Sales Engineer

Revision 1: 1/6/2022

Sales Engineer – Specialty Accounts

Reports To:  General Manager  

Job Overview:  This position consists of proactive selling and has a primary responsibility to manage ARMI Specialty Accounts along with selling projects with a proactive approach to provide elite customer service. Develop and implement processes and or procedures to improve the efficiency, increase organization, promote teamwork, and improve margins for said “build and ship” accounts.

Principles & Values:

Work Ethic 

• Believe in work as a moral standard, have the will to work hard, and the self-discipline to always be productive 
• Act professionally and believe in ARMI's Core Values
• Be timely in everything you do. Timeliness is the foundation of being proficient, whether it’s arriving to work on time or completing a project on time.

Quality 

• Exceed your customer’s expectations – Never allow your internal or external customer to be the quality control inspector
• Always strive for the best while focusing on continuously improving 
• Design, develop, and deliver the highest quality of products and solutions 

Speed

• Make swift decisions, be efficient with your time, and utilize resources to complete projects on schedule. Always maintain a sense of urgency. 
• Exceed timelines – “ARMI moves at the speed of chicken” 
• Under commit and over deliver, always 

Teamwork 

• Take direction well and be coachable – interact with leadership and co-workers in a positive manner. 
• Works collaboratively with the ARMI team to achieve a goal even if it's not in the best interest of your department. ALWAYS lend a helping hand and ALWAYS be accountable – if one person must stay to get the job done, we all stay until the job is completed. 
• Build the highest performing team possible and fully COMMUNICATE the overall vision of ARMI to the team.  Promote teamwork with everyone you interface with!

Continuous Improvement

• Have the “ARMI Commitment to excellence” mindset of always continually improving 
• The goal is to find 2 improvement items quarterly and submit in writing to the General Manager  
  1. Always strive to establish new processes, procedures, methods, etc. to increase throughout the company. 

Team Leadership Responsibilities:

Create new positions as needed – 

• Fill out and submit “New Position Form” and justifying why the position is needed for the Sales Engineer’s team and submit to HR. Salary range expected of the role is to be included – General Manager to approve all newly created positions 
• Work with HR to write job descriptions and job duties along with developing a scorecard for the new position 

Hiring/Interviewing for posted Open Positions – 

• Work with the HR department to ensure open positions are posted, advertised, and what the expectations are for the role. Update the job description, job duties, and score cards to be sure they are current and accurate for the role.
• Interview candidates formally with HR in attendance
• When offering a candidate, the position – work with HR to get job offer form filled out
  1. Salary offers are to be approved by HR and the General Manager prior to making offer
• Throughout the hiring process, follow ARMI’s HR best hiring practices 

Managing the Team – 

• The Sales Engineer’s job role is to take OWNERSHIP of the ENTIRE team and their individual performance
• Review and Approve Time
• Supervise/Train/Mentor new team members within their job duties
  1. Request additional training from the ARMI Training Center when needed
• New hires – terminate anytime during their probationary period as needed (day 1 – 59) 
• Hold each team member accountable to Employee Handbook ARMI Mission & Vision – HR to oversee 
• Fill out performance scorecards and use them to their full advantage – HR to oversee
• Chart out team member development and progression plans
• Score team members accurately on scorecards, even when painful to communicate the results 
• Schedule weekly team huddles and promote teamwork
  1. Create assignments and schedules to ensure the team is operating most efficiently
  2. Communicate new policy and procedures, upcoming jobs etc. 
  3. Bring in other ARMI leaders to communicate specific topics to further educate the team 
  4. Promote cross training so each team member understands each other’s roles
• Utilize HR and the ARMI Training center for leadership and team building events 
• Celebrate the WINS
  1. Take the team out to lunch, event, etc. 

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES: 

Sales Opportunities

• Proactively call on multiple new potential customers monthly, to find new business opportunities
  1. Maintain potential customer database 
  2. Minimum 2 - 3 cold calls monthly, lunch meetings with potential customers
  3. Utilize the Communications department and send out emails offering services
• Manage current customer relationships through elite customer service
  1. Proactively reach out to contacts offering services and support
  2. Shop drawing and as-built drawing services
  3. Engineering and design services
  4. Process Equipment Fabrication services

Customer Strategy – should we pursue this Customer?

• Is the customer a good fit / match with our mission statement?
  1. Does the customer have good payment history?  Any outstanding receivables with ARMI?
  2. Are their projects bid with a level playing field?
  3. Do they appreciate quality and willing to pay more for quality?

Project Strategy – should ARMI pursue this Project?

• How many bidders invited to bid this project
  1. Are we just being “used” for a second bid
• Does the project timeline fit well with timelines of our other projects? 
  1. Layout the schedule of the project over other current projects.
• Is this project the right size for our available resources?
  1. Can we staff this project from an infrastructure standpoint?
• Does this project fit our capabilities?
  1. Does it fit in our wheelhouse or is it outside / beyond our capability?
  2. Have we performed projects like this in the past?

Estimation & Proposals

• Estimation Process Lump Sums (full documentation and transparency)
  1. Generate Lump Sum estimates to submit to customers
  2. Utilize ARMI’s standard estimation templates to estimate using bill of material lump sum method
  3. Save all records of estimation process in the job folder including assumptions
  4. Generate a complete bill of materials, list assumptions, and/or allowances when engineer didn’t provide details 
  5. Obtain at least two competitive bids for all outsourced materials, supplies, purchased parts, sub-contract labor, etc.
  6. Include engineering travel & labor, project management travel & labor as it applies to the project, so it doesn’t hit ARMI’s overhead.
  7. Maximize the mark-up of the proposal based upon the bid competitiveness and market conditions.  
  8. Write a formal proposal to customer
     • List all customer provided documents that the bid is based upon
     • Detail the scope of work especially areas that provide clarity to project
     • Detail the schedule so it is clearly understood between ARMI and the customer
     • Provide detailed clarifications to bring clarity to the proposal
     • Fill out the terms section in ARMI’s best interest 
  9. Schedule a time to present the estimate and proposal to the General Manager and staff 
     • Present all critical aspects of the project including any abnormal risks.
     • Present and get approval on bid mark-up, terms, and proposal details

Engineering 

• Design of manufacturing equipment: primarily conveyors, tanks, platforms, etc. on SolidWorks 
• Process Development – analyzing design accuracy based off shop output, inspection reports, and engineering change requests and adjusting design protocols accordingly 
• Order all parts and assemblies using COUNTERPART ERP software 
• Research new materials and methods of manufacturing
• Ensure components and assemblies adhere to applicable industry and business standards
• Communication with Specialty Accounts customer engineering regarding approvals, design, improvements, design limitations, etc. 
• Prioritize tasks and manage time for Specialty Accounts engineering team
• Approves all ARMI designs through PDM prior to shop release 
• Other duties as assigned 

Secondary Responsibilities: 

• Assist Production Manager when requested 
  • Identify sub-assemblies that are standard to all products and help with automating the fabrication  
  • Activities with fabrication – jigs, fixtures, etc.

• Testing and final inspection of all units after fabrication before shipment
• Approve all designs before fabrication
• Effectively use solid works to review design and identify all issues prior to releasing to fabrication
• Manage all subcontract labor for all Specialty Accounts projects
  1. Bead blast
  2. Laser tube cutting
  3. Electrical
• Manage all in house startups of Specialty Accounts projects

Project Management 

• All projects should be managed in a manner they can be fully audited and/or stand up soundly in the court of law
• Purchase Order or Contract received from the Customer 
  1. Forward PO to
• Set up the Project in Counterpart/Sage Intacct
• Place all bid documents into project file system
  1. Bid package from owner
  2. RFI’s
  3. Estimation documents
  4. Assumptions and notes
  5. Emails of importance