Technical Manager
Purpose of role:
The Technical Manager is responsible for managing the technical department and stimulating sales by providing technical support of products and services directly with External Sales, Channel Partners and customers. Technical Management consists of providing technical expertise and managing technical resources, developing solutions to technical problems and implementing solutions and services in a cost-effective manner. Work independently or coordinate activities of other staff to install, modify, test or repair Company products and equipment. Represent the Company in negotiating agreements, resolving highly complex technical, logistics and business issues while promoting and maintaining good customer relations and protecting the Company's interests. Responsible for providing pre and post technical support influencing regional sales activities that includes the utility sales force and the industrial sales force, OEM sales force, Sales Reps and Distributors. As subject matter expert on distribution and integration, provide mentoring and guidance to team of technical staff.
Main responsibilities:
- Perform or coordinate highly complex and diverse engineering activities and related analyses associated with major field projects, and provide technical advice to customers and less experienced field engineers. Visit multiple job-sites to ensure proper installation and operation of specialized equipment and to devise solutions to problems. Establish schedules and coordinate technical activities. Direct or assist in providing direction to crafts people.
- Represent the Company in conferences with customers, consulting engineers, contractors and vendors. Provide technical and business advice involving major projects and/or highly complex problems. Evaluate various types of information to determine causes of problems or malfunctions. Coordinate or recommend repairs or other means to achieve resolution and prevent recurrence.
- Maintain communications with other engineering groups and lead such activities as redesigning equipment to achieve operating efficiencies or resolving highly complex, recurring problems. Propose to customers, ways to optimize their operations by such means as utilizing more efficient, state-of-the-art equipment and contracting for maintenance and inspection services. Seek other opportunities to promote customer satisfaction and foster harmonious business relations.
- Develop customer contacts and, in conjunction with other support groups, establish strategies for obtaining new business and meeting financial objectives. Prepare or provide input for proposals and make recommendations on such matters as specifications, equipment, procedures and technical documents. Provide advance information on potential business opportunity Customer Support for protection, control, automation and other projects.
- Conduct customer training seminars to help customer personnel in the application and the operation of the products and services and and problems, and support related business development efforts.
- Assist customers with technical applications and in solving technical problems to obtain sales and enhance customer goodwill.
- Management of the branch technical department and oversee coordination with sales department.
- Travel to customers to provide technical support on distribution ,automation and at times integration projects.
- Work with suppliers to resolve product quality design issues with validation of reporting and communication to customers.
- Consult with other engineering groups to ensure that specified engineering criteria are suitable for the proposed application, and recommend revisions, as appropriate.
- Plan, conduct or coordinate relatively straight-forward engineering analyses and tests, and prepare related reports and summaries, for review.
- To cultivate a high-performing technical team by consistently fostering a positive work environment providing ongoing training and mentorship. The Technical manager will lead initiatives highlighted as focus areas in the bi-annual surveys
- Owning and maintaining the customer technical service promise KPI’s and working closely with the support functions in improving the customer journey sustainably.
- Fostering a continuous improvement methodology with targeted improvement initiatives, and a customer-centric culture throughout the service support chain.
Essential requirements:
- Significant, deep experience in multiple product categories including Automation, Motor Control and Drives, Energy Management and Power Distribution
- Ability to solve customer problems and application issues of a highly complex nature without resorting to engineering assistance. For more highly complex technical problems, must be able to marshal necessary engineering assistance and coordinate/guide efforts toward resolution.
- Must be able to create customer confidence in EM’s products and services.
- Proven track record managing technical teams
- Must be a good communicator.
- Must be problem solver oriented.
- Must think outside the Box.
- Must be hands-on / Task Driven.
- Must be a team player.
- Must be customer focus oriented
- Own car and a valid drivers licence
Beneficial requirements:
- Relevant qualification BSc Electrical Engineering preferred
- Minimum 10 years relevant experience in the industrial electrical field preferably within a distribution environment
- Minimum 5 years relevant management experience
- Must be able to teach complex technical subjects to groups of technicians or engineers, tailoring the talk to the level of the audience.
- Ability to create presentations and present to a variety of audiences including customers, training groups, seminars and senior managers a must.
- Ability to learn new skills and assume new responsibilities.
- Must be able to clearly and concisely present results and recommendations of customer contacts to others within the Division so as to influence the direction of the Division to maximize sales and customer satisfaction
- Must be able to explain in a clear and persuasive manner, the technical merits of the Division’s products in direct contact with the customer.
- Department
- Engineering Services
- Role
- Technical Manager
- Locations
- EM Ormonde
About EM
EM is a specialist provider of electrical switchgear and solutions for automation and energy management.
We remain totally committed to our founding principle of supplying Africa with world-leading, high-quality products, brought to you by people passionate about service.
Technical Manager
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