Project Support Specialist

Job Summary

The Project Support Specialist carries out various supportive duties for project account managers and customers. Plans, organizes, and executes special project requests. Projects may deal with power distribution systems, substations, transmission, and utility scale wind and/or solar energy.

Responsibilities

Essential Functions

• Assists with quotes and bids for ongoing projects, including preparing proposals based on bills of material (BOM), utilizing quoting software, logging bid information, and providing complete and accurate pricing to peers or customers. 
• Secures vendor pricing, evaluates products, develops pricing, coordinates deliveries, expedites when necessary, and identifies alternate material solutions to meet customer requirements for price, lead time, or preference. 
• Processes and manages orders by receiving, reviewing, and entering them accurately, providing clear handoffs to project managers or coordinators, and maintaining schedules to assure required specifications are met. Assists in purchasing functions, , , and other related services.
• Builds and maintains trusted relationships with customers, suppliers, and peers through personal interactions, consultation, teamwork, and assistance with project or order issues. 
• Optimizes margin and service through efficient use of cross-docking, transfers, drop-ship, and other supply chain practices. 
• Uses advanced product and application knowledge to provide technical support and solutions, including cross-selling and upselling companion products. 
• Acts as a temporary backup for ongoing projects while covering for those out of office. 
• Acts upon information and feedback of customer needs, pricing, and product requests.
• Follows up on quotations to clarify product specifications, assure outstanding issues are resolved, and develop schedules that will meet customer’s required deadlines. 
• Provides customers with timely follow-up on technical inquiries and requests. 
• Maintains a high level of teamwork and communication in ensuring a balanced workload within the team. 
• Provides consistent responsive and quality service to customers. 
• Secures pricing from vendors, coordinates deliveries, expedites deliveries when necessary.
• Regularly advises and consults with customer project management team.
• Provides assistance to peers with customer issues and order issues. 

Non-essential Functions

• Assists with vendor negotiations for best pricing and delivery of products to customers and/or jobsites.
• Sets up customer meetings, maintains and uploads negotiated pricing into bidding software and provides invoices. 
• Documents missed opportunities.
• Participates in some or all of the following: product application and support, estimating, procurement, material management, staging, kitting, storage, job site delivery, and project close out. 
• Contacts vendors for pricing, as needed. 
• Attends training programs, as required. 
• May assist with trade shows, as needed.
• Writes orders in SAP and delivers material. 
• Other duties as assigned by supervisor or designate. 

Qualifications

• Minimum of a business or trade degree preferred or the equivalent in work experience. 
• 2+ years of prior customer service, quotation, or sales experience.
• Strong knowledge of electrical products and utility systems, preferred. 
• Comprehensive knowledge of product lines and applications, alternate product substitutes, and supplier pricing policies, preferred. 
• Proficiency in quoting software, preferred. 
• Requires the ability to read, write and speak in English.
• Prefer strong working knowledge of PC for Windows, Microsoft Office (Excel, Word and PowerPoint), Internet, Email and SAP software.

Skills and Abilities

• Technical ability to understand electrical systems and product applications with prior electrical distribution experience, preferred. 
• Technical ability to read specifications and drawings is highly preferred. 
• Excellent interpersonal, written, and verbal communication, reading, and customer service skills.
• 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. - Occasionally
  • 101 + lbs. - Occasionally
• 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. - Occasionally
  • 10 to 25 lbs. - Occasionally
  • 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. - 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

Physical Activity

Frequency at which you would do the following in a typical day:

• Sitting (a continuous period of being seated) - Not at all
• Standing (for sustained periods of time) - Frequently
• Walking (moving about on foot to accomplish tasks) - Continuously
• Bending/Stooping (downward and forward) - Not at all
• Crawling (moving about on hands and knees or hands and feet) - Not at all
• Climbing/Walking Stairs (ascending or descending) - Occasionally
• Reaching (extending arms in any direction) - Occasionally
• 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) - Frequently
• Repetitive Motion (substantial movement (motions) of the wrists, hands, and/or fingers) - Occasionally
• Trunk Rotation (movement in any direction, whether standing or sitting, with at least one foot stationary and in contact with the floor) - Not at all
• Pushing/Pulling (using upper extremities to press against or draw or tug) - Occasionally
• Handling (applying pressure to an object with the fingers and palm) - Frequently
• Fingering (picking, pinching, typing; working primarily with fingers and not whole hand) - Occasionally
• Talking (expressing or exchanging ideas by means of the spoken word) - Continuously
• Driving (the control and operation of a fork lift) - Not at all
• Desk Work (tasks generally performed at a desk, including use of a computer, printer, fax machine, telephone and other office equipment) - Continuously
• Use of tools (safely operate equipment needed for receiving, conveying, stocking, packaging, and shipping parts) - Frequently
• Hearing (perceiving the nature of sounds at normal speaking levels) - Continuously
• Exposure (to adverse weather & temperature conditions) - Frequently
• Travel (travel needed to perform job duties) - Not at all

Additional Information

This job description is a summary of the job duties and responsibilities and is not intended to cover all possible job duties and is subject to change at the employer’s discretion. Employees must be able to perform the essential job duties and satisfy job requirements either with or without a reasonable accommodation. The pay range for this position is $28.85 per hour to $40.28 per hour, depnding on experience.