Channel Development Manager Jobs in Utica, MI (NOW HIRING)

The Director, Business Development & IAM Channel Strategy is responsible for developing and executing the North American Independent Aftermarket (IAM) growth strategy, identifying new business opportunities, and building the commercial models, partnerships, and channel capabilities required to accelerate profitable growth.
This role combines business development, channel strategy, market development, and commercial execution, with a focus on expanding the brand's presence across Wholesale Distributors (WDs), Independent Repair Facilities (IRFs), dealer wholesale operations, parts distributors, installers, and other strategic IAM partners.
The role will identify where and how the business should compete, develop strategies to capture those opportunities, and lead cross-functional teams to convert strategy into measurable sales growth. This includes developing new customer and channel opportunities, strengthening existing channel partnerships, identifying whitespace opportunities, and creating scalable sales models that improve market coverage and customer engagement.
The ideal candidate is a strategic commercial leader who can move seamlessly between market strategy and execution-understanding the IAM ecosystem, developing a clear point of view on where to play and how to win, and translating that strategy into actionable plans for the field organization.
Key Responsibilities

1. IAM Channel Strategy & Growth Planning

Develop and maintain the North American IAM channel strategy, including target customers, channel segments, routes to market, value propositions, and growth priorities.
Define where to play and how to win across WDs, IRFs, dealer wholesale, resellers, installers, e-commerce, and emerging distribution models.
Identify market whitespace, customer segments, geographic opportunities, and product categories that represent the highest potential for profitable growth.
Develop annual and multi-year IAM growth strategies, business plans, and channel roadmaps.
Establish channel-specific strategies for customer acquisition, retention, share growth, and portfolio expansion.
Develop strategies to increase brand penetration and conquest share against established aftermarket competitors.
Evaluate emerging business models, including dealer-to-dealer, hub-and-spoke, B2B trading platforms, digital ordering, and other alternative routes to market.
Establish channel economics and commercial models that balance sales growth, margin, inventory, service levels, and customer value.

1. Business Development

Identify, prioritize, and pursue new business opportunities across the North American IAM ecosystem.
Develop strategic relationships with major WDs, regional distributors, resellers, installers, dealer groups, and other strategic partners.
Lead opportunity development from initial identification through business case, customer engagement, negotiation, launch, and performance management.
Build and maintain a pipeline of high-value business development opportunities.
Develop compelling customer-specific value propositions, business cases, and go-to-market strategies.
Partner with Sales, Marketing, Product, Supply Chain, Finance, Legal, and Operations to convert opportunities into sustainable revenue.
Identify strategic partnerships, alliances, acquisitions, or other opportunities that can accelerate channel expansion.

1. Channel Development & Market Activation

Translate channel strategy into executable market activation plans.
Develop market-entry and customer-launch playbooks for new channels, customers, products, and geographies.
Establish scalable processes for acquiring and onboarding new IAM customers.
Develop strategies to improve customer coverage, sales productivity, product availability, and customer experience.
Partner with field sales and territory teams to execute strategic channel initiatives in-market.
Develop and deploy pilots designed to validate new commercial models before broader rollout.
Establish clear launch milestones, ownership, investment requirements, and success metrics for strategic initiatives.

1. Customer & Competitive Strategy

Develop a deep understanding of IAM customer economics, buying behavior, competitive dynamics, and market trends.
Analyze competitor strategies, pricing, product positioning, distribution models, service levels, and customer value propositions.
Identify opportunities to differentiate the brand through OE-backed quality, application expertise, product breadth, technology, service, availability, and commercial value.
Develop strategies to win targeted business from established aftermarket competitors.
Build strategic account and channel plans for priority customers and customer segments.
Maintain an ongoing view of market share, customer share of wallet, competitive threats, and growth opportunities.

1. Commercial & Financial Management

Build business cases and financial models for new channel and business development opportunities.
Evaluate revenue potential, margin contribution, investment requirements, customer economics, and expected ROI.
Partner with Finance to establish financial targets and performance expectations for strategic initiatives.
Develop pricing, incentive, rebate, and commercial strategies aligned to channel objectives.
Monitor performance against business cases and adjust strategies based on results.
Ensure growth initiatives deliver sustainable, profitable revenue rather than volume alone.

1. Cross-Functional Leadership

Lead cross-functional teams through complex channel and business development initiatives without relying solely on direct authority.
Establish clear objectives, milestones, ownership, and accountability for strategic initiatives.
Influence senior leaders and stakeholders through data-driven recommendations and compelling business cases.
Coordinate Sales, Marketing, Product, Supply Chain, Finance, IT, Legal, and Operations resources to ensure successful execution.
Act as the internal subject-matter expert on IAM channel development and emerging go-to-market models.

1. Performance Management & Continuous Improvement

Establish KPIs and dashboards to measure IAM channel performance and strategic initiative effectiveness.
Track sales growth versus baseline, customer acquisition, active customers, share growth, product penetration, margin, inventory productivity, and ROI.
Conduct post-launch reviews to identify lessons learned and opportunities for improvement.
Scale successful pilots and discontinue initiatives that do not demonstrate sufficient strategic or financial value.
Continuously refine the IAM channel strategy based on market performance, customer feedback, and competitive intelligence.
Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, Automotive Management, or related field preferred.

• 8+ years of experience in automotive aftermarket sales, business development, or channel management.

• Strong working knowledge of auto parts distributors, warehouse distributors, jobbers, buying groups, trading groups, and IAM market structures.

• Prior people leadership experience managing regional or field-based teams preferred.

• Proven track record of customer activation, share gain, and profitable revenue growth.

• Strong negotiation, relationship-building, and executive communication skills.

• Experience with CRM systems, pipeline management, and commercial analytics.

• Ability to travel regularly within North America.