Engineering Account Manager

Salary
$100k-$120k + Bonus

Job Summary
The Global Engineering Account Manager is responsible for managing assigned strategic customer accounts through the full lifecycle of the customer relationship, from design review and manufacturing feasibility through tooling coordination, validation, launch, production support, pricing, quality issue resolution, and ongoing account growth.

This role serves as the primary technical and commercial bridge between the customer and our client's global manufacturing operations. The position is responsible for understanding customer needs, communicating those needs clearly to our client's manufacturing plants and internal teams, and communicating Design for Manufacturing feedback, technical recommendations, quality requirements, pricing impacts, and production concerns back to the customer.

The role is customer-facing, engineering-oriented, and commercially accountable. It requires strong technical judgment, clear communication, disciplined follow-through, and the ability to coordinate work across engineering, quality, production, tooling, supply chain, executive leadership, and international manufacturing partners. The position does not directly supervise Team Members but is expected to lead cross-functional activity and drive accountability across multiple functions and locations.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

1. Customer Relationship and Account Lifecycle Management

• Serve as the primary point of contact for assigned customer accounts, including one or more major strategic accounts.
• Own the customer relationship throughout the full lifecycle, including design, quoting, development, validation, launch, production, engineering changes, quality concerns, and account growth.
• Maintain a deep understanding of customer requirements, product applications, business priorities, technical expectations, and communication preferences.
• Build and maintain trusted working relationships with customer engineering, sourcing, quality, operations, and leadership contacts.
• Support growth with existing customers by identifying new opportunities, expanding current programs, and helping position the company for additional business.
• Support new business development activities involving existing customers; this role does not carry primary responsibility for prospecting or finding new customers.
• Represent the company professionally in customer meetings, technical reviews, launch discussions, quality reviews, pricing discussions, and executive-level account updates.
• Ensure customer concerns, risks, and expectations are communicated internally in a clear, timely, and actionable manner.

2. Design Review and Design for Manufacturing Coordination

• Review customer drawings, specifications, models, tolerances, materials, quality expectations, and technical requirements during the design and development phase.
• Evaluate product designs for manufacturing feasibility, cost, quality risk, tooling implications, process capability, and production scalability.
• Communicate customer design intent, application requirements, and critical-to-quality characteristics to the company's engineering, manufacturing, tooling, and quality teams.
• Coordinate Design for Manufacturing feedback from the company's domestic and international manufacturing operations and communicate that feedback to the customer.
• Provide technical recommendations directly to customers when appropriate and coordinate technical recommendations from the company's engineering, tooling, quality, and manufacturing teams.
• Support discussions involving CAD files, 2D drawings, GD&T, tolerances, electrical requirements, material specifications, process capability, and inspection requirements.
• Help identify design risks that could affect manufacturability, quality, cost, lead time, tooling performance, or production continuity.
• Recognize that final design approval authority remains with the customer, while ensuring the company provides clear, practical, and well-documented manufacturing input.

3. Tooling, Launch, Validation, and Customer Approval Support

• Coordinate internal and external activities related to tooling, sampling, validation, qualification, and customer approval requirements.
• Support tooling-related communication involving domestic and overseas tooling sources.
• Track launch milestones, open issues, customer deliverables, timing risks, validation needs, and approval status.
• Coordinate with engineering, quality, production, tooling, supply chain, and manufacturing plants to support successful product launches.
• Support customer approval processes, including PPAP, first article inspection, qualification runs, process validation, capability studies, customer-specific validation requirements, and other applicable approval activities.
• Ensure customer expectations for samples, documentation, inspection results, dimensional reports, material certifications, testing, and validation evidence are clearly understood and met.
• Identify launch risks early and escalate concerns that could affect timing, quality, cost, or customer approval.
• Participate in customer launch reviews, readiness reviews, technical reviews, and production handoff discussions.

4. Production Support and Issue Resolution

• Remain engaged after launch as the customer-facing owner for assigned account issues related to production, quality, engineering changes, material changes, delivery risks, and commercial impacts.
• Coordinate internal response to customer production concerns, including quality defects, process instability, nonconforming material, material substitutions, drawing changes, inspection concerns, and delivery disruptions.
• Work with Quality to coordinate corrective action responses, 8D activity, root cause analysis, containment updates, corrective action timing, and customer communication.
• Own customer communication during quality issues while partnering with Quality for technical investigation, root cause, containment, corrective action, and verification.
• Coordinate with production and manufacturing plants to understand production constraints, process limitations, equipment issues, yield concerns, scrap concerns, and capacity risks.
• Escalate unresolved or high-risk issues to the VP of Engineering and Executive Leadership Team when appropriate.
• Support engineering change control, customer change requests, internal change reviews, and implementation planning.
• Ensure production issues are not only communicated but driven to closure with clear ownership, timing, and follow-up.

5. Commercial, Pricing, and Margin Responsibilities

• Participate in pricing strategy, quoting, customer negotiations, and commercial discussions involving assigned accounts.
• Support, prepare, review, and negotiate pricing related to part production, tooling, engineering changes, material changes, expedited work, change orders, production changes, and customer-requested modifications.
• Work with Executive Leadership Team members to ensure pricing decisions align with company strategy, customer expectations, cost structure, margin requirements, and business risk.
• Maintain awareness of material costs, tooling costs, labor assumptions, production yields, scrap exposure, freight impacts, engineering requirements, and validation costs that affect pricing and margin.
• Protect margin by identifying cost changes, scope changes, inefficient production assumptions, and customer-driven requirements that may require price adjustment.
• Support account revenue retention, account growth, and margin protection for assigned customers.
• Ensure final commercial approval is obtained from the Executive Leadership Team before commitments are made where required.

6. Cross-Functional and Global Coordination

• Lead cross-functional coordination across engineering, quality, production, tooling, supply chain, customer service, finance, and executive leadership.
• Coordinate with the company's domestic and international manufacturing operations, including U.S., China, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan, and other applicable locations.
• Ensure customer needs are translated into clear internal action items, technical requirements, timing expectations, and accountable owners.
• Drive internal follow-up on customer commitments, open issues, launch milestones, pricing actions, and quality responses.
• Facilitate communication between customer teams and the company's teams across time zones, cultures, functions, and technical disciplines.
• Participate in calls or meetings outside normal business hours when needed to support global manufacturing coordination.
• Maintain clear records of key customer communications, commitments, decisions, risks, and action items.
• Lead through influence and accountability, even though the role does not have direct supervisory authority.

7. Documentation, Communication, and Reporting

• Maintain accurate customer communication records, technical notes, meeting summaries, open issue lists, project updates, pricing support information, validation status, and launch records as required.
• Use CREO, Excel, and other applicable business tools to review, organize, communicate, and track technical and account information.
• Prepare customer-facing updates, internal status reports, executive summaries, launch updates, risk reports, and issue-resolution summaries.
• Ensure communication is factual, timely, professional, and appropriate for both technical and executive audiences.
• Follow all applicable company policies, safety requirements, customer confidentiality expectations, and document control practices.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

Required Skills and Abilities

• Strong technical understanding of engineered parts, manufacturing processes, customer specifications, and product launch requirements.
• Ability to read and interpret customer drawings, specifications, CAD-related information, tolerances, and technical documentation.
• Working knowledge of GD&T, manufacturing feasibility, tooling implications, materials, inspection requirements, and process capability.
• Ability to understand customer needs and translate them into actionable internal requirements.
• Ability to communicate technical manufacturing feedback to customers in a clear, practical, and commercially aware manner.
• Strong customer relationship management skills with the ability to maintain credibility with engineering, quality, sourcing, operations, and leadership contacts.
• Strong cross-functional leadership skills, including the ability to influence teams without direct supervisory authority.
• Strong commercial judgment, including pricing awareness, margin protection, negotiation support, and cost impact analysis.
• Ability to coordinate quality responses, corrective action communication, production issue resolution, and customer escalations.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong organizational skills and disciplined follow-through.
• Ability to manage multiple accounts, programs, priorities, deadlines, and open issues at the same time.
• Ability to work effectively with domestic and international manufacturing teams.
• Ability to operate with discretion when handling customer information, pricing information, engineering information, and business-sensitive matters.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Excel.
• Ability to use or review information in CREO or similar engineering tools.
• Ability to travel domestically and internationally.
• Ability to pass a background screen.

Key Outcomes and Performance Expectations
The Global Engineering Account Manager is expected to produce measurable results in the following areas:

1. Customer Relationship and Account Growth

• Assigned customer accounts are actively managed, professionally supported, and positioned for long-term retention and growth.
• Customer communication is clear, timely, accurate, and credible.
• Existing customer relationships are strengthened through technical competence, responsiveness, and disciplined execution.
• Opportunities for account growth are identified, communicated, and supported.

2. Design and Manufacturing Alignment

• Customer requirements are accurately understood and communicated to internal teams.
• The company's Design for Manufacturing feedback is clearly developed, coordinated, and communicated to the customer.
• Design, tooling, material, quality, and process risks are identified early.
• Technical and commercial implications of design decisions are properly escalated and documented.

3. Launch and Validation Execution

• New parts and programs are launched with clear milestones, defined requirements, and effective cross-functional coordination.
• PPAP, first article, qualification, validation, customer approval, and related launch requirements are supported and tracked.
• Launch issues are identified early and driven to closure.
• Customer approval timelines are supported through accurate documentation and timely communication.

4. Quality and Production Issue Resolution

• Customer quality concerns are acknowledged, coordinated, communicated, and closed effectively.
• Quality owns the technical investigation and corrective action process, while this role owns customer-facing coordination and communication.
• Production issues, material changes, engineering changes, and customer concerns are escalated appropriately.
• Corrective actions and customer commitments are tracked to completion.

5. Commercial Performance and Margin Protection

• Pricing discussions are supported with accurate technical, tooling, material, production, and cost information.
• Tooling costs, piece price, engineering charges, material increases, expedited work, and change-order pricing are handled with appropriate commercial discipline.
• Revenue retention, account growth, and margin protection are actively supported.
• Executive Leadership Team approval is obtained for applicable commercial commitments.

6. Internal Coordination and Accountability

• Internal teams understand customer requirements, timing expectations, and open issues.
• Cross-functional action items are tracked, followed up, and escalated as needed.
• Domestic and international manufacturing teams receive clear and timely communication.
• Records of customer commitments, technical decisions, risks, pricing matters, and open issues are maintained appropriately.

Education and Experience
Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering required.
• 3 to 5 years of experience in engineering, technical account management, manufacturing program management, product launch, project management, or a closely related role.
• Experience working with engineered products, customer specifications, technical drawings, manufacturing requirements, and cross-functional project coordination.
• Experience communicating directly with customers on technical, quality, production, or commercial matters.
• Experience supporting product launch, validation, production readiness, quality approval, or manufacturing transfer activities.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Excel.
• Ability to review or work with technical information in CREO or similar engineering software.
• Ability to travel domestically and internationally up to approximately 15%.
• Ability to participate in calls or meetings outside normal business hours when required to support global manufacturing operations.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Plastics Engineering, with electrical engineering experience considered especially valuable.
• Experience with injection molding, vertical injection molding, tooling, plastics, cable assemblies, CNC processes, inspection automation, or complex engineered parts.
• Experience supporting international manufacturing operations.
• Experience with PPAP, APQP, first article inspection, process validation, capability studies, customer approval processes, or customer-specific validation requirements.
• Experience with pricing, quoting, cost analysis, customer negotiation, margin protection, or commercial account support.

Work Environment and Schedule

• This position operates in both office and manufacturing environments.
• Work may include time at a desk, in conference rooms, in production areas, at customer sites, and at domestic or international manufacturing locations.
• The standard schedule is generally during normal business hours; however, flexibility is required to support customer needs, production issues, launch activity, urgent quality matters, and coordination with international teams across multiple time zones.
• Travel is required up to approximately 15%, including domestic customer visits and international travel to manufacturing, tooling, supplier, or customer locations.
• Travel may include locations such as the United States, China, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan, or other locations as business needs require.
• The role may require entry into production areas where PPE is required.

Physical Requirements

• Ability to work at a computer for extended periods of time.
• Ability to participate in meetings, calls, customer reviews, and technical discussions for extended periods.
• Ability to walk through production areas, tooling areas, warehouses, and customer or supplier facilities.
• Ability to stand, walk, bend, reach, and visually inspect parts, tooling, equipment, or production conditions as needed.
• Ability to occasionally lift up to 25 pounds.
• Ability to travel by car and airplane, including international travel.
• Ability to wear required PPE in manufacturing environments, including safety glasses, safety shoes, hearing protection, or other required protective equipment.

Other Requirements

• Must comply with all company policies, safety rules, customer confidentiality requirements, and applicable quality system requirements.
• Must be able to work effectively with domestic and international teams.
• Must be able to handle confidential customer, pricing, engineering, and business information.
• Must maintain professional communication with customers, suppliers, manufacturing plants, and internal leadership.
• Must be able to manage competing priorities, urgent issues, and high-visibility customer matters with sound judgment and discipline.
• Must be able to pass a background screen.
• This job description is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, or qualifications associated with the role. Duties may change at any time based on business needs.