Thank you for stopping by to take a look at the Manager of Smart Factory Services role I posted here on LinkedIN, I appreciate it quite a bit.
Allow me to introduce myself. If you are familiar with my JD's, well...welcome back. If you are new to my job descriptions, buckle up...it will be a fun ride. Let's start off with this. I am an actual real live person writing a job description. My name is Tom Welke. I am Partner & VP at RSM Solutions, Inc. I have been recruiting talent for over 22 years and been in the tech sector since the 1990s. So, no bots, no AI, just a guy doing the best he can. The reason I say this is that I know that looking for work is about as fun as a root canal (I like to add humor to these things), so if I can make the process of finding work at least less painful, I will gladly do it.
As with just about every role I work on, that 'social fit' is almost as important as the 'technical fit'. So, you might ask...so, what are some of those 'social fit' characteristics you are talkin' about Tom?...well. Here are some:
This role is for, truly, one of my favorite customers to work with. They live by the mantra 'radical transparency'. This means, honesty above anything else. Even if you have bad news to share, that is ok...be honest and transparent about it.
These guys are relatively small in the US, in comparison to their headquarters in Germany (nope, this isn't SAP). This leads to something. That ability to function in a relatively small environment while also interacting with a culture that is perhaps different than your own (Germany) will be necessary for success. Those of you reading this that have worked with leadership in Germany know what I am talking about when I say this.
For this role, I will need someone to be located in the greater Chicagoland area. You will be spending, roughly, 3-4 days a week onsite. If you want to relocate to Chicago, that is fine...but we are not really looking to pay relocation dollars if you want to relocate.
I can ONLY work with US Citizens or Green Card Holders for this role. I cannot work with H1b, OPT, EAD, F1, or anyone that is not a US Citizen or Green Card Holder for this role.
The title of this role is "Manager of Smart Factory Services". If you have blended Program Management, Project Management, and Application Development Management in your background, that would equate to a pretty solid fit for this role.
Let me explain further...This particular client makes MES (Manufacturing Execution System) Software. While we don't need MES experience (it would be great if you have it, but the Zombie apocalypse wont happen if you don't have MES experience), a solid understanding of how enterprise wide software works and 'behaves' will be needed. You will be blending that understanding of how enterprise systems 'behave' along with your solid PM and Program Management experience. You will be managing a team of 9 (a mix of PM's and Solution Architects) and leading this team with every implementation that these guys are a part of. So, yep, that solid team leadership experience will also be needed for this role.
So, you might be curious...what are some of the characteristics that are really necessary for this role. Here are some of the things that the hiring managers for this role are going to be seeking:
A leader that can schedule work tasks well
Someone comfortable with a relatively significant amount of administrative work
Ability to develop and mature a team (this team includes PM's, Solution Architects and highly technical folks in the world of MES)
Ability to put the right resources in the right place at the right time
In your first 30 days, you would be understanding, further, the culture of working with a German owned firm, get to know your team members, get to know how MES's behave, and understand the skills & capabilities of your team members. As you get closer to 90 days in, you will be getting in to the 'meat' of KPIs, measuring the time needed to complete tasks, documenting what is going on with projects, focus on task completion (they typically work on 8 week forecasts), and making sure the right people are in the right places at the right time. Interestingly enough, through those first 90 days, you will also find out more about their 'buddy system'. Everyone is assigned a buddy to pair up with that will help them navigate who to talk to for what and so on.
Here are some of the key responsibilities for this role:
Manage solution architects, support teams, and PM's focused on implementation projects. This leads to the comment I made of 'having the right people at the right place at the right time'.
Work in the pre-sales arena. This will include collaborating with prospects & customers, and internal team members. We don't need a sales person for this role...but we do need someone comfortable interacting with customers with regards to what is realistic in terms of delivery timelines, software capabilities and so on.
Track & monitor KPIs for both teams and present metrics. You will be communicating with senior leadership on a regular basis...so, that ability to be accurate in terms of reporting while also maintaining that 'radical transparency' I mentioned above will be essential to success.
Ensure the daily management and scheduling of resources. This also includes identifying and removing roadblocks and bottlenecks, as well as maintaining & enhancing existing processes will be needed.
Here are the things we are looking for in this role:
At least 5 years of experience working with manufacturing software. Without software implementation experience at an enterprise level, we won't have a fit for this role. This implementation experience will need to be in a manufacturing environment (either discrete or process).
At least 5 years of solid PM experience where you were the only PM or Program Manager working on software implementation initiatives from start to finish. This is a gotta have... Again, this experience will need to be in a manufacturing environment.
That ability to connect the dots...by that, I mean we are looking for someone that can quickly assess a situation, and bring that holistic problem solving skill to the table. If you have the first two bullets in spades, you will probably have this one as well.