GENERAL MANAGER – BUSINESS OPERATION (GM-BO)Industry: Automotive Parts Manufacturing

Function: Business Operation

Reports to: MD

Functions under responsibility: Marketing / Sourcing / Import-Export

Job PurposeLead the overall Business Operation Division, covering both revenue-generating and cost-management functions, including Marketing, Sourcing, and Export-Import operations.

The position is responsible for driving business growth, strengthening customer relationships, developing new business opportunities, optimizing sourcing and procurement costs, and ensuring efficient international trade operations.

Act as a key business partner to senior management in balancing Sales Growth, Profitability, Cost Competitiveness, Supply Stability, and Customer Satisfaction.

Key Responsibilities1. Business & Commercial Management

• Develop and execute Business Operation strategies aligned with company objectives and annual business plans.

• Drive revenue growth, profitability, and business expansion within the automotive parts market.

• Oversee sales performance, pricing strategy, quotation, RFQ and commercial negotiations.

• Maintain and strengthen relationships with key automotive customers and business partners.

• Identify and develop new customers, new products and new business opportunities.

• Monitor automotive market trends, customer requirements and competitor movements.

• Review business performance, sales forecast, budget and profitability.

• Marketing & Customer Management
• Lead Marketing functions covering Current Business, Program Management and New Business Development.

• Oversee customer RFQ, quotation and commercial negotiation from new project stage through mass production.

• Coordinate customer requirements with Engineering, Production, Quality and other related functions.

• Manage commercial issues including price negotiation, cost changes and business conditions.

• Ensure successful customer relationship management and achievement of sales targets.

• Sourcing & Cost Management
• Lead strategic sourcing and procurement activities for both Direct and Indirect materials/services.

• Develop sourcing strategies to improve cost competitiveness, supplier performance and supply stability.

• Lead supplier selection, quotation comparison, negotiation and cost reduction activities.

• Drive VA/VE, localization and cost improvement initiatives.

• Monitor major purchasing expenditure and ensure procurement activities align with company budget and business targets.

• Manage supplier risks including cost, quality, delivery and supply continuity.

• Export & Import Management
• Oversee Export & Import operations and ensure smooth international logistics activities.

• Ensure compliance with customs regulations and applicable import/export requirements.

• Optimize logistics, freight and related operating costs.

• Coordinate with customers, suppliers, freight forwarders, customs brokers and relevant authorities.

• Profitability & Business Performance
• Take ownership of key Business Operation KPIs including:

• Sales & Revenue

• Gross Profit / Profitability

• Purchasing & Material Cost

• Cost Reduction

• New Business Acquisition

• Customer Satisfaction

• Supplier Performance

• Inventory / Supply Risk

• Export & Import Efficiency

• Analyze business performance and provide recommendations to senior management.

• Drive cross-functional improvement projects to increase profitability and operational efficiency.

• Leadership & Organization Management
• Lead and develop Managers, Supervisors and team members across Marketing, Sourcing and EXIM.

• Establish clear KPIs and performance expectations for each function.

• Develop successors and strengthen organizational capability.

• Promote cross-functional collaboration between Business Operation, Engineering, Production, Quality, Finance and other functions.

• Build a performance-driven and continuous-improvement culture.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree or higher in Engineering, Business Administration, Supply Chain, Industrial Management or related fields.

• Minimum 15 years of experience in automotive parts or automotive manufacturing.

• Minimum 5 years in senior management / GM / Deputy GM / Senior Manager level.

• Strong experience in at least two major areas among:

Automotive Sales & Marketing / Business Development / Program Management / Strategic Sourcing / Procurement / Supply Chain.

• Strong understanding of automotive business processes including RFQ, Quotation, Costing, New Model Development, APQP and Mass Production.

• Experience working with major automotive OEMs or Tier-1 automotive suppliers is highly preferred.

• Strong commercial sense with the ability to manage both revenue generation and cost optimization.

• Proven experience in negotiation, budgeting, cost management and business performance management.

• Strong leadership and cross-functional management capability.

• Good to excellent English communication and negotiation skills are required.

• Japanese language capability will be a strong advantage.

• Experience working in a Japanese automotive manufacturing environment is highly preferred.

Preferred Candidate ProfileWe are particularly interested in candidates from Automotive Parts / Tier-1 suppliers with products or manufacturing environments similar to the company's operations, such as:

Automotive control components / cable-related products / stamping / machining / forging / die-casting / rubber & plastic components / assembly parts.

The ideal candidate should be a commercially minded automotive leader who understands both sides of the business:

"How to Win Business" + "How to Control Cost"

and is capable of managing the entire business cycle from Customer → RFQ → Quotation → New Business → Sourcing → Cost Management → Mass Production → Export/Import → Profitability.