Truss Design Manager
Job Spec
Position: Truss Design Manager
Location: Co. Cork
Reporting To: Truss General Manager
Direct Reports: Junior Truss Designer, and oversight of outsourced design partner
Role Purpose
To lead the truss design function, ensuring accurate, compliant, and manufacturing-ready roof truss designs are produced on time using MiTek, with drawings transferred seamlessly to the manufacturing floor. The role also owns the design workflow across in-house and outsourced design support, provides technical expertise to internal teams and customers, and manages pricing of roof truss projects. The role supports the order-to-cash process including invoicing activities in line with agreed plant procedures.
Key Responsibilities
1) Design Delivery & Technical Leadership (MiTek)
- Produce and/or oversee the production of roof truss designs using MiTek, ensuring accuracy, compliance, and buildability.
- Manage the design oversight for outsourced designs.
- Ensure design drawings and job packs are issued correctly and transferred to the manufacturing floor in a timely manner.
- Manage the design pipeline to meet agreed lead times, balancing urgent jobs, revisions, and production priorities.
- Act as the technical escalation point for design complexities, site constraints, and change requests.
2) Quality, Compliance & Continuous Improvement
- Maintain strong checking discipline and ensure appropriate sign-offs are completed before designs are released.
- Identify recurring errors or rework drivers and implement improvements (templates, checklists, standard details, review gates).
- Maintain clear version control and documentation standards (revision logs, drawing history, approvals).
3) Pricing & Commercial Support (Roof Truss Projects)
- Prepare and manage pricing for roof truss projects, ensuring commercial accuracy and alignment with agreed margin expectations.
- Collaborate with the Truss GM and relevant stakeholders on complex or high-value pricing decisions, discounts, and exceptions.
- Support efficient quote turnaround while ensuring risk is understood (specials, access constraints, delivery/crane needs, late changes).
4) Invoicing Support
- Support invoicing activities in line with the agreed plant process (e.g., invoice triggers, verification checks, supporting documentation and approvals).
- Work with Accounts/Commercial colleagues to ensure pricing/quote references, revisions, and delivery/job completion information are accurately reflected.
- Assist in resolving customer queries related to design/pricing/invoicing (including clarifying revisions and agreed scope).
5) Team Development & Collaboration
- Coach and develop the Junior Truss Designer through structured on-the-job training, feedback, and competency sign-offs.
- Work closely with Manufacturing/Production to ensure designs are practical to build, and to resolve constraints quickly.
- Provide clear communication to internal teams and customers, managing expectations professionally when changes arise.
Key Relationships
- Truss GM, Production/Manufacturing Floor, Dispatch/Yard, Sales/Customer-facing colleagues
- Accounts/Commercial team
- Customers, builders, site teams, and external engineers where applicable
- Outsourced design partner
Measures of Success (examples)
- Designs issued on time with minimal rework/revision.
- Strong first-time-right quality from both in-house and outsourced design output.
- Effective design-to-manufacturing handoff through MiTek.
- Quote/pricing turnaround aligned to business needs with good commercial accuracy.
- Smooth coordination with Accounts on invoicing steps and supporting documentation.
- Junior Designer competence increases steadily with reduced dependency over time.
Skills & Experience
Essential
- Strong roof truss and posi joist design experience and technical understanding of timber roof structures.
- Competent user of MiTek (or similar truss design software) with a strong checking/quality mindset.
- Proven ability to manage workflow, priorities, and deadlines in a production-linked environment.
- Experience coordinating with multiple stakeholders (production, customers, sales, accounts).
- Commercial awareness and confidence preparing project pricing/quotes.
- Strong communication skills and calm problem-solving under pressure.
Desirable
- Previous people leadership or mentoring experience.
- Experience managing outsourced design relationships and quality gates.
- Familiarity invoicing/ERP systems.
- Understanding of manufacturing constraints and continuous improvement practices.
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