Vice President, OEM Accounts & Customer Lifecycle Services
3 days ago
Houston
Vice President, OEM Accounts & Customer Lifecycle Services Location: Houston, TX Position Overview We are seeking a senior executive to lead strategic OEM account management, customer success, aftermarket service, and lifecycle support for a portfolio of complex transportation and industrial customers. This role serves as the executive owner for key OEM relationships while also overseeing global customer support, warranty operations, field service, and post-sale performance. The successful candidate will ensure customer commitments are fulfilled throughout the product lifecycle, from business development and contract award through launch, production, service, renewal, and growth. The ideal candidate combines deep automotive or commercial vehicle OEM experience with a strong background in customer operations, warranty management, field services, and executive-level account leadership. Key Responsibilities Strategic OEM Account Leadership • Serve as the executive relationship owner for assigned OEM and strategic accounts., • Develop and execute multi-year account plans focused on revenue growth, customer retention, profitability, and long-term partnership expansion., • Maintain executive relationships across purchasing, engineering, operations, manufacturing, quality, finance, product development, and aftersales organizations., • Understand customer product roadmaps, sourcing strategies, production plans, technology priorities, and future business opportunities., • Coordinate a consistent global account strategy across regions, business units, and product platforms. Business Development & Revenue Growth • Identify opportunities for new programs, vehicle platforms, product lines, geographic expansion, and lifecycle services., • Support RFIs, RFQs, sourcing events, prototype programs, pilot initiatives, and production awards., • Partner with engineering, product management, and commercial teams to shape opportunities before formal sourcing begins., • Lead commercial negotiations, contract discussions, pricing reviews, and strategic partnership initiatives., • Maintain accurate sales forecasts, backlog visibility, pipeline reporting, and account performance metrics. Program Launch & Customer Success • Provide executive oversight from nomination through development, validation, launch, production ramp-up, and ongoing operations., • Monitor customer commitments, schedules, quality metrics, capacity planning, and launch readiness., • Ensure cross-functional alignment among engineering, operations, supply chain, quality, finance, and commercial teams., • Lead executive-level recovery plans when customer commitments, launch timing, or operational performance are at risk., • Act as the escalation point for major customer concerns and strategic account challenges. Global Service Strategy • Develop and execute a comprehensive aftermarket service and customer support strategy aligned with business growth objectives., • Establish service-level expectations, response protocols, escalation procedures, and customer communication standards., • Build scalable service capabilities including field support, technical assistance, warranty management, and authorized service networks., • Oversee service capacity planning, technician development, spare parts support, and customer uptime initiatives. Warranty & Customer Care Leadership • Own warranty strategy, governance, and customer satisfaction performance across all supported products and programs., • Ensure consistent administration of warranty claims, service cases, corrective actions, and customer communications., • Balance customer advocacy with disciplined commercial decision-making and policy compliance., • Establish reporting and KPI structures for service response times, warranty costs, customer satisfaction, and case resolution. Critical Customer Escalation Management • Lead executive response efforts for major customer incidents, quality concerns, field failures, and service escalations., • Coordinate communication among customers, technical teams, operations, and executive leadership., • Ensure rapid containment actions, effective root-cause investigations, and documented corrective actions., • Maintain customer confidence through transparent communication and proactive recovery planning. Commercial Performance • Own account-level revenue, bookings, profitability, backlog health, and customer retention objectives., • Drive margin improvement through pricing discipline, contract management, cost recovery initiatives, and commercial negotiations., • Monitor financial risks including forecast accuracy, receivables, claims exposure, warranty reserves, and contractual obligations., • Partner with Finance and Operations to align customer commitments with organizational capabilities. Service Operations & Continuous Improvement • Establish processes supporting world-class customer service, technical support, field operations, and warranty administration., • Utilize customer feedback, service data, field performance trends, and quality information to improve product reliability., • Drive continuous improvement initiatives focused on service efficiency, product uptime, and customer satisfaction., • Ensure lessons learned from field operations influence engineering, manufacturing, supplier quality, and product development activities. Cross-Functional Leadership • Lead an integrated team spanning Account Management, Customer Success, Service Operations, Warranty, Quality, Engineering, Supply Chain, Finance, and Program Management., • Establish clear ownership, accountability, escalation paths, and performance expectations., • Build a customer-first culture focused on execution, operational excellence, transparency, and long-term relationship development., • Mentor and develop high-performing commercial and service leadership teams. Required Qualifications Education • Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Business, Operations, Supply Chain, or related field., • MBA or advanced degree preferred. Experience • 12+ years of progressive experience in OEM account management, customer operations, field service, warranty, commercial leadership, or program management., • 5+ years leading large strategic accounts, customer-facing organizations, or global service operations., • Demonstrated success managing complex customer relationships from sourcing and award through launch, production, service, and renewal., • Experience managing executive-level customer relationships with significant revenue and profitability responsibility., • Experience within automotive, commercial vehicles, electrification, energy storage, industrial technology, transportation, advanced manufacturing, or related sectors. Preferred Industry Experience • Automotive OEMs, • Commercial Vehicles, • School Bus Manufacturers, • Specialty Vehicle Platforms, • Electric Vehicles, • Battery Technology, • Energy Storage Systems, • Tier 1 Automotive Suppliers, • Transportation Technology Key Competencies • Executive Relationship Management, • Strategic Account Planning, • OEM Sales & Business Development, • Customer Success Leadership, • Warranty & Service Operations, • Contract Negotiation, • Program Launch Management, • Root Cause & Corrective Action Processes, • Revenue & Margin Management, • Cross-Functional Leadership, • Global Customer Operations, • Vehicle Electrification Technologies, • High-Voltage Systems & Energy Storage Solutions Ideal Candidate Profile The ideal candidate has spent their career serving automotive, commercial vehicle, EV, battery, or industrial OEM customers and has accountability that extends beyond sales into launch execution, warranty management, aftermarket support, and long-term customer success. This individual is equally comfortable discussing strategic commercial agreements in the boardroom and leading executive customer escalations during critical ope