POSITION TITLE:          Project Manager

DEPARTMENT:               Project Management

JOB TYPE:                       Exempt

REPORTS TO:                 Manager of Quality and Performance

FUNCTION

Enhance dealer and end user experience with AIS by project managing large and/or highly visible and important orders received by AIS.  Reduce risk and exposure of AIS by proactively managing project critical paths.  Anticipate and eliminate bottlenecks.  Effectively communicate cross-departmentally within AIS and with external dealers, installation companies, freight transporters, and end users.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Create timelines and project checklists for all assigned projects.
• Monitor project timelines and deliverables to ensure project timeframes are successfully met.  Implement corrective action when necessary.
• Communicate to internal departments, external partners, and end users necessary information, responsibilities, and expectations for successful completion of projects.
• Adapt timelines and communicate changes as needed.
• Create expectations in communication process that control costs to AIS.
• Educate installers and dealer partners on AIS project management role.  Establish self as point of contact for problems and opportunities.
• Work with design, sales, order entry, customer service, shipping, and engineering departments to obtain all information necessary to successfully complete each project timely and accurately.
• Interview, evaluate, and educate as needed the installation company assigned to install project.
• Inspect product at AIS manufacturing faclilites as needed.
• Understand, be able to explain, and be able to perform all necessary installation procedures for AIS products.
• Troubleshoot field assembly problems.  Be able to identify problems and effectively communicate problems to manufacturing and engineering.  Contribute to solutions for those problems.
• Understand AIS process flows and department responsibilities to be able to act with a sense of urgency and quickly react to field installation needs.
• Meet and/or exceed service goals through strong knowledge and effective communication of AIS core message, products and services to external customers and internally to all departments.
• Review mockups and showroom orders for accuracy, fit and finish of product.  Implement corrective action as necessary.
• Support other Field Service Project Managers and Technical Support Specialists.  
• Maximize effectiveness through learning, utilization of, and effective interaction with of all available AIS software resources: Saleslogix, ProSeries, Lean BOMs, etc.  
• Adheres to established company policies/procedures. Fulfill reporting and administrative requirements.
• Manage special projects and initiatives when assigned.
• Travel as needed and required.

EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE

• Any combination of education and experience providing the required skill and knowledge for successful performance would be qualifying.  Typical qualifications would be equivalent to:
• High School diploma preferably with associates degree in related field such as mechanics, electricity, or business.
• Minimum of 5 years experience in customer service, operations, manufacturing, mechanics, or installation.

KNOWLEDGE

• Understanding of sales and fulfillment cycle for business furniture.
• Ability to use and knowledge of Microsoft Word, Excel, and Outlook.
• Understanding of basic furniture assembly techniques and processes.
• Understanding of the roles of furniture manufacturer, dealer, end user, and installation companies.

SKILL

The ability to:

• act with a sense of urgency in a timely and effective manner;
• be calm but positively impactful while listening and dealing with real and perceived emergencies from dealers, installers, and end users
• communicate clearly and effectively orally and in writing;
• handle stress in a functional and positive manner that promotes successful task completion
• use tools effectively and safely; assemble product quickly and accurately
• deal constructively with conflict;
• collect, analyze, and interpret data from a wide variety of sources and create necessary structure and action steps from that data
• professionally and appropriately represent the company and our suppliers to all customers.
• work laterally across departments to promote successful completion of projects