Project Manager - Engineered Business

KSB is a leading supplier of pumps, valves and related service. Our reliable, high-efficiency products are used in applications wherever fluids need to be transported or shut off, covering everything from building services,industry and water transport to waste water treatment, power plant processes and mining. Founded in 1871 in Frankenthal, Germany, the company has a presence on all continents with its own sales and marketing organisations and manufacturing facilities. Around the globe, more than 190 service centres and around 3,500 service specialists are on hand to provide local inspection, servicing, maintenance and repair services under the KSB SupremeServ brand. Innovative technology that is the fruit of KSB’s research and development activities forms the basis for the company’s success.
People. Passion. Performance. It is these three success factors that make KSB the company it is today.
At KSB, we recognise that it is people who actually make the difference – the people we employ and the people we serve. This is why we are committed to equal rights and treatment worldwide and never lose sight of the aspects ecology and sustainability when manufacturing our products.

Position Title: Project Manager – Engineered Business

Reports To: Project & Application Engineering Manager – Engineered Business

Location: Richmond, VA

Position Summary:

The primary role of this position is to manage active customer orders from inception through completion to maximizing return on sales (ROS) and customer satisfaction. This position requires an individual who is interested in connecting and communicating with internal and external stakeholders, including KSB Factories from around the world. The person in this role will be responsible for managing orders for engineered pump projects ranging in scope and complexity primarily in support of the Energy (ENY) Market Areas, as well as Petrochemical / Chemical (PCC) and General Industry (GIN).  The ideal candidate will be expected to have exceptional organizational and communication skills allowing them to collaborate with factories to ensure adherence to contract requirements, schedule and pleasing the customer.

Position Primary Role and Responsibilities: 

• Serve as the KSB primary point of contact to the customer and internal KSB stakeholders. Activities will include routine customer calls as well as coordination with local KSB, Inc. colleagues, KSB factories, and sub-suppliers.
• Develop project schedules specific to each customer order, including factory/sub-supplier procurement, production, testing, and delivery of equipment.
• Coordination of invoicing with KSB, Inc. Accounting Department.
• Manage project documentation schedules, working with KSB stakeholders, global factories, and sub-suppliers to obtain all required documentation.
• Monitor project performance indicators and advise KSB management of project status, identifying any areas of risk to be further evaluated.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Project Management – Establish, document, and communicate effective project structuring, monitoring/tracking performance against milestones and deadlines, while keeping projections and expectations current and conveyed.
• Documentation – Ensures most current order status is thoroughly recorded and available to applicable parties, with all necessary associated documentation completed and appropriately issued, filed, and maintained.
• Communication – Effectively communicates with necessary internal colleagues at all levels and throughout all applicable departments and locations across the Company; serves point of contact role for customer representative and, when required, works through the supply chain colleagues to interact with vendors associated with respective orders.

• Time Management – Reliable attendance; manages time for the day-to-day responsibilities in adherence to associated initiative requirements, completing assignments in allotted time. Effectively prioritizes tasks to manage multiple initiatives simultaneously.
• Professionalism – Leads by example.  Deals with pressure and conflict in a positive manner.  Demonstrates self-confidence and an optimistic attitude.  Demonstrates productive use of time, per assignments and organizational needs.
• Active Learning – Able to learn quickly and independently, on the job.  Must be a resourceful and proactive problem solver.
• Innovative – Aptitude in identifying potential new solutions, to resolve impediments, in order to achieve objectives, while adhering to legal and ethical conduct.
• Intuition – Identifies and addresses potential problems before they become issues.
• Computer Skills – Working familiarity with MS Office products, particularly Word and Excel; experienced in use of integrated enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems.
• Reading and Communication – Demonstrated ability to read and comprehend procedural documentation and to generate complete comprehensive project assessments and performance reports. Must be able to communicate with internal and external people in a professional manner.
• Quality & Productivity – Produces work at a fast rate and with high accuracy. Demonstrates accountability if mistakes occur and strives to resolve issues expeditiously and amicably.
• Safety – Demonstrates personal responsibility in adherence to Company safety guidelines.
• Organized and precise – Attention to detail is required at all times; must have strong analytical skills, be organized, and employ a systematic approach to execution and problem solving.

Minimum Experience and Qualifications:

• Undergraduate degree required in related discipline, preferably business management or engineering.
• Minimum of 5 years of demonstrated experience in successful project and contract management in a related industry or with industrial products and/or services.
• Broad experience in business operations (i.e., demonstrated knowledge of activities across multiple functions), preferably with an international organization.
• Project management skills with ability to support multiple projects simultaneously and balance priorities through planning, execution, reporting, and effective controls.
• Demonstrated experience working with multi-site operations and deploying and managing project fulfillment stages through others.

Preferred Experience Qualifications:

• Project Manage Professional (PMP) certification
• Working knowledge of Lean Enterprise, Lean Project Management, Critical Chain, and Theory of Constraints concepts
• Broad experience in quality management, manufacturing, and systems thinking.
• Leadership and Change management Experience
• Lean Enterprise and Human Centered Design Thinking – Understand principles and strategies for identifying process problems and solutions by prioritizing the perspective of internal and external stakeholders to develop innovative solutions, services and systems.

KSB Group is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace. We prohibit discrimination and harassment of any kind based on race, color, sex, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, genetic information, pregnancy, or any other protected characteristic as outlined by federal, state, or local laws.

This policy applies to all employment practices within our organization, including hiring, recruiting, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, leave of absence, compensation, benefits, training, and apprenticeship. KSB makes hiring decisions based solely on qualifications, merit, and business needs at the time. 

We value employees who take the initiative and are committed to our company; Employees who take responsibility and for whom business success is the focus of their actions. In return, we offer fair framework conditions for collective wages and pensions, flexible working time models, individual training opportunities and the best career prospects.