Assistant Product Manager I

Comfort Systems USA•Houston, TX

About The Position

The Assistant Product Manager (APM) completes specific tasks within projects and may manage small projects with support and mentoring from a Product Manager or Director of Product Management. The APM serves as a supporting or backup customer interface for internal technical and commercial matters. Across the project lifecycle, the APM may support Product Management functions or lead small projects under the guidance of a Product Manager or Director of Product Management. During the proposal stage, the APM assists Application Engineering with technical solutions and cost estimates, supports preliminary design and supplier bid solicitation, and helps refine project scope and pre-award budgets. After award, the APM supports customer communications and coordination for engineering, delivery, and construction execution. Responsibilities span project scheduling, documentation, procurement, internal resource coordination, budgeting and forecasting, customer and supplier issues, risk management, construction coordination, startup, commissioning, training, and closeout. The role requires extensive travel to domestic and international job sites and the ability to work at field construction locations, including climbing ladders. The position is primarily desk-based (at least 80% to 95%), working with a computer, and is subject to inside environmental conditions. TAS is a Houston-headquartered company delivering engineered and manufactured packaged modular systems for data centers, power, and commercial and industrial utility applications. TAS has five ISO 9001 certified manufacturing facilities in Houston. TAS maintains a tobacco-free workplace policy that also applies while conducting company business off premises and prohibits smoking breaks during work hours.

Requirements

Minimum 2 years of experience in project engineering, application engineering, or project management.
Experience in industrial HVAC, energy service contracting (ESCO), data centers, or power generation.
Experience with project cost estimating, project management, construction management, risk management, and vendor management; familiarity with insurance and bonding.
Sound knowledge of business management principles, practices, and procedures, and strong negotiation skills.
Strong contract management skills or experience.
Excellent communication, organizational, and time-management skills.
Ability to set priorities and work independently.
Strong crossover skills in refrigeration principles, civil/structural/mechanical design, power wiring, and controls architecture.
Proficiency in MS Office, MS Project, ERP, and other databases.
Familiarity with ANSI, ASME, API, and OSHA standards.
Ability to travel extensively to domestic and international job sites and work in field construction locations, including climbing ladders.
Ability to exert up to 10 pounds of force occasionally and negligible force frequently or constantly to move objects.
Ability to perform physical activities including finger use, sitting, stooping, bending, crouching, talking, hearing, and repetitive motions.
Visual acuity for color and depth perception and field of vision needed to prepare and analyze data and figures, operate a computer terminal, and conduct extensive reading.

Nice To Haves

Experience with packaged equipment.
Bachelor’s degree in engineering from an accredited four-year engineering program; military leadership and/or technical work experience may be considered in lieu of an engineering degree.
P.E. license.
Financial coursework or degree.

Responsibilities

Assist Application Engineering in developing technical solutions and cost estimates.
Assist in managing preliminary design and supplier bid solicitation; guide Application Engineering in refining project scope and pre-award budgets.
Support the Product Manager in assuming the customer interface for engineering, delivery, and construction execution after project award.
For small projects, potentially serve as the project lead under a Product Manager’s or Director of Product Management’s guidance.
Serve as the primary focal point for written and verbal project communication between TAS and the customer.
Work with the Master Scheduler to determine the project start-to-finish schedule.
Distribute project-related documentation internally for review and revisions.
Coordinate with Procurement to ensure materials are purchased and delivered according to project schedules, and interact with suppliers on scope, commercial, and schedule issues as needed.
Coordinate internal resources for project execution, including Materials Management, Document Control, QA/QC, Fabrication, Engineering, and Service.
Prepare scope-related documents, including Master Document Lists and Project Document Distribution Lists.
Conduct periodic project budget reviews and prepare forecasts to completion.
Solicit and review project accounting data for budget analysis and forecasting.
Serve as the customer interface for engineering, delivery, and construction issues, and as the customer’s single contact point for technical issues.
Coordinate with the designated Project Engineer on equipment selections, production issues, purchasing, and production control.
Address inquiries from the customer and, where applicable, the customer’s main EPC contractor; ensure the Project Engineer compiles and transmits O&M information.
Coordinate payment issues, manage payment leverage between installation contractors and suppliers and customer invoicing, protect against scope creep, and solicit change orders where appropriate.
Implement risk management processes throughout the project lifecycle and ensure lessons learned are captured.
Travel to job sites as needed to manage and resolve customer conflicts.
Coordinate project startup, commissioning, and training with the Service Department by providing technical references and coordinating schedules with the customer.
Expedite project closeout and release of related retainage.
Conduct a warranty kickoff meeting with the Service Department.
Perform other responsibilities as assigned by TAS.