Sr. Manager, OEM Customer Technical Strategy

Woodward, Inc. is committed to creating a great workplace and is seeking a Sr. Manager, OEM Customer Technical Strategy to drive engagement with large OEM commercial customers. This role focuses on technical collaboration, gathering customer insights, and translating them into actionable recommendations for technology investment and product strategy.

Responsibilities:

• Collaborate with Woodward and the Customer to build and maintain trusted relationships with key decision-makers, engineering leaders, product development leaders, and program leaders at the customer organization
• Collaborate with Woodward Sales & Marketing and act as primary liaison between Woodward and the customer’s engineering and technology teams, influencing customer requirements by demonstrating expertise in airframe control systems
• Develop and establish a Technology Interchange framework with the customer to share insights on emerging technologies, trends and mutual interests
• Develop, drive, and communicate tactical plans to facilitate the Technology Interchange framework within the Woodward organization
• Organize and facilitate regular external technical discussions, workshops, and collaborative sessions to explore potential technical solutions to customers’ future needs
• Identify opportunities to participate in the customer’s engineering trade studies and technology evaluations before Request for Proposals (RFPs) are issued
• Provide insights into the customer’s long-term strategies, pain points, and upcoming developments to ensure alignment with Woodward’s capabilities
• Collaborate with Woodward Sales & Marketing organization to monitor and report on the customer’s technology roadmaps, funding priorities, and competitive landscape to inform internal strategy
• Act as the voice of the customer within Woodward, ensuring engineering, product marketing, product management, and sales management teams are aligned with the customer’s needs
• Collaborate with Woodward subject matter technical experts to develop tailored solutions for the customer
• Participate in proposal development to ensure key performance criteria previously established are addressed

Requirements:

• Previous experience at a large commercial OEM customer, ideally in an engineering, product development or program leadership role
• Strategic Planning: Ability to develop and implement strategies that align with organizational goals and drive account growth
• Client Relationship Management: Expertise in building and maintaining strong, long term relationships with key clients to enhance customer loyalty and retention
• Business Acumen: Deep understanding of business operations and market dynamics to anticipate and respond to industry trends and regulatory changes
• Technology Acumen: Deep understanding of large commercial aircraft architectures and existing/emerging technologies
• Project Leadership: Skilled in leading complex, high risk projects from conception through execution, ensuring successful outcomes
• Problem Solving: Proficient in identifying and resolving unique, high impact business challenges using conceptual and analytical approaches
• Resource Allocation: Expertise in directing and optimizing resource distribution to maximize efficiency and support strategic initiatives
• Communication: Exceptional ability to articulate complex ideas clearly and persuasively to senior stakeholders and diverse audiences
• Data Driven Decision Making: Proficient in analyzing sales and market data and metrics to inform strategic decisions and drive business performance
• Cross Functional Collaboration: Ability to work effectively across various departments and disciplines to achieve strategic account goals
• Program/Program Management experience preferred