Product Manager Automotive – Rubber Compounding

Summary

The Product Manager for Automotive Rubber Compounding will be responsible for translating automotive industry trends into business opportunities by collaborating with marketing, sales, and R&D teams. Key duties include identifying market trends, developing technical product strategies, representing the company at conferences, and serving as a liaison with automotive OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers. The role requires a scientific or technical background with at least five years of experience in the automotive sector, strong leadership skills, and fluency in German and English.

Travel within Europe is also required.

Our client is one of the world’s leading groups in the development and production of advanced, high-quality rubber compounds and is one of only a few truly global suppliers in the industry.

• Completed scientific or technical studies ideally with polymer focus.
• Minimum 5 year working experience at an automotive OEM or Tier 1 supplier.
• Very good knowledge of automotive industry.
• Fluent in German and English (written and spoken).
• Leadership skills.
• Structured and organized way of working.
• Ability to work in a team.
• Willingness to travel within Europe.

The purpose of this position is to translate trends of the automotive industry into direct business for the company’s rubber compounding in cooperation with marketing, sales and R&D departments of the local production plants. Observation of the global automotive market, representation of the company’s rubber compounding at external events and a strong network presence are considered important.

• Identification of market trends and future material requirements.
• Development of the technical product strategy for the automotive segment.
• Presentation of the company’s rubber solutions to the automotive OEM’s.
• Technical representation of the group at conferences, trade fairs, etc. with lectures and technical articles, etc.
• Collaboration with marketing, sales and development to define and present new solutions.
• Identification of existing local customer solutions and sharing of best practices within the group.
• Pre‑developments of new material solutions together with R&D.

• Transfer of market trends into strategic developments and concrete opportunities.
• Initiating new strategic developments with R&D.
• Contact person for automotive OEM’s, Tier 1 and new automotive start‑ups.
• Presentation of the products and support of the approval processes.
• Support of sales for technical issues/complaints.
• Creation of technical articles for publications.
• Presentation of new products and solutions at meetings and conferences.
• Technical input for marketing to present new product solutions.

• Sales
• R&D
• Marketing
• Counterparts from other BU’s
• KAM Automotive
• Counterparts in Asia/Americas

• OEM’s
• Tier 1 Suppliers
• Automotive Suppliers
• Start-ups
• Committees/Industry Representatives
• KAM Automotive
• Counterparts in Asia/Americas