Customer Technical Support Manager
 

LOCATION: Grain Valley / Missouri (US-MO), United States | BRAND: KB Signaling | REQUISITION ID: 8045 | JOB GRADE: 16 |

ON-SITE/REMOTE: On-site 

 

KB Signaling delivers unparalleled end-to-end wayside and onboard conventional signaling Control, Command, and Signaling (CCS) platforms and solutions. A trailblazer, we are driven to provide the best solutions for improved safety, performance, and lower overall operating cost for today’s transit and freight railway systems and operators in North America and beyond. Our team is fueled by innovation and grounded in solid values, like giving back to the communities where we do business and embracing sustainability to help protect our planet. KB Signaling is part of a global, high-tech company that will challenge you and help you grow. Discover your potential.

 

JOB DESCRIPTION:

Customer Technical Support Manager Role Summary

KB Signaling has an opening for the Manager of the Customer Technical Support (CTS) organization. The CTS org consists of three separate organizations, namely the Product Solutions Engineering org, the Field Service Engineering org, and the Product Support Team org. Each CTS sub-org plays a key role in the KB Signaling business supporting all customers (transits, short-lines, class-ones, and international) and impacting all products (train control, crossings, switch machines, onboard, and relays). The focus of each CTS sub-org is as follows: The Field Service Engineering sub-org primarily resolves customer technical field issues while providing customer product training; The Product Solutions Engineering sub-org primarily pilots new products and technologies enabled through the establishment of strong technical customer relationships; And the Product Support Team sub-org primarily ensures all manufacturing issues are resolved, enabling the business to ship quality products.

The CTS Manager manages about a dozen direct-report personnel, the majority of which are Product Solution Engineers (PSEs), but also including two managers: the Field Service Engineering (FSE) Manager and Product Support Team (PST) Manager. The individual personnel in the FSE and PST orgs add about another 15 indirect reports to the responsibility of the CTS Manager.

Overall, the CTS Manager is responsible for leading all CTS orgs in fulfilling their business-critical missions, developing and retaining a depth of technical talent, continuously expanding personnel technical competence, fostering a high-energy, “can-do”, collaborative, customer-pleasing work ethic, ensuring individual and team objectives are exceeded throughout each year, and rewarding excellent achievements. The CTS Manager will interface across multiple KBS organizations including Product Management, Product Engineering, Business Development, Manufacturing, and Customer Service. In addition, the CTS Manager will grow the CTS org’s international impact in regions with significant existing KBS product footprints (or potential footprints).

The CTS Manager may be expected to travel up to 20% of the time on average to fully manage the CTS org.

 

 

Essential Responsibilities

Communicate a vision for the CTS org and lead the teams in their missions. Ensure the CTS orgs deliver on internal and external commitments. Manage CTS org budgets for headcount, equipment, facilities, training, and travel needs. Grow KB Signaling product adoption through nurturing strong technical customer relationships and piloting new technologies. Manage the CTS org to meet all LTPA contractual resource obligations with Class-1 Railroads. Develop a strategy and partner with KB Regional leaders to establish and/or maintain an international KB Signaling technical support presence in regions prioritized by the business. Leverage CTS org personnel to fulfill customer paid orders for training and field support, managing all aspects of the support, from quote to fulfillment, within the CTS org. Ensure the roughly 4000 customer inquiries and issues per year are addressed in a timely manner, 24/7, by maintaining a talented, versatile, and experienced pool of first line and second line responders. Ensure the CTS org supports product development through consultation, testing, and piloting of new products and features. Ensure the CTS org supports the resolution of all manufacturing and quality related issues to enable the timely production of our products. Manage CTS org facilities including offices, labs, product storage areas, machine shop facilities, a training simulation lab, an environmental lab, and the GV outdoor switch machine test site. Ensure CTS org personnel are knowledgeable, trained, certified, and experts on KB Signaling products. Ensure the CTS org obtains all necessary devices and services necessary to manage their responsibilities. Develop and manage CTS org processes and procedures. Set, manage, and measure PSE Team objectives, FSE-Manager objectives, and PST-Manager objectives. Triage and prioritize all new PSE assignments and CTS org initiatives. Understand and advise the PSE Team on proactive and reactive initiatives regularly. Evaluate PSE performance routinely and transparently, rewarding achievements. Evaluate FSE and PST manager performance routinely and transparently, rewarding achievements. Mentor and develop PSEs (and FSEs) to tackle larger business roles. Mentor and develop FSE and PST managers to advance to larger business roles. Foster team unity, cohesion, and comradery across the CTS org.

 

Qualification Requirements: 

Bachelor’s degree in engineering or related technical field with a minimum of 8 years of railroad signal experience applying and/or designing wayside signaling, crossing, and/or switch machine products to the railroad while resolving field issues. Equivalent combination of education and experience may be considered. Managerial experience in leading technical teams. Willingness and ability to travel up to 20% of the time, including international travel.

 

Desired Characteristics: 

Excellent communication skills (written, verbal, and interpersonal). Managerial experience in leading a mobile, in the field, customer facing technical team. Demonstrated ability to take the initiative to execute stated mission. Demonstrated ability to work in a multi-site team environment. Railroad Signal Engineering, Crossing, Switch Machine, and/or Wayside experience. Demonstrated desire to invest in the railroad industry – its people, its technology, its history. Understanding of safety critical product design and product application. Product Development, Manufacturing, and/or Communications/IP/Networking experience. Customer interface experience with strong customer presence. Organized, logical, and methodical as a troubleshooter and problem solver. Decisive, principled, and resolute. Personable, relatable, sympathetic.

Location

The CTS Manager position is located in Grain Valley, Missouri (KB Signaling headquarters) and leads CTS individuals located at other KB Signaling sites including Melbourne, FL, Jacksonville, FL, and Rochester, NY.

 

 

What does KB Signaling have to offer you? 
- Competitive Health Benefits, including Medical, Prescription, Dental, Vision and Virtual visits
- Company-paid Basic Life and Accidental Death & Dismemberment Insurance
- Company-paid Short-Term Disability Coverage
- Voluntary life, Disability, and other Supplemental coverages
- Identity Theft and Legal Protection benefits
- Health and Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts
- Health Savings Accounts
- Generous 401(k) plan
- Personal Paid Time Off
- Company-paid holidays 

 

KB Signaling Inc. is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) employer. It is the policy of the Company to provide equal employment opportunities to all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, protected veteran or disabled status, or genetic information.