Commercial Vehicle ADAPTATION SPECIALIST

This is a most unusual opportunity for someone based in Germany who has a commercial Vehicles Automotive background. This is a senior SPECIALIST opportunity in which you will be tasked to build relationships and partnerships with engineering/body shop businesses that convert vans and cars into commercial vehicles used for refrigeration, or will have the expertise to adapt vehicle for wheelchair users or for vans with drop-sides. You will need to have a network of established relationships with automotive body shops and engineering firms who are used to converting vehicles into specialist vehicles and who are aware if compliance issues. This role is viewed as a key role in Germany. As such it will give you a very high profile in the business with associated career enhancing and financial rewards role.

TITLE: Commercial Vehicle ADAPTATION SPECIALIST

SALARY : Eu100,000 + 15% bonus

LOCATION : Germany (Frankfurt )

WORK STYLE : Hybrid with travel in Germany

SECTOR: Commercial Vans and Automotive Fleets

TYPES OF VEHICLES : Refrigerated vans; box-body vehicles; tippers and drop-sides; and passenger and accessibility conversions.

ROLE : There are 3 key elements to this role 1) sales – generating new partnerships with body-shop conversion partners & growing the network 2) visiting Converter partners 3) Ensuring general compliance

DUTIES : Reporting to the Sales Director you will :

• Sales pipeline and specialist body-shop partner planning (growing the network of experts )
• Grow converter partnerships.
• Track & Manage outstanding approvals, supplier issues and project deadlines.
• Meet dealers and major fleet customers to understand their requirements.
• Suggest suitable conversion solutions for customers
• Agree responsibilities, delivery milestones and next steps with converters.
• Negotiate new contracts with specialist convertor businesses
• Visit converters and bodybuilders ( Visit and rapport-building)
• Visit body-shop businesses in Germany that convert vans and car for special requirements
• Check their body-shop facilities and technical capability.
• Discuss partnership terms, capacity, lead times and negotiate pricing.
• Evaluate prospective approved conversion partners.
• Technical coordination and approvals (Compliance)
• Work with Engineering and Homologation on conversion requirements.
• Review vehicle guidelines, weight limits, electrical interfaces and supporting documentation.
• Coordinate multi-stage type approval and resolve technical questions.

REQUIREMENTS

• Strong practical understanding of vehicle adaptation and conversion and German homologation requirements.
• A network of German converters and body-shop engineering companies
• Fluent German and English.
• A bachelor’s degree or higher and at least five years’ commercial vehicle industry experience.