Application & Business Development Manager Automotive

About the role

This role combines technical application development with business growth for automotive materials, focusing on EV battery casings, lighting systems and sustainable interior components across Europe. You will work closely with OEMs and Tier‑1 suppliers to guide projects from concept to production while influencing material selection and commercial success.

Key responsibilities

• Lead development and commercialization of innovative automotive applications for European OEM accounts, especially EV and sustainability projects.
• Drive technical validation and specification activities for advanced thermoplastic solutions from concept through start‑of‑production.
• Build and manage a pipeline of technical opportunities and support long‑term account growth.
• Act as primary technical interface between OEM customers and internal R&D, product management, sales and regulatory teams.
• Support material selection and application design by aligning customer needs with technical capabilities.
• Coordinate molding trials, application testing, technical seminars and customer workshops.
• Collaborate with commercial teams on forecasting, opportunity progression and business development.
• Contribute to sustainable material initiatives and provide insights on OEM roadmaps and market trends.

Required profile

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Materials Science, Chemistry or a related technical discipline.
• Minimum 10 years of experience in the automotive or plastics industry in a technical or business development role.
• Proven ability to manage complex projects and drive commercial growth.

Required skills

• Thermoplastic processing
• Material selection for automotive applications
• Technical validation and specification development
• Molding trial coordination
• Application testing