Product Manager

Product Manager will act as the primary customer contact across the full product lifecycle, coordinating requirements, quotes, and manufacturing execution to support quality, cost control, and on-time delivery.

Responsibilities

• Interface with customers to understand needs and expectations, including helping refine product concepts when specifications are not fully developed
• Prepare customer product quotes based on customer requirements and available designs; work may require key assumptions when information is incomplete, with assumptions documented
• Lead customer QC audits
• Coordinate with customers and collaborate with Mertz design and production teams to establish product delivery schedules
• Prepare, coordinate, and conduct manufacturing reviews, including reviewing drawings and the required production process with the manufacturing team
• Prepare Bill of Material (BOM) content and update existing BOMs to ensure all purchased and manufactured parts are identified
• Design routings and travelers and input them into the ERP system
• Communicate design change needs to the customer to improve and/or reduce product cost
• Establish or modify manufactured part numbers as required
• Maintain standard cost and labor hours for production operations in the plant and monitor performance against standard
• Request new part numbers for purchased parts as required for BOM updates
• Input new routings into the ERP system with accurate operation times and update routings as required to reflect best standard times
• Review job costs and update BOMs and/or routings to ensure accurate parts, operations, and standard costs
• Interface regularly with Design, Production, Accounting, and Inventory
• Maintain customer purchase orders using customer EDI systems and manage customer demand across customer ordering systems, email, and Mertz systems
• Arrange shipping for completed orders via truck lines, customer shipping departments, and other common carriers
• Engage with production to monitor and escalate issues impacting production schedules, including assisting with expediting parts shortages or other delays to protect delivery commitments
• Serve as the SPOC for customer satisfaction, ensuring quality, timeliness, and customer concerns are addressed quickly
• Perform other duties as assigned to support successful operations and business continuity

Requirements

• Legally authorized to work in the United States without sponsorship
• At least 18 years of age
• Successfully passes background check, pre-employment drug screening, and any pre-employment aptitude and/or competency assessment(s), including a pre-employment Pulmonary Function Test (PFT)
• In-person, predictable attendance in Ponca City, OK
• Minimum 5 years of manufacturing experience in a steel product manufacturing environment, or an equivalent combination of education and experience supporting required knowledge, skills, and abilities
• Proficiency with MS Office Suite (Outlook, Excel, Word, PowerPoint); Bluebeam Revu experience is a plus (not required but aptitude to learn is required)
• Significant knowledge and experience in discrete manufacturing processes and equipment
• Preferred: steel fabrication experience, ideally for mobile equipment in the Oil & Gas industry
• Ability to read and understand design drawings and models, develop quotes from them, and instruct others on manufacturing steps required
• Strong leadership skills and commitment to excellence
• Excellent speaking, writing, and listening skills
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, high-demand environment
• Knowledge of ERP systems in discrete manufacturing; preferably Made2Manage ERP
• Strong analytical skills to translate design and manufacturing concepts into product quotes and manufacturing steps
• Keen attention to detail for BOMs, routings, and quotes, plus oversight of the manufacturing process
• Proficient with Microsoft Office with emphasis on Excel for BOMs, quotes, order analysis, and related functions
• Ability to work under limited supervision to achieve customer satisfaction and timely product delivery
• Strong influence management skills for collaboration with design and production teams and customer interactions
• Preferred: Lean Manufacturing experience

Technologies

• MS Office Suite: Outlook, Excel, Word, PowerPoint
• Bluebeam Revu
• ERP systems in discrete manufacturing
• Made2Manage ERP
• ERP system (for routings and travelers)
• EDI systems

Department and Employment Details

• Department: Product Management
• Job status: Full Time
• FLSA status: Salary Exempt
• Reports to: Product Manager Supervisor
• Location: Ponca City, OK (onsite)
• Travel: N/A
• Work schedule: Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Physical Requirements / Work Environment

• Daily required to walk, sit, climb, bend, reach, and squat/kneel
• Work environment includes exposure to hazardous materials, operating conditions, audio up to 85 dB, and inclement weather (typical and atypical outdoor elements and extreme cold and hot temperatures)
• Must wear company-mandated issued PPE (long sleeve shirt/jeans, blasting hood, steel toe boots, safety glasses, ear protection, and blasting gloves) and strictly adhere to all safety policies
• Work hours may include early mornings, late evenings, and weekends depending on business necessity

AAP/EEO Statement

• Company is committed to equal employment opportunity and complies with applicable state and federal laws
• Employment and promotion practices do not discriminate based on race, color, religious creed, age, sex, national origin, veteran’s status, disability, pregnancy, genetic information, or any other legally protected status
• Employees, including management and staff, are expected to support these nondiscriminatory policies