The objective of this technical service role is to manage 1) relationships with technical/sales/marketing personnel and 2) technical activities in order to retain existing Afton aftermarket and first fill positions with local customers and OEMs who manufacture transmission fluid and transmissions in China. In this role, he or she will consult with Marketing and support the Sales Force and OEM Relationship Managers who are responsible for the pertinent local customers and OEMs. This is a customer and OEM-facing role with a strong emphasis on providing support and technical assistance in a highly coordinated manner.

• Stakeholder Relationship Management
  • Support the specified accounts by providing technical information, training and market insights.
  • Consult with Marketing to influence, understand and implement the Driveline Marketing Plan.
  • Support Sales in developing effective working relationships with distributors and customers to implement the Marketing Plan.
  • Communicate and work effectively across the Afton matrix on a global basis, including, but not limited to Marketing, R&D and Sales.
  • Develop and maintain effective working relationship with industry influencers which can help advance Afton’s additive business, including OEMs, relevant industry associations, etc.
  • When appropriate to the Marketing Plan, participate in industry meetings or conferences to present Afton’s technical and marketing positions, with intent to advance Afton’s fill additive business.
• Application and Marketing Understanding
  • Demonstrate active and current understanding of global and local driveline fluid trends, OEM requirements, ongoing Afton product developments, and Afton’s commercial products.
  • Understand the aftermarket and first fill fluid supply chains for both additive and base oil, and competitor’s and/or oil company activities that threaten existing supply positions.
  • Gain understanding of local drivers for aftermarket and first fill fluid optimization and provide recommendations to Marketing and R&D on technologies that could motivate local customers and OEMs to consider first fill fluid change.
  • Understand the validation processes that could be employed by an OEM or customer to justify introduction of a first fill or aftermarket fluid.
• Product Development and Project Management
  • Understand and apply Afton’s Product Development Process (APDP) and ensure all technical projects are managed on time and on budget.
  • Provide direction to Afton laboratory technicians, including go/no-go decisions, priorities, and product related guidance, on matters related to test requests.
  • Where assigned - Plan, design, and execute product development programs, and manage the programs to be on-time and within budget.
  • This includes managing administrative details associated with the product development process.
  • Support marketing colleagues to effectively identify the key technical differentiations of our products vs. competitive products, develop the data summary for the proof of performance and prepare the relevant presentations linking the technical features to commercial benefits.
• Resolv
  • Ensure all customer quality concerns are managed via the Resolv system using effective problem-solving techniques.
• Safety
  • Ensure full compliance with Afton Safety standards and identify opportunities for improvement.

Education & Experience Minimums:

• Minimum BS in Chemistry, Automotive Engineering, or Physical Science
• Minimum of 5 years of experience in technical or technical sales position in chemical industry, preferably lubricant or lubricant additives, or in automotive OEM Driveline section or Driveline Tier1 Suppliers.

Skills/Abilities:

• Decision Making - Timely decision making using a mixture of analysis, experience, and judgment; sometimes with incomplete information, under tight deadlines with appropriate risk, authority and transparency
• Business Insight - Has knowledge of general business model, practices and procedures.  Understands how the actions and output of the role impacts the business and others.
• Analysis and Problem Solving - Solves problems with effective solutions by asking good questions, involving others, and looking outside of existing processes and procedures.  Has technical knowledge and skills to troubleshoot test equipment or test precision issues.
• Communication – Can communicate information clearly, effectively, and timely in an engaging and convincing manner. 
• Coaching - Provides the structure, environment and support for teaching, training and development of individuals and teams to enable them to achieve specific personal or professional results or goals.
• Managing Performance - Possessing the drive and focus to achieve challenging individual and team goals.
• Collaboration and Networking - The ability to work within and across Afton's organizational matrix to achieve objectives, including the capability to influence without authority.
• Project Management - The ability to manage tasks and activities and achieve their completion within the agreed  framework, across regional and organizational boundaries as appropriate
• Innovation - Continuously assesses current processes, practices, procedures, techniques and tools and provides suggestions for improvement.  Open to new concepts.  May benchmark outside laboratories or others for process improvement ideas.
• Dealing with Uncertainty - Is sufficiently flexible to effectively cope with change, multiple priorities, and lack of information at times
• Customer Relationship Management – Interpersonal skills to be able to make good strong connections with customers & OEM personnel. Combination of character & technical credibility. Demonstrate customer intimacy and Passion for Solutions approach to understand core technical problems and deliver solutions to business, marketing and external customers.