Manager, Solutions Engineering

Position Summary

The Manager owns solutions capacity and what we are able to offer. This seat answers for whether the solutions function can carry the pursuits that need an operation designed: headcount against them, the cost of running the function, hiring, and the promotion decisions inside it. It also owns the solution methodology and the technology roadmap, jointly with the Manager, Applications Engineering: which technology classes and third-party partners the department can offer, and the analysis practice behind the concepts. Authority over any individual concept stays with Principal Engineer and the Solutions Engineer on the pursuit.

Character Qualifications

• Innovation – We create a culture of relentless improvement of solutions and processes to make every day better.
• Integrity – We are open, honest, and committed to giving the straight story every time.
• Service – We serve our clients, families, communities, and most importantly our people who are empowered and safe in making decisions and taking actions that dare to make us better.
• Ownership – We take full, personal, individual responsibility for our actions and our work.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

• Own the capacity plan for the function: what the pipeline requires, what can be staffed, and the gap between them.
• Own the function budget and its share of the cost of pursuit, and report both against plan.
• Own hiring for the function: open the reqs, set the bands, and make the selection.
• Make the promotion decision at the level gate, on the method review the Principal Engineer runs.
• Own the solution methodology and the technology roadmap: which technology classes and third-party partners the department can offer, and the analysis practice behind the concepts. Technical authority over a given concept stays with Principal Engineer.
• Contributes to department strategy, organisation and toolchain investment.
• Reviews and approves line management, performance and pay.

Working with the rest of the team

• Solutions Engineer – The operation design on each pursuit. You keep: Capacity, the methodology and the technology roadmap.
• Principal Engineer – Concept design review and cross-discipline authority. You keep: The investment and staffing that make the review possible.
• Offering Manager – Which pursuits trigger a Solutions Engineer. You keep: How much solutions capacity exists.
• Manager, Applications Engineering – Equipment application capability, and the estimating side of the methodology and roadmap held jointly with this seat. You keep: Operation design capability, and the design and analysis side of the same.
• Director, Solutions Engineering – Priorities and approval. You keep: The function's ability to deliver against them.

Qualifications

Education and experience

• Bachelor's degree in Industrial Engineering or Engineering. Advanced degree an advantage.
• 12+ years in solution design, industrial engineering or systems integration, including budget and headcount ownership.
• Required: has owned operation-level concepts before managing people who do.
• Required: has built or maintained a technology or partner evaluation practice.

Skills

• Language. Presents capacity, capability and technology cases to senior management and to customers.
• Mathematical. Capacity modelling, utilization, and the rate and throughput analysis the function is judged on.
• Reasoning. Distinguishes a capacity problem from a methodology problem, and does not solve one with the other.

Travel

Travel to customer sites, partners and other Fives entities as required, typically 25%.

Progression

Advancement to Director, Solutions Engineering.