Job Overview
Position Summary
The Technical Services Manager Plumbing and Hardware serves as primary technical product expert and liaison between Sales and Operations.
This position resolves technical questions concerning plumbing fixtures, architectural hardware, product configurations, installation requirements, compatibility, functionality, and custom orders. The manager works closely with Sales, Customer Service, Engineering, Production, Quality, Purchasing, and Shipping to ensure customer requirements are accurately translated into manufacturable and deliverable products.
The ideal candidate combines strong plumbing and hardware knowledge with excellent communication, troubleshooting, and project-coordination skills.
Key Responsibilities
Technical Sales Support
- Serve as the primary technical resource for Sales and Customer Service.
- Answer questions regarding plumbing fixtures, valves, rough-ins, drains, fittings, accessories, architectural hardware, and installation requirements.
- Assist Sales in selecting the correct products, components, finishes, configurations, and compatible accessories.
- Review technically complex orders before release to Operations.
- Identify missing, conflicting, or unclear technical information.
- Support the preparation and review of technical submittals, specifications, drawings, and installation instructions.
- Participate in meetings with customers, designers, architects, contractors, and installers when technical expertise is required.
- Provide product and technical training to Sales, Customer Service, and showroom employees.
Sales and Operations Liaison
- Serve as the primary communication link between Sales, Customer Service, Engineering, and Operations.
- Translate customer and sales requirements into clear and actionable instructions for Engineering and Production.
- Coordinate technical reviews for custom, modified, and special-order products.
- Confirm product configurations are technically feasible before commitments are made to customers.
- Ensure drawings, specifications, finishes, components, quantities, and installation requirements are complete before order release.
- Communicate technical risks, limitations, lead-time impacts, and required customer decisions to Sales.
- Track unresolved technical questions and ensure issues are assigned, escalated, and closed promptly.
- Prevent production delays caused by incomplete or inaccurate technical information.
Product and Installation Troubleshooting
- Troubleshoot plumbing, hardware, installation, assembly, compatibility, and product-performance issues.
- Review photographs, drawings, measurements, and installation conditions to diagnose problems.
- Work with Engineering, Quality, and Production to identify root causes and corrective actions.
- Coordinate replacement components, repairs, rework, or field-support solutions when necessary.
- Support investigations involving customer complaints, field failures, returns, and warranty claims.
- Document recurring technical issues and recommend product, process, training, or documentation improvements.
- Escalate potential safety, compliance, quality, or brand-reputation concerns to leadership.
Plumbing and Hardware Expertise
- Develop and maintain comprehensive knowledge of Sherle Wagner’s plumbing and architectural hardware collections.
- Understand valves, cartridges, flow paths, rough-in requirements, connections, drainage, mounting methods, tolerances, and installation sequencing.
- Understand door, cabinet, bath, and decorative hardware applications, including mounting, handing, alignment, and compatibility.
- Maintain knowledge of brass, bronze, stainless steel, marble, onyx, crystal, and other decorative materials.
- Understand how plating, patina, PVD, lacquer, and other finishes affect fit, appearance, handling, and installation.
- Maintain awareness of applicable plumbing codes, certifications, industry standards, and installation practices.
Custom Orders and New Product Development
- Participate in the technical evaluation of custom-product requests.
- Help determine feasibility, engineering requirements, special components, tooling, testing, and production risks.
- Coordinate technical requirements for prototypes, samples, first articles, and new-product launches.
- Review drawings, bills of materials, specifications, and product documentation for completeness and accuracy.
- Support product testing and validation before release to Sales or Production.
- Provide feedback from Sales, customers, installers, and field issues to Engineering and Product Development.
Documentation and Continuous Improvement
- Develop and maintain technical FAQs, troubleshooting guides, installation instructions, and product-reference materials.
- Establish a structured process for submitting, tracking, prioritizing, and resolving technical questions.
- Maintain records of technical decisions, customer approvals, deviations, and issue resolutions.
- Analyze recurring technical questions and identify opportunities to improve products, processes, documentation, and training.
- Support standard operating procedures for technical order review and issue resolution.
- Recommend improvements to product configuration, CPQ, ERP, and engineering-release processes.
Performance Measures
- Technical-question response and resolution time
- Percentage of technical issues resolved before production release
- Reduction in order-entry and configuration errors
- Reduction in production delays caused by missing technical information
- Reduction in customer complaints, returns, and installation-related issues
- Accuracy and completeness of technical documentation
- On-time completion of custom-order technical reviews
- Sales and Operations satisfaction with technical support
- Completion of technical and product training
- Closure of recurring product and process issues
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in engineering, Construction Management, Industrial Technology, Product Design, Operations, or a related field preferred. Equivalent technical experience will be considered.
- Five or more years of experience in plumbing, architectural hardware, technical product support, applications engineering, manufacturing, or a related field.
- Strong knowledge of plumbing fixtures, valves, fittings, rough ins, drains, connections, and installation requirements.
- Experience with architecture, door, cabinet, bath, or decorative hardware.
- Ability to read and interpret engineering drawings, specifications, bills of materials, installation instructions, and technical submittals.
- Experience troubleshooting technical product and installation issues.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills.
- Ability to explain complex technical information clearly.
- Strong organizational, project-management, and follow-through skills.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience in luxury plumbing, decorative hardware, architectural products, or custom manufacturing.
- Knowledge of brass casting, machining, polishing, plating, patina, finishing, assembly, and inspection.
- Experience working with architects, designers, contractors, plumbers, installers, showrooms, and sales representatives.
- Familiarity with plumbing codes, IAPMO, ASME, CSA, ADA, UL, or other applicable standards.
- Experience with SolidWorks, AutoCAD, or other design software.
- Experience with NetSuite, CPQ software, or another manufacturing ERP system.
- Experience supporting custom products and new-product launches.
Core Competencies
- Technical expertise
- Customer-focused problem-solving
- Cross-functional collaboration
- Clear communication
- Attention to detail
- Sound judgment
- Project coordination
Pay: From $75,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- 401(k)
- 401(k) matching
- Dental insurance
- Employee assistance program
- Employee discount
- Flexible schedule
- Flexible spending account
- Health insurance
- Health savings account
- Life insurance
- Paid time off
- Parental leave
- Professional development assistance
- Referral program
- Retirement plan
- Tuition reimbursement
- Vision insurance
Work Location: In person
