Key Account Manager - Automotive - Mechatronics

Key Account Manager – Automotive / Mechatronics
Location: Troy, MI (On-site, Monday–Friday)
Compensation: $130,000–$150,000 base + performance bonus + car allowance

I'm recruiting on behalf of a long-established organization in Troy, MI. They represent leading global suppliers in electric motors, mechatronics and related components, with particularly strong business in automotive and adjacent sectors.

They're a small, highly technical, relationship-driven team that is growing, and they're looking for a Key Account Manager who can own major accounts and operate with a high degree of independence.

The Opportunity

This is not a maintenance only sales role. You'll:

• Take over several key accounts with a large existing book of business (including a major European account and a significant automotive customer with constant RFQs and projects in play).
• Be the day-to-day owner of these customers – managing RFQs, pricing issues, engineering changes, launches, and the many good and bad realities of automotive.
• Free up the Sales Director/Owner so he can focus on strategy, supplier conferences, and broader business development – which means you'll be trusted and visible from day one.
• Support growth into non-automotive applications (e.g. off‑highway, robotics, other electrification opportunities) using the company's strong automotive capabilities as a foundation.
• Operate as part of a small, collaborative team where everyone is close to the detail and there's flexibility in how accounts are ultimately allocated based on your strengths.

What You'll Be Doing

• Key Account Ownership
  • Manage 2–4 major accounts with significant current revenue.
  • Handle ongoing RFQs, quotations and commercial negotiations.
  • Coordinate with European and other global contacts (including occasional travel to Europe for customer and supplier meetings).
• Day-to-Day Customer Management
  • Be the primary point of contact for engineering, purchasing, and program teams.
  • Resolve issues around quality, delivery, cost, and engineering changes.
  • Support program launches (including launches in Mexico) and manage the inevitable firefighting that comes with them.
• Business Development
  • Identify and pursue new opportunities within existing key accounts.
  • Help scout and develop new accounts and industries (e.g. off‑highway, robotics) where the company's technical capabilities fit.
  • Work closely with principals/suppliers on joint strategies to grow business.
• Internal Collaboration
  • Work with other account managers and a younger, developing team member – backing each other up as needed.
  • Interface closely with principals/suppliers to align on pricing, capacity, and technical proposals.

What They're Looking For

Because they're a lean team, independence and maturity are critical. They are deliberately pitching this at a higher salary band because they want someone who can come up to speed quickly and be trusted with major customers.

Ideal profile:

• Background
  • Strong experience in automotive or closely related industrial sectors.
  • Exposure to electromechanical / mechatronics products (e.g. motors, bearings, actuators, electric drive components) is a significant plus.
  • Experience as a Key Account Manager, Sales Engineer, Application Engineer, or similar customer-facing technical role.
• Technical & Commercial Aptitude
  • Mechanical engineering or similar technical degree is preferred but not strictly required; a strong technical aptitude with proven success in technical/automotive sales will also be considered.
  • Comfortable working with engineering teams and purchasing on complex programs, RFQs, and long automotive life cycles.
• Personal Fit
  • Based in Metro Detroit (or committed to being here long term) – they value stability and want someone who intends to build a career, not just take a stop‑gap role.
  • Happy to work on-site in Troy Monday–Friday – this is an in-office culture, with flexibility for personal appointments but not a hybrid/remote setup.
  • Proactive, organized, and able to juggle multiple programs and stakeholders without constant hand-holding.
  • Strong communicator – clear, timely and comfortable representing both the customer and the supplier's interests.

Compensation & Progression

• Base salary: $130,000–$150,000, depending on experience.
• Bonus: Performance-based bonus with real upside for high performers and business winners.
• Car allowance provided.
• The company is a smaller manufacturers' rep, so title progression is less important than earning progression.
• For a genuine high performer who wins new business and/or brings in new principals, there is meaningful upside on total compensati