Company / Location Information

We are one of the world’s leading manufacturers of water heating and water treatment technologies in the world. We are a $3.5 billion company with 140+ years history and we employ more than 12,000 individuals globally who pride themselves on providing the world with innovative water technology. We are committed to Continuous Improvement, not just in our factories or processes, but in our people.

 

A. O. Smith is a global leader applying innovative technologies and energy-efficient solutions to products manufactured and marketed worldwide. The company is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of residential and commercial water heating equipment and boilers, as well as a manufacturer of water treatment products for residential and light commercial applications. A. O. Smith is headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with approximately 12,000 employees at operations in the United States, Canada, China, India, Mexico, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom.

Located in our Nashville Metro Center office, just minutes from downtown with easy interstate access and free parking we have been recognized by The Tennessean as one of the top Nashville area Workplaces, we have programs in place to help our team members achieve their potential. When you join our team, you will receive rewards and recognition for your contributions, training, and professional development opportunities, as well as a variety of benefits to support you and your family's health, well-being, and financial future.

Primary Function

The Lead Variant Configuration Business Analyst is responsible for analyzing, planning, developing, implementing, testing, documenting, training, and supporting all aspects of Variant Configuration, ensuring the successful integration and utilization of VC tools and processes across the organization.

Scope of Responsibility

Leadership Responsibilities

 

Provide leadership and guidance for Variant Configuration, ensuring alignment with organizational goals and strategies. Oversee and coordinate the development and maintenance of VC models, ensuring that all processes and outputs meet the highest standards of quality and accuracy. Act as the primary point of contact for cross-functional teams, including Product Management, Engineering, Manufacturing, and Customer Service, to ensure seamless integration and communication. Lead and mentor team members, providing training, support, and professional development opportunities. Drive the continuous improvement of Variant Configuration processes, tools, and methodologies, incorporating best practices and innovative solutions. Ensure timely and effective resolution of issues related to VC products, acting as an escalation point for complex problems. Coordinate and lead the testing, validation, and deployment of VC-related enhancements and fixes, ensuring minimal disruption to business operations. Develop and maintain comprehensive documentation for all VC processes, changes, and enhancements, ensuring accessibility and clarity for all stakeholders. Facilitate regular audits and reviews of configured BOMs, routings, and data mappings, ensuring accuracy and compliance with organizational standards. Champion the use of Variant Configuration tools and processes across the organization, promoting their benefits and encouraging widespread adoption.

 

Responsibilities

 

Pricing Responsibilities

Provide secondary support (back-up) for Variant Configuration Pricing. Coordinate with Product Management and Pricing department on requirements for new product releases. Create and maintain VC Pricing fields on the material master for material variants. Create and maintain pricing records for configurable items and material variants. Maintain cross-reference list for configurable materials. Assist in developing pricing strategies and analyzing pricing trends.

 

 

Role Specific Responsibilities

Engineering Responsibilities

Works closely with the Product Management, Engineering, Manufacturing, and Customer Service teams to analyze model plans for commonality and determine logical grouping for establishing Variant Configuration Base models. Work within the Product Lifecycle Management processes to build and modify VC Models: Create and maintain materials, classes, characteristics, profiles, constraint nets, procedures, tables, dependencies to enable proper configuration during order entry. Work with Product Engineering and Manufacturing Engineering to analyze and create the super bills and super routings for configurable items. Work with Product Engineering and Certification Engineers to develop and maintain Carton Banner and Rating Plate information. Work with Order to Cash to determine which characteristics will be used for variant matching. Perform unit testing, integration testing, and regression testing to maintain system integrity. Lead test/validation teams as required. Develop training material. Provide training and education on VC tools and processes. Ensure that all information in the Variant Configurator aligns with information contained within Engineering Documentation. Work directly with the plants and coordinate audits of configured BOMs, configured routings, and configurable information mapping to shop floor paperwork. Develop functional specifications as required for enhancements and fixes related to VC. Control master configuration data for VC and migrate data (ALE) to work environments as required for testing environments and production environments. Ensure all configuration changes and processes are thoroughly documented. Qualifications

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:

Minimum 4-7 years’ experience working with Variant Configurator Classes, Configuration Profiles, Characteristics and Object Dependencies Minimum 4-7 years’ SAP experience with MM, and PLM; SD beneficial. Demonstrated ability to decompose product lines into configurable dimensions, features and components. Ability to read and understand Engineering BOMs and drawings. Experience working within Engineering Change Processes. Strong analytical, problem solving, and computer skills required Must be able to communicate in a clear and positive manner

 

ADDITIONAL QUALIFICATIONS:

Individual should be a self-starter, detail oriented, with effective time management and interpersonal skills. Must be able to work in a high pressure environment, managing multiple concurrent projects. Must be able to work with minimal supervision.  Must possess excellent analytical skills, written and oral communication, and presentation skills. To perform this job successfully, the individual should have in-depth knowledge of Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet software, Microsoft Word Processing Software and Microsoft Powerpoint software. Project Management: Familiarity with project management methodologies (e.g., Agile, Scrum) is beneficial. Continual Improvement: Experience with continual improvement processes (e.g., Six Sigma, Lean) is a plus. Software Knowledge: Experience with SAP GUI, SAP Fiori, and other related software tools. We Offer

Competitive compensation package and comprehensive benefits plans which include medical and dental insurance, company-sponsored life insurance, retirement security savings plan, short- and long-term disability programs and tuition assistance.