Assistant Product Manager I

POSITION OVERVIEW:  The Assistant Product Manager’s (APM) role is to accomplish specific tasks within a project and may manage small projects with the support and mentoring of a Product Manager or Director of Product Management. The APM serves as a supporting or back up customer interface with internal resources at the technical and commercial task level. KEY JOB RESPONSIBILITIES: PROPOSAL STAGE: Assist Application Engineering in developing technical solutions and cost estimates. Assist in managing the preliminary design process as it pertains to the solicitation of bids from suppliers. Provide guidance to Application Engineering in fine-tuning the project scope and pre-award budgets. PROJECT AWARD: At the time of project order (and subsequent project kick-off meeting) the APM will support the Product Manager in assuming full Customer interface for engineering, delivery, and construction execution.  The APM may assist/support any of the Product Management functions below.  For small projects, the APM may serve as the lead under the guidance of a Product Manager or Director of Product Management. ENGINEERING & FABRICATION: Primary focal point for project written and verbal communication between TAS and the customer. Work closely with the Master Scheduler in determining the project start–to-finish schedule. Responsible for internal distribution of all project-related documentation for review and revisions as required. Coordinate with Procurement to ensure materials are purchased and delivered to maintain project schedules. Interact with suppliers when needed on all scope, commercial, and schedule issues. Responsible for orchestrating the internal resources needed for project execution (i.e., Materials Management, Document Control, QA/QC, Fabrication, Engineering, and Service) Responsible for preparation of scope related documents such as a Master Document Lists, Project Document Distribution Lists, and Project Document Distribution Lists. Conduct periodic project budget reviews and prepare forecasts to completion. Solicit and review project specific accounting data for budget analysis and forecasting. CONTRACT/CONSTRUCTION: Assume full Customer interface for engineering, delivery, and construction issues. Serve as the Customer’s single contact point for all technical issues.  Coordinate with Project Engineer designated by the Engineering Manager for equipment selections, ongoing production issues, purchasing, production control, etc. Field all inquiries from the Customer and the Customer’s main EPC contractor (where applicable). The Product Manager ensures that the Project Engineer compiles and transmits all O&M information. Coordinate payment issues, attempting to maximize our leverage between payments to our installation contractors and suppliers, and invoicing to our customer.  The Product Manager protects against scope creep and solicits project change orders where appropriate. Implement risk management processes throughout the project life cycle and ensure lessons learned are captured. Travel to job sites as needed to manage and close out conflicts with the Customer. STARTUP AND CLOSEOUT: Coordinate with the Service Department in the start-up, commissioning, and training needs of the project by providing all technical references and by coordinating schedules with the Customer. Expedite project closeout and release of any related retainage. Implement a warranty kick-off meeting with the Service Department. Any other responsibilities as assigned by TAS. JOB SKILLS: Sound knowledge of business management principles, practices and procedures and strong negotiations skills Strong contract management skills/experience Excellent communication, organizational and time management skill Ability to set priorities and work independently Strong crossover skills in the areas of refrigeration principles, civil/structural/mechanical design, power wiring, and controls architecture Proficient in MS Office, MS Project, ERP, and other databases. Familiarity with ANSI, ASME, API, and OSHA Standards. RELEVANT WORK EXPERIENCE: Minimum 2 years’ experience in project engineering, application engineering or project management.  Experience in packaged equipment is a plus. Industrial HVAC, energy service contracting (ESCO), data centers or Power generation experience. Project cost estimating, project management, construction management, risk management, vendor management, and familiar with insurance and bonding. EDUCATION AND TRAINING: Bachelor’s degree in engineering from an accredited four-year engineering program, P.E. license and financial course work/degree would be a plus A substitution of military leadership and/or technical work experience will be considered in lieu of an engineering degree SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS: Extensive travel to both domestic and international job sites Ability to work in field construction locations, including climbing ladders. PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS/WORK ENVIRONMENT: Position is at least 80% to 95% at a desk working with computer. Ability to exert up to 10 pounds of force occasionally and/or a negligible amount of force frequently or constantly to lift, carry, push, pull or otherwise move objects, including the human body.  Performs other physical activities including use of fingers, sitting, stooping, bending, crouching, talking, hearing, and performing repetitive motions.  Visual acuity requirements include color, depth perception and field of vision necessary to prepare and analyze data and figures, operate a computer terminal, and conduct extensive reading.  The incumbent will be subject to inside environmental conditions. COMPANY OVERVIEW: Join a team driven to excel in all that we do!  When you join TAS, you join a Houston-headquartered company that is part of a large Houston-headquartered publicly traded company, Comfort Systems USA, with a solid reputation built on outstanding value, integrity, and c