Assistant Manager, Sales Engineering

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.

• 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

• 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.

• 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

• Yamaha Way (Will, Integrity, Initiative, Challenge, Commitment)


• Customer Focus


• Instills Trust


• Drives Results


• Manages Conflict


• Develops Talent


• Ensures Accountability

• 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

• 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

• 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