Designer Hourly

For more than 165 years, Gilcrest/Jewett has been known as Iowa's "home building headquarters" and operates six retail yard locations, along with a truss and component plant, serving the Des Moines, Iowa City and Cedar Rapids metropolitan areas.

The Design/Estimating, position derives its focus from a strong truss technical experience. Support of incoming calls from truss sales and lumber personnel. Organize plans sent to us, or internet based projects to bid and design input of sold projects as assigned by Design Manager. This person takes given information and begins a process of gathering and inputting all necessary info into the company data base first, if not already done. Next, they start entering data into one or all of our systems to determine cost and processes needed to complete said project. As part of the building components team, for simple, medium and complex building systems, you will be required to input critical and technical information into our truss design software. In some cases you may use a third party beam/joist software also. It is critical to accurately design and bid all projects. This individual is responsible and accountable for ensuring product specifications are understood, documented & verified before biding, either with a specification sheet from sales person or from specifications called out on the plans and through a RFI process, or bid with documented disclaimer of missing information. Either way all discrepancies must be resolved through documents prior to accepting an order. The final bid price and detailed quote will be determined by sales person and reviewed with or by Design Manager and or Sales Manager for accuracy and determination of current market conditions to most affectively increase our opportunity of: being awarded the project, executing it in a manner as to meet the needs of our customer, and provide a successful return on investment to our company and customers partners. Assist Sales team in other daily activity, including customer follow up, report back to sales teams (Truss and Lumber). Input plan information into MiTek design software as needed to determine necessary material, labor and delivery cost to accurately bid. Final Design requirements can be completed as assigned. Review pre-design drawings and layouts with customer as needed with sales person. Respond to customer request for assistance with respect to confirmation of quoted information, assist sales team with issues as needed.

Job Results Areas:

• 100% satisfied customers.
• Rapid resolution of customer inquiries, relative to quoting, quoted, current orders, approval documents and final drawings and layouts.
• Pricing guidelines determined by management.
• 100% accuracy of takeoff, specifications documented with RFI, coordinated with design & layout output. Design output documents reviewed, understood and verified for accuracy by appropriate designer/sales person/customer before order acceptance, when required or as necessary with new or unfamiliar customers.
• Simple, medium and complex building systems optimized & simplified. Systems designed for optimal production and installation efficiency per established guidelines.
• Appropriate paper trail of customer changes, RFI's and of design activities documented and maintained.
• Design changes or modifications identified, documented, reviewed and re-approved by customer before implementation.
• Timely completion of design activity. Shop drawings delivered to manufacturing in appropriate lead-time as assigned by Design Manager.
• Progress toward completion of personal job skills matrix.
• Principal Activities and Duties:
• Manage incoming projects information and assist quoting. Design Manager and Sales Manager to prioritize and meet appropriate expectations.
• Review online services for jobs to bid as assigned, send out notices to appropriate sales personnel of jobs in their general market and determine plan to best utilize everyone's skills and schedules. Bids outside our general market will be reviewed by Sales Manager and or Design Manager.
• Gather information, plans, prints, etc., then determine and document complete and accurate information for in-house designs necessary to bid. Note all missing information through RFI, and Disclaim on quote.
• Resolve incomplete, unclear or conflicting specifications and/or requirements before order acceptance.
• Work with Design of building components for simple, medium and complex building systems according to documented procedures.
• Analyze cost/performance/risk tradeoffs of building systems with Sales Personnel, Design Manager and Sales Manager. Recommend best overall solution to customer.
• Help create building systems that are optimized, simplified and designed for efficient production & installation.
• Review, provide, or collect appropriate design output documentation. I.e. approvals, preliminary layout, confirmation of details, needed for quote etc.
• Assist in resolving customer field problems, broken truss, layout info, hangers and drawings.
• When requested, assist in pre-construction, installation, informational, post construction meetings.
• Ongoing skills enhancement activities -- complete personal job skills training.
• Other duties as assigned.

Position Requirements:

• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
  • Demonstrated phone skills
• Strong problems solving skills.
• Estimating/Design/layout experience -- software specific
• Ongoing skills enhancement plan
  • Understanding of Gilcrest/Plum business and manufacturing processes.
• Physical requirements to include: Þ Sitting for up to 10 hours Þ Computer work for up to 10 hours Þ Manual dexterity, able to lift 50 lbs.

Gilcrest Jewett , a Division of US LBM Holdings, LLC is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, national origin or ancestry, sex, age, physical or mental disability, veteran or military status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, military status, order of protection status, or any other legally recognized protected basis under federal, state, or local law.