Sales Director, North America

The Americas Sales Director is accountable for converting SPG's regional strategy into disciplined commercial execution. This role owns the Americas revenue plan, customer strategy, pipeline quality, forecast discipline, pricing execution, and sales team operating cadence. The position must balance protection of the core automotive and EIT business with aggressive growth in industrial applications, including data centers, BESS, robotics, and other emerging markets. The role is expected to operate with clear ownership, cross-functional influence, and disciplined follow-through to support SPG's AOP commitments, and longer-term growth plan.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Commercial Strategy and Revenue Ownership

• Own the Americas sales strategy, revenue plan, bookings/new business plan, pipeline health, forecast quality, pricing execution, and customer growth commitments.

• Build and execute regional AOP inputs with clear customer, program, timing, probability, owner, support need, and milestone assumptions.

• Lead the region's operating cadence for revenue, new business, industrial growth, win/loss, pipeline conversion, forecast accuracy, and margin protection via pricing.

• Customer Strategy and Account Governance

• Develop strategic account plans for priority OEM, Tier, EIT, industrial, distribution, and emerging-market customers.

• Establish executive account reviews for key customers, including growth plans, competitive assessment, risk mitigation, pricing strategy, and cross-functional support requirement.

• Lead customer growth, commercial negotiations, pricing actions, LTAs, contract discussions, customer escalation support and supporting Accounts Receivable collections

• Maintain clear visibility to top opportunities, top losses, conquest targets, customer risks, and competitive threats.

• Industrial Growth and Market Expansion

• Lead Americas execution for industrial growth, including data centers, BESS, robotics, EIT, aerospace, rail, and other non-transportation applications.

• Partner with the Growth Leader, Product Management, Engineering, Marketing, Operations, and Sales Analytics to convert industrial opportunities into scalable revenue.

• Build channel, distribution, e-commerce, and customer-entry strategies where they improve market access.

• Develop and execute strategic growth plans for Data Centers, BESS, Robotics, and other priority industrial segments.

• Pipeline, Salesforce, and Forecast Discipline

• Lead the regional commercial operating system, including KPI reviews, opportunity management, forecast reviews, action tracking, and monthly business performance reviews.

• Ensure all material opportunities are current in Salesforce/CRM with required fields, close dates, stage, confidence level, next steps, customer contact, support needs, and owner.

• Drive regular pipeline reviews focused on conversion, risk, opportunity quality, and forecast realism.

• Cross-Functional Execution

• Partner with Product Management, Engineering, Operations, Supply Chain, Finance, Quality, PMO, and Trade Compliance to remove barriers affecting revenue conversion.

• Escalate localization, validation, certification, pricing, supply, capacity, delivery, quality, and customer service issues with clear business impact and requested decision.

• Support regional task forces and RACI-based execution where cross-functional accountability is required.

• Serves as the commercial owner for customer growth, pricing, forecasting, and account strategy while partnering with Operations, Product Management, Engineering, PMO, Quality, Supply Chain, and Finance to ensure successful execution.

• Team Leadership and Capability Development

• Lead, coach, and develop Americas sales managers, account managers, and sales analysts.

• Set clear team objectives, operating expectations, development plans, and performance routines.

• Build commercial capability in account strategy, industrial selling, pricing, Salesforce discipline, forecasting, negotiation, and data-driven decision making.

SUCCESS MEASURES

EDUCATION:

• Revenue vs AOP
• New Business Awards
• Pipeline Coverage
• Forecast Accuracy
• Industrial Revenue Growth
• Win Rate
• Team Development Metrics
• Pricing Recovery / Margin Protection
• BS degree in a business, marketing or engineering discipline, MBA preferred.

EXPERIENCE:

COMPETENCIES & QUALIFICATIONS:

ORGANIZATIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Experience leading regional sales strategy, account planning, forecasting, pipeline governance, pricing execution, and customer negotiations.

• Demonstrated success converting pipeline into awarded business in complex B2B, automotive, industrial, EIT, aerospace, rail, or engineered-products environments.

• Commercial discipline: forecast accuracy, pipeline quality, pricing discipline, KPI cadence.

• Market-making mindset: ability to build new industrial markets, not just manage existing customers.

• Cross-functional influence: ability to drive action without owning all functional deliverables.

• Decision velocity: ability to escalate quickly, simplify issues, and convert ambiguity into action.

• Data orientation: comfort using Power BI, Salesforce, CRM dashboards, customer/account data, and forecast analytics.

• Customer credibility: ability to engage senior customer stakeholders and resolve commercial escalations.

• Talent development: ability to coach sales managers and analysts into a more disciplined commercial operating system.

• Must have the ability to travel at least 30% of time with little notice.

• Strong leadership and interpersonal skills with the ability to effectively communicate throughout all levels of the organization

• Able to establish rapport and gain the trust of others

• Adaptable and resilient in the face of changing priorities and business needs.

• A genuine passion for driving business success and delivering value to stakeholders

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

• Ability to manage priorities and stay on schedule in a fast-paced environment.

• Possess prioritization skills necessary to use time effectively and set action plans to achieve business objectives.

• Delegate and set expectations and monitor progress of all direct reports.

• Motivate and inspire the team. Ability to give constructive feedback and receive feedback with the intent to continuously improve.

• Ability to recruit and motivate personnel.

• Proven ability to hold self and others accountable for deliverables and expectations.

• Adhere to the policy and practice of refusing to tolerate or allow behavior defined by Tenneco as unsafe.

• Comply with Environmental Health & Safety Rules and Regulations. Understand and adhere to the EHS Cardinal Rules. Must be able to understand what hazards are associated with their position and how to minimize them.

• All accidents/injuries/near misses no matter how slight must be reported to any member of management, and/or Environmental Health & Safety Manager who will follow escalation process.

• Align with Tenneco Values:

• Radical Candor

• Organizational Velocity

• Simplification

• Tenacious Execution

• Win

• Each employee has the authority to initiate action to prevent a violation of the Code of Conduct.

• Ensures compliance with federal, state, and local regulations, including Tenneco's policies, procedures, and practices.

• Adheres and is compliant to the policies and procedures for IATF16949/AS9100 and other quality standards.