Director of Customer Experience - #1410789

GENTEX AT A GLANCE:

At Gentex Corporation, we’ve created an environment where great ideas and great people can thrive. Leveraging a history that spans over 130 years, Gentex is a global leader in personal protection and situational awareness solutions for defense forces, emergency responders, and industrial personnel operating in high performance environments. Join our multinational team of exceptional and dedicated employees around the world and work on challenging and rewarding projects, grow your skills, and advance your career all while making a positive difference in the lives of our customers. Together, you and Gentex can build a career that’s uniquely yours.

ABOUT THE JOB!

The Director of Customer Experience is an experienced and strategic thinker that leads customer service strategy and execution across our international locations for defense design and manufacturing operations. This pivotal role oversees all aspects of customer support and service, including overseeing commercial sales, demand, revenue tracking and order fulfillment to oversee the order-to-cash (O2C) lifecycle within a complex, compliance-driven industry. The ideal candidate will possess a deep knowledge of SAP, Salesforce (or similar CRM), process improvement methodologies, customer service best practices and sales operations. The role is responsible for ensuring the satisfaction of Gentex Ground and Air customers, while working between the Sales, BD, Product Management, Supply Chain, Operations and AR teams. Additionally, this role is responsible for the onboarding, training, and day-to-day coaching of the Customer Service leadership & teams.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor’s degree in business, supply chain, operations management, or related field is required - MBA preferred
• CRM, SAP, Lean Six Sigma and/or process improvement certifications a plus.

EXPERIENCE:

• The Director of Customer Experience should have 10+ years of progressive leadership experience in multi-site and international customer service with experience in sales operations and/or fulfillment operations preferred.
• Expertise and strong understanding in SAP, Salesforce CRM and O2C process is strongly preferred.
• Proven experience with demand planning, order scheduling, logistics coordination, revenue recognition/tracking, and customer service metrics.
• Experience working with U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), NATO, and other allied military partners preferred. Includes proficiency with program-based and contract-based manufacturing environments.
• Experience in industries such as defense, consumer goods, or industrial manufacturing.

KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS:

• Able to develop, lead and coach a high performing customer service organization to achieve performance targets and set best-in-class service expectations, enterprise wide.
• Familiarity with process improvement methodologies such as Six Sigma or Lean.
• Global Perspective: Experience working in a global business environment with a sound understanding of global processes and transactional flows.
• Knowledge of ITAR, DFARS, and U.S. government contract compliance as related to customer service and fulfillment.
• Leadership: Strong leadership skills with the ability to manage and mentor cross-functional teams. Excellent communication, interpersonal and stakeholder management skills.
• Must have a track record of successfully integrating processes in a rapidly growing environment, scaling the organization and its tasks to achieve incremental growth over short and long-term intervals.
• Proficiency in managing end-to-end Order-to-Cash (O2C) processes, post-sales support, and customer engagement.
• Proficiency in Salesforce CRM; experience integrating systems across business functions.
• Technical Skills: In-depth knowledge of SAP S/4HANA, particularly in SD, CI (BRIM), and Ariba modules. Familiarity with other enterprise systems and platforms is advantageous.
• Working knowledge and use of desktop applications including Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and Outlook.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

• Act as the primary escalation point for global customer issues and drive resolution with a compliant, customer-first mindset.
• Change Management: Lead change management efforts to ensure smooth adoption of process changes and new technologies within the organization. Provide training and support to teams as needed.
• Collaborate with Sales, Product Management, Engineering, Production, Supply Chain, Contracts, and Finance teams to ensure accurate order configuration, lead time alignment, and fulfillment planning.
• Conduct as needed meetings with the cross functional operations and business teams to ensure priority synchronization, active conflict resolution, and reviews of current sales pipeline integrity.
• Determines customer service requirements by maintaining contact with customers; visiting operational environments; conducting surveys; forming focus groups; benchmarking best practices; analyzing information and applications.
• Develop and lead an effective customer experience strategy for both Ground and Air business verticals, setting a best-in-class experience for both internal and external customers of Gentex.
• Direct support teams handling post-order activities, customer escalations, documentation requests, and warranty/service inquiries.
• Direct the management of both the Customer Service, including but not limited to customer inquiry response, order entry, delivery expectation management, opportunity tracking and memorialization, and coordination of internal/external customer communication.
• Drive strategic systems and process optimization across SAP, Salesforce, and other customer operations platforms to improve service efficiency and scalability.
• Ensure compliance with global trade, tax, and invoicing regulations within the scope of customer service operations.
• Ensure strict adherence to export controls, ITAR, DoD requirements, and international trade regulations in all customer service activities.
• Global fulfillment partnership and oversite with Supply Chain and Operations: ensuring alignment with operations, customer expectations and business objectives. Address and resolve any fulfillment-related issues promptly.
• Meets customer service financial objectives by forecasting requirements; preparing an annual budget; scheduling expenditures; analyzing variances; initiating corrective actions.
• Monitor and manage revenue tracking, backlog reporting, and customer service KPIs, ensuring adherence to service level agreements (SLAs) and compliance with defense contract requirements.
• Monitor and report on revenue tracking, customer satisfaction KPIs, service level agreements (SLAs), and fulfillment metrics.
• Monitor progress against monthly, quarterly, and annual revenue plans.
• O2C Process Leadership: Oversee and continuously improve the end-to-end O2C process, ensuring timely and accurate order processing, billing, and collections. Collaborate with cross-functional teams to standardize and streamline workflows.
• Oversee demand planning accuracy from a customer service lens, supporting inventory and supply management.
• Own and optimize the Order-to-Cash (O2C) process including order intake, configuration verification, billing, delivery, invoicing, and cash application.
• Performance Monitoring: Develop and monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) to assess the effectiveness of O2C processes. Analyze data to drive continuous improvement initiatives.
• Responsible for maintaining customer information ensuring accuracy at all times including management and development of customer relationship management (CRM) system.
• SAP Expertise: Lead the implementation and optimization of SAP S/4HANA solutions, with a focus on modules such as SD, CI (BRIM), and Ariba. Ensure seamless integration with other enterprise systems and platforms.
• Set and manage appropriate goals for direct reports relative to their personal and professional growth opportunities.
• Set cross location priorities and manage workflow of Customer Service, Technical Sales, and Sales Administration Order Entry staff to ensure effective, timely and accurate processing of transactions.
• Stakeholder Collaboration: Work closely with IT, finance, sales, and customer service departments to align processes and ensure seamless integration. Serve as a trusted advisor to senior management on O2C-related matters.
• Successfully integrate processes in a rapidly growing environment, scaling the organization and its tasks to achieve incremental growth over short and long-term intervals.
• Support demand planning activities in coordination with operations and forecasting teams to ensure production alignment with customer needs.
• Systems and Process Optimization: Identify opportunities for process improvements, automation, and digital transformation within the O2C cycle. Implement best practices to enhance efficiency and effectiveness.
• Travel to Gentex locations, trade shows, customers, channel partners, and conferences, as required.
• Working knowledge and use of desktop applications including Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and Outlook, as well as strong familiarity with CRM tools such as Salesforce.com

Salary Description

$160,000-$185,000

TO APPLY:

Visit: https://gentexcorp.com/careers/

LOCATION:

Hybrid Remote

Proximity to Gentex's Manchester, NH or Carbondale, PA locations

Gentex Corporation is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard for any applicable state or federal protected class. Gentex is an E-Verify Participant. Pre-employment drug/alcohol/background screening is required.