction through quality and issue resolution
- Contribute to technology development, team capability, and continuous improvement
Primary Responsibilities Include
- Manage multiple program timelines, ensuring on‑time customer approvals for tools, designs, prototypes, and validation milestones.
- Work closely with customers, Japan team, production, materials, and quality teams to ensure clear understanding of requirements and feasible, manufacturable solutions.
- Provide technical input, feasibility assessment, and solution development to support new customer opportunities and future programs.
- Prepare and manage quality deliverables (PPAP, APQP, AAR, FTN) and support investigation and resolution of quality events with customers and internal teams.
- Support benchmarking of competitor technologies and communicate emerging engineering concepts and capabilities to customers and YCJ.
- Serve as a subject‑matter expert in manufacturing processes, materials, and design principles, while training and mentoring junior sales engineers.
Core Functional Competencies
- Project Integration: Ensure that all of a project's work elements are coordinated, including project planning and execution processes
- Project Management: Plans, organizes, and manages tasks and resources to bring about successful completion of a specific project.
- Quality Control: Maintain curriculum and instruction quality standards
- Consultative Sales Skills: Ability to alleviate channel partner's pain points and recommend products and services that meet channel partners' needs
- Customer/Dealer Problem Resolution: Gather and analyze information to understand root causes of issues and determine appropriate solutions
- Technical Product Acumen: Demonstrate in-depth knowledge of Yamaha's products and services
Core Behavioral Competencies
- Yamaha Way (Will, Integrity, Initiative, Challenge, Commitment)
- Customer Focus
- Instills Trust
- Drives Results
- Manages Conflict
- Develops Talent
- Ensures Accountability
Qualifications
Ideal
- Strong technical background in product design, manufacturing processes, and feasibility analysis
- Proven ability to coordinate cross‑functional teams across engineering, production, quality, and materials
- Experience managing multiple programs, timelines, and customer deliverables simultaneously
- Effective communication and negotiation skills with customers, suppliers, and stakeholders
- Travel up to 50%, including international travel
Preferred
- Experience providing technical leadership or mentoring within an engineering team
- Experience in the automotive industry, particularly supporting OEM customers
- Knowledge of plastic injection molding and related manufacturing processes
- Background working with multi-region teams, international customers, or programs involving cross-border engineering collaboration
- Familiarity with automotive product launch and quality processes (e.g., APQP, PPAP, DV/PV)
- Demonstrated ability to support customer‑facing engineering discussions and negotiations
- Live in the Detroit metropolitan area
Here’s What We’ll Bring
- Comprehensive benefits package including Medical, Vision, Dental, LTD, Life-Insurance and 401k with match AND automatic contributions
- Performance based bonus program
- Robust employee wellness programs including free music lessons
- Generous Wellness reimbursement program
- Tobacco cessation reward program
- Private concerts from award winning artists
- Discounted hotel, travel, entertainment, and other attractions
- Employee product purchase program
- Casual dress
- Vacation, sick-time and personal floating holidays
- Monthly events, for example -- Bring Your Dog to Work Day, Employee Singing Competitions, Spirit Week and other fun events
- Inclusive and passionate culture
- We foster a culture in which everyone feels welcomed, included, and valued; and recognize that diversity contributes to the success of Yamaha