Associate Product Support Specialist

Job Summary

The Associate Product Support Specialists (APSS) provide level 1 technical support to Phoenix Contact customers, sales personnel and channel partners. The Associate Product Support Specialist will be responsible for providing technical advice and troubleshooting assistance for all Phoenix Contact products and related systems. The APSS will work with Phoenix Contact customers and channel partners and communicate all support case details to our customers and our sales team. While not supporting customers directly, the APSS will be expected to develop their knowledge of related products and systems.

Responsibilities

• Provide answers to questions through inbound calls, e-mails, and chats from customers, channel partners and sales team
• Document customer inquiries in CRM system to provide customer and sales team detailed summary of required actions needed to meet customer needs
• Meet job specific service and training goals, while following work processes as defined by management
• Collaborate and communicate with other Phoenix Contact stakeholders to provide unified service experience
• Make time for and utilize training resources to continually improve job skills and knowledge.
• Understand why the customer is asking their questions and learn how to proactively address their next set of needs before they ask
• Build a working knowledge of applicable policies and procedures, and their intent
• Learn key stakeholders in other departments
• Advise customers how to apply Phoenix Contact products to provide an optimum solution for their application
• Analyze competitive product and specify Phoenix Contact product with equivalent electrical and mechanical characteristics
• Qualify and gather input for system design through functional specification review or by direct customer interaction with minimal guidance
• Develop proof of concept applications and implement test plans to validate proposed solutions
• Research and understand existing competitive and emerging products and technologies and keep up to date with changing technologies and industry trends
• Develop and maintain a basic understanding of industrial networking and communication technologies
• Be on call for emergency services when required
• Continuously develop knowledge on Phoenix Contact products and their applications in industry
• Work to continually improve the quality of service offered to our customers and partners
• Understand and maintain a working knowledge of any industry standards that play a role in industrial systems
• Effective interpersonal skills with comfort in delivering group presentations
• Accept feedback from other team members and management team
• Effectively communicate with customers to understand their needs and provide appropriate solutions
• Actively communicate with management and mentorship team, specifically addressing needs for training, suggestions for improvement, and critical customer issues and trends

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in engineering or technical focus preferred
  • BSEE/EET/MFET/Computer Engineering, or related field
  • AS in Engineering or related field with a minimum 2 years of industrial automation experience
• Demonstrate Level 1 across competency across all product areas through customer responses and testing.
• Demonstrate Level 2 Competency in three or more areas of specialization
• Competency in providing quality levels of service as demonstrated through practice as an Associate Support Specialist or equivalent experience
• Working knowledge of control cabinet design process and principals
• Knowledge of electrical engineering design fundamentals related to current, voltage, resistance, impedance, power dissipation, 4-20 mA current loops, single & three phase power 120/240/480VAC
• Ability to learn or knowledge of system components, standards, and best practices:
• Panel installation, layout and marking
• Process system signal transmission and isolation
• Relay technology, and discrete signal transmission
• Power generation, transmission, distribution, and protection for AC and DC circuits
• Functional safety systems, specifications and standards
• Industrial controllers, distributed IO systems and communication protocols
• Network security, infrastructure and design as applied in industrial control systems
• Visualization technology and best practices
• Ability to interpret electrical and mechanical schematics
• Ability to communicate technical concepts and principles to non-technical people orally and in writing
• Must be willing to work flexible shifts based on departmental needs, could include late nights to 7PM Eastern time
• Ability to set priorities and perform simultaneous tasks

Essential Job Functions

• Must be able to lift 50 pounds
• Must be able to sit and/or stand for extended periods of time (2-4 hours at a time)
• Must be able to work on a computer for extended periods of time (up to 4 hours at a time)
• Must be able to travel in vehicles (automobiles, trains, and planes) for up to 10 hours
• Punctuality and attendance in accordance with company policies
• Must be able to communicate effectively in verbal and written English
• Timely reporting of expenses

Perks & Benefits

Phoenix Contact offers a generous benefits package that includes medical, dental, and vision coverage, 401k matching, and a generous time off package. There are also a wide variety of additional benefits available including 16 weeks fully paid maternity leave & 10 weeks fully paid paternity leave, life insurance, short & long-term disability, assistance, and more!

_{Phoenix Contact is committed to the diversity of our employees. We are an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, color, disability, gender identity or expression, marital status, national or ethnic origin, political affiliation, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, veteran status, and family medical or genetic information.}

_{If you need special accommodations to access job openings or to apply for a job, please call 717-944-1300 between the hours of 8 AM and 5 PM, Eastern Standard Time, Monday – Friday or email HR@phoenixcontact.com.}

_{Notice to Staffing Agencies, Placement Services, and Professional Recruiters:}

_{Phoenix Contact has an internal Staffing Department. Recruiters are hereby specifically directed NOT to contact Phoenix Contact employees directly in an attempt to present candidates. Phoenix Contact will not accept unsolicited resumes from any source other than directly from a candidate. Any unsolicited resumes sent to Phoenix Contact, including unsolicited resumes sent to a Phoenix Contact mailing address, fax machine or email address, directly to Phoenix Contact employees, or to Phoenix Contact’s resume database will be considered Phoenix Contact property. Phoenix Contact will NOT pay a fee for any placement resulting from the receipt of an unsolicited resume. Phoenix Contact will consider any candidate for whom a Recruiter has submitted an unsolicited resume to have been referred by the Recruiter free of any charges or fees. Phoenix Contact will not pay a fee to any Recruiter that does not have a signed Phoenix Contact contract in place specific to the position for which the resume was submitted. Recruiting vendor agreements will only be valid if in writing and signed by Phoenix Contact's Head of People & Organization or his or her designee. No other Phoenix Contact employee is authorized to bind Phoenix Contact to any agreement regarding the placement of candidates by Recruiters. By submitting a candidate to Phoenix Contact, recruiters agree to be bound and comply with this policy.}