THE COMPANY
Founded in 1946, HI-LEX is a leading supplier of window regulators, door modules, power lift gate systems, and mechanical control cables primarily serving the automotive industry, but also the power sports, marine, construction equipment, and medical device sectors. Headquartered in Takarazuka, Japan (near Osaka), and listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE), HI-LEX employs more than 12,000 associates across its global footprint.
In the Americas region, HI-LEX has grown steadily in the region, and now has ten (10) manufacturing facilities across the the United States, Mexico, and Brazil. In the U.S., HI-LEX operates under three divisions: HI-LEX America in Battle Creek, Michigan; HI-LEX Controls in Hudson, Litchfield, and Hazel Park, Michigan; and Daedong HI-LEX of America in Cusseta, Alabama. The company’s automotive center is in Rochester Hills, Michigan which consists of Finance, Sales, Engineering, Testing, Program Management, Human Resources, Purchasing and IT.
POSITION SUMMARY
The Director of Sales will report to the Executive Director of Sales and Business Development, located at the regional headquarters in Rochester Hills, Michigan. This is a critical, high-impact leadership role responsible for driving aggressive revenue growth, securing new business programs, and strategically expanding HI-LEX’s market share across the North American automotive and diversified sectors.
The Director will be the leader for new program acquisition and sales team oversight across key Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and Tier 1 customers. They are expected to provide strategic market intelligence, optimize the entire sales pipeline and commercial process, and ensure flawless coordination between customer needs and internal Engineering, Program Management, and Manufacturing capabilities in the US and Mexico. This role is essential for securing new business for HI-LEX's extensive portfolio of motion and control products to ensure future growth trajectory.
KEY ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
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Strategic Growth Execution: Develop and drive the comprehensive North American Sales and Business Development strategy to achieve aggressive annual revenue and new business acquisition targets across all product lines (core and new technology).
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New Program Acquisition: Lead the full pursuit-to-award process for high-value new programs, utilizing deep market knowledge to prioritize targets, championing complex technical solutions, and securing the necessary internal resources for quoting and execution.
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Key Account Strategy & Oversight: Provide executive oversight, direction, and strategy for Key Account Executive teams managing designated large OEM and Tier 1 customer accounts. This includes ensuring overall customer satisfaction, expanding business penetration, and facilitating the resolution of high-level commercial issues.
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Commercial Negotiation Leadership: Oversee and provide final guidance, strategy, and approval on all major commercial negotiations, including multi-year supply agreements, complex engineering change notices (ECNs), pricing strategy, and warranty/liability agreements to maximize company profitability and mitigate commercial risk.
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Sales Forecasting & Reporting: Oversee the development and accuracy of sales forecasts, long-term opportunity pipeline management (including opportunities >$100M in lifetime value), and timely preparation of executive-level sales performance reports.
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Sales Team Leadership & Mentorship: Hire, coach, and develop a high-performing Sales and Business Development team, establishing a clear culture of aggressive, results-driven, and ethical salesmanship with measurable performance indicators.
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Customer Intelligence: Systematically gather and analyze market, competitor, and customer intelligence to identify white space opportunities, influence HI-LEX’s R&D product roadmap, and maintain a clear competitive advantage.
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Commercial Strategy: As a member of the Senior Leadership Team (SLT), define and implement the North American commercial administration strategy, ensuring Sales objectives are aligned with HI-LEX’s global manufacturing footprint and capacity planning in the US and Mexico.
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Sales Process Optimization: Champion the utilization and optimization of the Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system (e.g., Salesforce), establishing best-in-class Sales Operating Procedures (SOPs) for pipeline visibility, opportunity management, and systematic lead generation.
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Voice of the Customer (VOC): Serve as the principal internal advocate for customer needs and future product requirements, working cross-functionally with Engineering, Operations, and Program Management to ensure successful quoting, development, and flawless launch execution.
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Organizational Velocity: Systematically increase the throughput and responsiveness of the commercial team, ensuring a rapid, high-quality response to customer requests (RFQs, RFI's) that matches the speed and needs of the customer base.
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Relationship Depth: Cultivate and maintain deep, trusted relationships at the executive, purchasing, and engineering levels within key customer organizations to ensure HI-LEX is positioned as a preferred, long-term strategic supplier.
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EDUCATION
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Bachelor’s degree in Engineering (Mechanical, Electrical, or Industrial), Business Administration, or a related technical field.
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A Master’s degree (MBA or MS in Engineering) is highly preferred and a significant advantage.
FUNCTIONAL EXPERIENCE
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12-plus years of overall Sales and Business Development experience with a minimum of seven years in a senior sales leadership position (Director/VP level) within the automotive Tier 1 supply base.
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A successful track record of leading a high-stakes sales function that directly resulted in winning major, multi-million dollar new programs from major North American and/or global OEMs (Ford, GM, Stellantis, Toyota, Honda, etc.).
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Demonstrated expertise across the entire automotive program lifecycle, including proficiency in negotiating complex commercial terms, cost analysis, and managing the financial impact of engineering changes.
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Experience in strategic sales roles involving complex, engineered components or systems (e.g., actuation systems, control cables, mechatronics).
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Demonstrated ability to drive revenue and manage customer relationships across a multi-facility environment, including operations in Mexico.
INDUSTRY EXPERIENCE
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Mandatory experience leading Sales/BD for a Tier 1 automotive supplier with significant manufacturing operations in North America (US and Mexico).
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Experience and success in securing new business in emerging market segments, such as Electric Vehicle (EV) components or Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems (ADAS) technology.
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Experience working in a non-U.S. headquartered company would be positive, and experience in another Japanese company would be considered ideal due to cultural and business structure alignment.
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Familiarity with sales practices and cultural nuances of doing business with OEMs and Tier 1s in Mexico is preferred.
CORE COMPETENCIES
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Strategic Acumen: Sees ahead clearly, anticipates market shifts (e.g., EV transition, customer consolidation), has broad knowledge of the competitive landscape, and creates winning, long-term sales strategies and plans.
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Negotiation & Deal Making: Possesses world-class negotiation skills; can structure and close large, complex deals that maximize value for HI-LEX while preserving long-term customer relationships.
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Customer & Action Orientation: Is bottom-line oriented, consistently focused on winning new business, and driven by a service-oriented mindset to support operational leaders in achieving volume targets.
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Talent Assessment: Proven ability to hire, develop, and mentor the best sales talent from inside and outside the company. Is a known team builder and attracts high-performing professionals.
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Relationship Management: Relates well to all levels of a customer organization, builds deep, trust-based relationships with executive counterparts, and can defuse high-tension commercial situations comfortably.
REQUIRED SKILLS
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Expert proficiency with modern Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tools (e.g., Salesforce, Dynamics) for robust pipeline management, accurate forecasting, and systematic sales reporting.
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Strong technical aptitude and ability to understand and effectively articulate complex engineering and product concepts to a variety of customer technical and commercial teams.
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Exceptional business acumen and ability to effectively communicate strategic sales objectives and commercial advice in written and oral forms to both internal leadership and external stakeholders.
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Excellent time and project management skills to multi-task and lead multiple high-priority customer pursuits simultaneously in a fast-paced environment.
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A reputation for impeccable ethics, integrity, and uncompromising moral character in all business dealings.
OTHER REQUIREMENTS
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Hands-on, Executive Presence: A working executive accustomed to leading from the front, specifically in critical customer meetings and high-stakes commercial negotiations.
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Travel: Ability to travel frequently (estimated 20-30%) within Michigan, North America and occasionally to Japan for corporate alignment and review meetings.
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Trust & Confidentiality: Trusted to manage highly confidential and sensitive customer pricing, contract data, and internal business strategy matters.
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Sense of Urgency: An initiative-taking and energetic approach, projecting a sense that aggressive new business targets are being met responsibly and with high velocity.
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Executive Maturity: It will be essential that this person be perceived as a genuine, thoughtful, and substantive executive with outstanding strategic ability, excellent business skills, and relatively low ego.
PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS
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Ability to lift up to 20 pounds
