Sales Eng./Project Manager - Mfg.

The Project Manager’s role is to engage with customers to identify and interpret their project needs to ensure that the most efficient and cost-effective manufacturing processes are utilized in the production of the customer’s product and the project is delivered on time.

Qualifications and Competencies

To perform this job successfully, an individual must possess excellent ability for attention to detail. Success in this position requires the ability to understand customer needs in depth and evaluate requirements relative to GSM’s manufacturing capabilities. The Project Manager maintains an optimistic and supportive attitude towards customers and colleagues and maintains the strictest confidence regarding all issues and information relative to the company’s operations, its employee, financial matters, and personal matters of which the employee may become aware in the course of their work.

The individual will also maintain competency with the following programs and equipment:

• Microsoft Office Suite
• Laptop or desktop computer
• Office telephone system
• Corporate ERP System
• SolidWorks and Pro/E
• Corporate nesting software

General Competencies

• Problem Solving: Utilizes creative talents and skills to successfully resolve problems; develops solutions that work; works well with others to solve problems and resolve situations
• Design acumen: Creative design skills to translate customer requirements to cost effective design
• Customer Relations: Responds promptly and effectively to customer needs; responds to requests for service and assistance in a friendly productive manner; meets commitments
• Project Management: Ability to work under pressure and manage complex projects with competing timelines
• Oral Communication: Speaks clearly and persuasively in positive or negative situations; listens and gets clarification; responds well to questions; demonstrates engaging presentation skills; participates in meetings
• Written Communication: Writes clearly and informatively; edits work for spelling and grammar; varies writing style to meet needs; presents numerical data effectively; able to read and interpret written information
• Manufacturing/Engineering Aptitude: Strong ability to understand engineering drawings and match with manufacturing processes; GD&T
• Required to deliver quotes in an accurate and timely manner with attention to detail. deliver quotes with accurate price, delivery, quality and packaging commitments
• Attendance/Punctuality: Is consistently at work and on time; ensures work responsibilities are covered when absent; arrives at meetings and appointments prepared and on time
• Dependability: Follows procedures and responds to management direction takes responsibility for own actions; keeps commitments; commits time necessary to reach goals; meets deadlines or notifies appropriate person with an alternate plan

Education

• Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s Degree (preferred)
• Certification in SolidWorks or equivalent
• Project Management certification (preferred)

Experience

Minimum of 2 years of experience estimating metal fabrication, stamping and/or welding solutions preferred. Project Management experience.

Work Environment

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Open office, cubicle, individual or shared office
• Conference rooms or open offices at customer’s location
• Ability to work on plant floor when needed

Physical Demands

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly or occasionally required to meet the following physical demands:

• Able to speak clearly and understandably, with a pleasant tone of voice and manner
• Ability to hear within a range that enables normal telephone communication
• Able to see a computer screen within reasonable reading distance without strain
• Able to type at a keyboard without bodily or psychological discomfort most of the working day
• Ability to ambulate around the office environment and manufacturing floor comfortably to fulfill tasks required in various offices and departments
• Ability to drive and fly for an extended period in private or commercial aircraft

Salary/Wages and Benefits

Refer to corporate compensation schedule for this position.

Conditions of Hire

All employment with General Stamping & Metalworks at-will by the employer and employee and therefore subject to change.

The Sales Engineer/Project Manager’s role is to engage with customers to identify their project needs. This will mostly likely occur at the customer location with a member of our sales team. The project will start with developing the scope, timing, and quote value. Then once the quote is accepted, we will move to execution of the project plan. Quote development will require the PM to identify a path to meet these customer needs, communicate a plan forward, and present to the customer cost, timing, and appropriate milestone review dates.

Organizational Relationships and Authority

The Project Manager reports directly to the Sales Manager. There are no direct reports for this position.

Key Responsibilities

• Builds rapport with customers, project confidence with humbleness, present with a
  “can do” attitude, inquire for details at an appropriate intensity (not interrogating or asking questions that the information is available from other sources, being curious and helpful).
• Gathers and organizes key inputs to determine the key items that will lead to the project being delivered on time (or not). Advising the sales manager if the expectations of the customer are too aggressive and propose alternatives to our approach if the timeline needs to be accelerated.
• Develops contingency plans for initiatives that appear to have a level of risk.
• Holds people accountable to achieving dates with diplomacy. Not being a “push over” but also keeping people moving in a positive direction with encouragement. Demonstrating a helpful attitude, meeting them where they are, and helping them find a path forward even when there are “unknowns”.
• Works within and across multiple levels at a customer. Could be the VP/C-level decision makers, highly technical engineer, or a plant operations person who is stressed about the timing of a product line move. The PM needs to clearly articulate the “why” for all meetings, what needs to be addressed. and how the group should move forward.
• Facilitate succinct meetings with efficiency. This person should be able to redirect without individuals being disrespected. When the meeting participants leave the meeting, they feel like GSM is making traction, running efficiently, and asking the right questions. The PM needs to be able to facilitate customer meetings as the point person from GSM and modulate this meeting leadership with the audience to encourage their collaboration.
• Ability to organize the various steps needed into a project document. Each project plan should have major functional areas (engineering, tooling, operations, quality, logistics) covered so that the functional area owners recognize what is needed, by when, and by who in their areas as well as the project as a whole. The PM will develop a “GSM Standard Project Plan” format with gates and milestones so that major projects (line moves, product build moves, outsourcing moves, or new product development projects) are outlined in a consistent method that the organization begins to look for their steps in the plan and quickly can ascertain if the project is “on track” or “off track” on their own (without special software or special training). Projects all have cost & timing.