Project Manager

Project Manager

Be part of a growing, successful company in an exciting and challenging field. Border States is 100% employee-owned, which means you're empowered to make decisions, find solutions and receive rewards for your hard work. This position will be located in: Maple Grove, MN Mankato, Rochester, Faribault.

The Project Manager leads the strategic planning, coordination, and execution of complex customer projects, exercising independent judgement in interpreting specifications, determining material strategies, and resolving project-critical issues. Serves as the primary decision-maker for project scope, vendor alignment, pricing recommendations within established guidelines, and risk mitigation. Partners with internal and external stakeholders to ensure project profitability, compliance, and successful delivery. Actively participates in coordinating, analyzing, and acting upon information and feedback of customer needs, pricing, products, competition, and procedures.

Essential Functions:

• Collaborates with Account Managers, Business Development Managers, Demand Gen & Distribution Leaders, and sales staff to develop project execution strategies, establish priorities, and ensure alignment with sales and profitability objectives.
• Projects may deal with substations, power transmission, wind and solar energy, data Telco, HV industrial, commercial, or residential construction and industrial.
• Oversees customer support activities and provides direction on issue resolution, ensuring alignment with project requirements and business objectives such as expediting, pricing, follow-up, returns, and other services.
• Provides customers with timely follow-up on technical inquiries and requests.
• Develops and manages project schedules, ensuring adherence to specifications and proactively adjusting plans based on evolving risks and customer needs.
• Maintains a high level of teamwork and communication in ensuring a balanced workload within the team.
• Completes project group job form with customer information for each project handled.
• Evaluates product options, recommends sourcing strategies, and provides pricing guidance within established authority levels.
• Interprets bid requirements, resolves specification conflicts, material strategies, and determines project timelines that will meet customer's required deadlines.
• After bid date, follows up on quotations to clarify product specifications, assure outstanding issues are resolved, and develop schedules that will meet customer's required deadlines.
• Responsible for the completion of each assigned project.
• Obtains orders and provides order entry, expediting, pricing, follow-up, and other value-added services, as required.
• Coordinates with the Customer Financial Services staff to resolve customer-billing problems resulting from errors in the quotations process, pricing, shipping, delivery, or other customer service/credit areas.
• In partnership with Demand Generation, organizes, plans, and schedules the start-up and completion of assigned projects.
• Evaluates vendor performance, negotiates pricing and delivery terms within established guidelines, and escalates risks requiring leadership intervention.
• In partnership with Demand Generation, maintains job control to ensure cost and sell prices remain aligned with customer and vendor expectations.
• In partnership with Demand Generation, establishes goals and priorities for project execution.
• Manages all financials related to the project, ensuring alignment with profit margin goals.
• Monitors vendor performance and alerts appropriate stakeholders of potential problems.
• Works to gain cooperation from all project stakeholders.
• Responsible for planning, ordering, and managing high dollar, made to order products, ensuring accuracy and alignment with project specifications, timelines, and customer requirements.

Non - Essential Functions:

• May develop quotations for customers within the company profit objectives and guidelines.
• Responsibilities may include overseeing all or some of the following: product application and support, estimating, procurement, material management, staging, kitting, storage, job site delivery, back hauling and project close out.
• May assist with negotiating with vendors for best pricing and best delivery of products to customers and/or jobsites.
• May be required to consult with engineers and developers on given projects.
• Performs other duties as assigned by supervisor or designate.

Qualifications:

• Associates degree preferred or the equivalent in work experience.
• 3+ years of prior customer service, quotation or sales experience with strong knowledge of electrical products and utility systems preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to exercise independent judgement and make decisions on complex project and technical issues.
• Experience managing project financials, pricing strategies, and vendor negotiations.
• Proven ability to interpret technical specifications and develop project execution strategies.
• Comprehensive knowledge of product lines and applications, alternate product substitutes, and supplier pricing policies preferred.
• Strong working knowledge of PC for Windows, Microsoft Office (Excel, Word and PowerPoint), internet, email, and SAP software preferred.
• Technical ability to understand electrical systems and product applications with prior electrical distribution experience preferred.
• Technical ability to read specifications and drawings highly preferred.
• Excellent interpersonal, written and verbal communication, reading, and customer service skills are preferred with the ability to effectively plan and organize and work well on a team.
• Excellent customer service skills include being competent, accurate, responsive and engaged.

Physical Requirements:

• Lift and carry requirements (weight and frequency): Occasionally 0 – 33% Frequently 34 – 66% Continuously: 67 – 100%
• Lift from Floor to Waist: < than 10 lbs. - Occasionally 10 to 25 lbs. - Occasionally 26 to 50 lbs. - Occasionally 51 to 75 lbs. - Occasionally 76 to 100 lbs. - Not at all 101 + lbs. - Not at all
• Above Waist Lift: < than 10 lbs. - Occasionally 10 to 25 lbs. - Occasionally 26 to 50 lbs. - Occasionally 51 to 75 lbs. - Occasionally 76 to 100 lbs. - Not at all 101+ lbs. - Not at all
• Unilateral Carry: < than 10 lbs. - Not at all 10 to 25 lbs. - Not at all 26 to 50 lbs. - Not at all 51 to 75 lbs. - Not at all 76 to 100 lbs. - Not at all 101+ lbs. - Not at all
• Bilateral Carry: < than 10 lbs. - Not at all 10 to 25 lbs. - Not at all 26 to 50 lbs. - Not at all 51 to 75 lbs. - Not at all 76 to 100 lbs. - Not at all 101+ lbs. - Not at all
• Physical Activity Frequency at which you would do the following in a typical day: Sitting (a continuous period of being seated) - Continuously Standing (for sustained periods of time) - Frequently Walking (moving about on foot to accomplish tasks) - Frequently Bending/Stooping (downward and forward) - Occasionally Crawling (moving about on hands and knees or hands and feet) - Not at all Climbing/Walking Stairs (ascending or descending) - Frequently Reaching (extending arms in any direction) - Frequently Crouching/Squatting (bending the body downward and forward by bending leg and spine) - Occasionally Kneeling (bending legs at knee to come to rest on knee(s)) - Occasionally Balancing (maintaining body equilibrium to prevent falling) - Occasionally Repetitive Motion (substantial movement (motions) of the wrists, hands, and/or fingers) - Continuously Trunk Rotation (movement in any direction, whether standing or sitting, with at least one foot stationary and in contact with the floor) - Occasionally Pushing/Pulling (using upper extremities to press against or draw or tug) - Occasionally Handling (applying pressure to an object with the fingers and palm) - Continuously Fingering (picking, pinching, typing; working primarily with fingers and not whole hand) - Continuously Talking (expressing or exchanging ideas by means of the spoken word) - Continuously Driving (the control and operation of a fork lift) - Occcasionally Desk Work (tasks generally performed at a desk, including use of a computer, printer, fax machine, telephone and other office equipment) - Continually Use of Computer - Continuously Use of Telephone - Continuously Hearing (perceiving the nature of sounds at normal speaking levels) - Continuously Exposure (to adverse weather & temperature conditions) - Continuously Travel (travel needed to perform job duties) - Occasionally