Job Description
Team Lead - Customer Project Manager – Industrial Sales
Department: Stabilus US / Americas, Industrial Sales Division
Reports to: Director of Engineering
Location: Gastonia, NC (Hybrid) at Stabilus Americas Headquarters
Travel: Less than 10%
Classification: Full-Time, Salary, Exempt
About Stabilus
Stabilus is a global leader in motion control technology - designing and manufacturing gas springs, dampers, and electromechanical drive systems for industrial, commercial, and automotive applications. With approximately €1.2 billion in annual revenue and operations across 45 locations worldwide, Stabilus serves customers in more than 50 countries. Our Americas Industrial Sales Division partners with direct customers and a broad distributor network to deliver custom-engineered solutions across a wide range of industrial segments.
Summary:
The Customer Project Manager (CPM) Team Lead is a key operational leadership role within the Industrial Sales Division. This position is responsible for building and leading a team of Customer Project Managers who coordinate new product projects from commercial opportunity through series production launch - serving both direct customers and distributor partners across the Americas region.
The CPM Team Lead combines hands-on project oversight with people leadership, ensuring every project is delivered on time, at the right quality, and with a consistent customer experience. This role partners closely with Application Engineering, Sales, Quality, and Manufacturing to drive alignment and accountability across the full project lifecycle.
Key Responsibilities
Team Leadership & Organizational Development
- Lead, coach, and develop a structured team of Customer Project Managers across varying levels of experience.
- Define, develop, and continuously refine team roles, responsibilities, and escalation paths to support organizational growth and project complexity.
- Build team capability through regular one-on-one coaching, performance feedback, development planning, and succession planning.
- Identify skill gaps and coordinate targeted training to strengthen team effectiveness and consistency.
- Update and maintain the RASI and Support Matrix, with approval from department heads, to ensure clear ownership, accountability, and cross-functional alignment.
- Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, professionalism, and continuous improvement within the team.
Project Management & Operational Oversight
- Oversee the full customer project coordination lifecycle, from opportunity handoff through launch and series production release.
- Establish, maintain, and continuously improve project templates, task lists, and standardized workflows, including communication of expected lead times for critical activities.
- Evaluate project tasks and progress to ensure due dates are achieved; proactively escalate risks, identify bottlenecks, and address internal capacity or process constraints that could impact delivery.
- Confirm that solution levels are properly assigned and consistently utilized across projects to confirm it represents sustainable business for Stabilus
- Monitor project timelines, deliverables, and quotation quality to ensure execution meets company and customer expectations.
- Lead the ongoing improvement of project workflows, documentation practices, and standard operating procedures.
- Manage the implementation and maintenance of tiered project structures to support appropriate project governance and execution discipline.
Launch Management & Execution Accountability
- Hold overall responsibility for ensuring all customer project launches are executed on time, meet target objectives, and satisfy quality and business requirements.
- Drive launch readiness by monitoring key milestones, coordinating cross-functional actions, and escalating issues that place launch timing or quality at risk.
- Facilitate formal pre-release review meetings as required gates prior to series production release.
- Ensure timely communication with materials planning and purchasing when new components or requirements are introduced during launch preparation.
- Maintain focus on launch discipline and executional excellence across the entire project portfolio.
Customer, Distributor & Commercial Coordination
- Serve as the senior escalation point for distributor and direct customer account issues requiring leadership involvement.
- Oversee the team’s day-to-day coordination of distributor relationships, including quotations, pricing alignment, account reviews, and commercial support.
- Ensure quotations are prepared within established pricing authority and escalation guidelines according to agreed structures.
- Support distributor account planning, demand forecasting, and joint commercial initiatives to strengthen customer relationships and business performance.
Capacity Planning & Escalation Management
- Maintain visibility across team workload, project pipelines, and internal task queues to identify constraints before they affect customer commitments.
- Evaluate project activities to identify bottlenecks, restrictions, and capacity limitations across internal functions.
- Serve as the primary coordination link between Sales and internal prototype, pilot, and launch execution teams.
- Balance priorities across the active project portfolio to protect customer commitments and business objectives.
- Evaluate PPAP pilot requests to confirm appropriate quantities, validate customer requirements, and ensure no practical alternative solution exists before approval.
Cross-Functional Leadership
- Serve as the central liaison between Customer Project Management, Application Engineering, Quality, Launch Coordination, Sales, and other supporting functions.
- Ensure project ownership, responsibilities, and expectations are clearly communicated at project initiation and throughout execution.
- Act as an internal advocate for the customer experience by promoting transparency, responsiveness, and alignment across all functions.
- Drive strong collaboration across both direct and distributor sales channels to ensure consistency in execution and communication.
Metrics, KPI Ownership & Continuous Improvement
- Develop and own the KPI framework for the Customer Project Management function, including measures related to speed, quality, customer satisfaction, team performance, and structural effectiveness.
- Establish metrics that evaluate whether team structure, processes, and project execution methods are contributing to business success or revealing areas of inefficiency or loss.
- Lead regular performance reviews and provide concise, actionable reporting to leadership.
- Analyze recurring issues, project delays, and process bottlenecks to identify root causes and implement sustainable corrective actions.
- Drive process simplification, automation, and knowledge capture initiatives, including playbooks, standard operating procedures, and reference guides.
Key Performance Indicators
- Customer Net Promoter Score (NPS)
- Team Employee Net Promoter Score (eNPS)
- Quotation Cycle Time by Project Type
- On-Time Milestones
- Launch Quality
- Project Launch Performance vs. Target Timing
- Internal Process Efficiency and Capacity Utilization
Required Skills & Competencies
- Proven leadership capability with the ability to coach, develop, and hold a team accountable in a high-performance environment.
- Strong project management and organizational skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities across a complex stakeholder landscape.
- Excellent communication, facilitation, and escalation management skills.
- Demonstrated ability to build alignment and resolve issues across functions without direct authority.
- Advanced knowledge of project management methodologies, tools, and process governance.
- Strong analytical skills with the ability to develop, interpret, and act on performance metrics and operational data.
- Commercial awareness, including a working understanding of pricing, margin considerations, and customer profitability.
- Continuous improvement mindset with the ability to create structure, standardize processes, and improve execution in evolving environments.
- Servant-leadership approach, leading with accountability, humility, and professionalism.
Education & Certifications
· Bachelor's degree in Business, Engineering, or a related field - Required
· PMP or equivalent project management certification - Preferred
· Credentials in APQP, ISO/IATF, or Lean Six Sigma - Preferred
· Formal training in leadership or people management - Preferred
Experience
Required
· 5–8 years of experience in project or program management, sales operations, or technical sales coordination
· Minimum 2 years of direct team leadership or supervisory experience
· Proven track record of delivering projects on time in a cross-functional environment
· Hands-on experience with ERP systems (SAP preferred), CRM platforms, and MS Project or equivalent
· Background in manufacturing, industrial, or automotive environments
Preferred
· Background in manufacturing, industrial, or automotive environments
· Familiarity with product development lifecycles and production launch processes (e.g., PPAP, APQP)
· Experience managing distributor or channel partner relationships
· Exposure to quality systems and production readiness reviews