I sometimes think people got the wrong impression about job hunting in Switzerland prior to moving here.
Just to give you an idea, here is a recent "Sales Manager" job posted by Honeywell in Rolle, Vaud. I think English is sufficient.
Hold on tight and try not to get demotivated or give up reading halfway through the ad.
Sales Manager
Job description
The Honeywell Automotive Software (HAS) EU Sales Manager will have accountability for Business Development by bringing-in new customers in the EU, Technical support and revenue of this growing "start-up" enterprise.
The current offerings, which are in development phase are a software suite of solutions providing advanced modeling, control, virtual sensors for engine, after-treatment, and thermal applications, IHVM solutions, and cyber security solutions within the automotive industry. The Sales Manager will be responsible for Offering and Channel Management and, more broadly, leading a cross-functional business team to drive growth. The Sales Manager will need to actively contribute to overall strategic planning, leveraging relationships across multiple Honeywell businesses. The Sales Manager will also work with the EU Sales Manager to identify local industry trends, target segments/opportunities, strategy on technical support to customers and to formulate the value proposition, promotional plans, and customer excellence initiatives for HAS offerings. The Sales Manager will support and manage global strategies and adapt them specific to the region.
The position is intended to be located in Rolle, Switzerland.
Essential Job Functions
Take ownership to develop and execute sales plans that clearly reflects the business roadmap, product portfolio priorities, channel management activities, and competitive landscape. Identify, develop, and manage (using CRM) relationships with the key decision-makers, uncover new business opportunities, recommend value added solutions, and develop a winning strategy. Develop sales tactics to enhance the market position locally, regionally and globally. Leverage relationships at OEMs to position HAS as a valued partner Run technology road map sessions at Automotive OEMs, conduct VOCs, understand customer’s engine road map & needs and provide value though Honeywell Automotive Software solutions Work closely with the global technical teams to articulate customer requirements and provide technical support to customers As justified thru revenue, develop regional Engineering & Sales teams to act as the key interface with the customers for all techno-commercial matters Drive business opportunities at EU OEMs like VW, etc. Identify opportunities to act as an industry leader, raising the overall visibility and credibility of Honeywell in the controls industry Building strong relationship to work with Honeywell Turbo Technologies (HTT) sales teams to pursue cross-selling opportunities Develop and maintain an understanding of current and prospective customers and respective Vertical Markets to maximize market share Identify industry trends that are impacting the business or are opportunities for new business Develop the business value proposition that differentiates HAS from the competition and positions the business to win in the marketplace Plan and execute effective sales calls where HAS presents our products, solutions and services Drive excellence in customer service: timely and quality customer support, best-practice sharing within ACS & HTT, voice of customer (VOC), and training Enhance revenue by closely working with engine consultants like AVL and FEV in EU and explore opportunities to implement HAS solutions Provide active leadership (w/o boundaries throughout the organization) necessary to drive critical deals to successful completion and implementation Provide feedback to the development team to ensure offerings are designed to meet customer and market demands. Feedback should drive innovative new offerings that enable Honeywell to achieve a market-leading position European travel up to 50% of the time is required in this role
Desired Skills and Experience
Basic Qualifications
Strong strategic selling acumen with proven leadership skills Good understanding of the automotive powertrain hardware and software market, diagnostics market, cyber security market. A good knowledge of the engine control & emission reduction solutions is appreciated At least 5 years experience in Engineering and Sales functions in developing successful relationships with international automotive customers’ Engineering & Sales partners and representatives At least 5 years of international exposure ensuring good understanding of global technology and cross-transfer to EU end applications Experience in consultative selling to determine how best to create a competitive offering Experience working with project teams within a global environment; strong sales management skills combined with a sense of urgency and ownership to bring business solutions to a logical conclusion in a timely manner Bachelor's degree in Engineering or Physics discipline. Master’s degree strongly preferred Strong consulting, influencing and interpersonal skills in order to effectively work with technical and non-technical people in all functions in a team environment. Ability to leverage these relationships in the development and implementation of new sales plans. Highly energetic self-starter with a strong sense of urgency who has excellent written and oral communication skills. Must be obsessed with continuous improvement and have experience in companies with an atmosphere of change. Highly organized with the ability to manage multiple simultaneous projects and tasks Multilingual skills and multi-cultural experience desired
Additional Qualifications
Impeccable integrity Ability to embrace the philosophy of taking 100% responsibility for delivering results The ability to work in a team environment to create and close deals Familiarity and experience with software business models; sales and support Technical background (Computer Science, Electrical or Mechanical Engineer) required to understand the HAS technology, products, applications, and customers' needs Experience in the automotive industry around powertrain, engine design, control, and software sales Superior presentation and communication skills. Able to effectively speak to large, diverse audiences and small, focused audiences. Able to develop and deliver a sales plan to senior leadership and effectively address questions, concerns, and challenges to the recommendation. Strong leadership skills with consistent track record for meeting and exceeding objectives High degree of business acumen with orientation toward creating customer value and results Strong influencing and negotiating skills, ability to motivate and foster culture of high-performance, cross-functional teams Demonstrated ability to operate effectively in an international functional matrix organizational structure Proven ability to maintain positive employee relations by fostering open communication across business units Demonstrate successful complex sales performance, preferably in selling of systems, software and/or services Proven ability to meet or exceed quota in a complex sales environment Positive track record interfacing with customer engineering management, upper management and VP levels Candidates should have strong links to industry and knowledge of the business drivers for our key vertical markets Self-starter that demonstrates entrepreneurial behavior
As an Equal Opportunity Employer, Honeywell is committed to a diverse workforce.