Contract Associate Jobs in Meriden, CT (NOW HIRING)

The Contract Salesperson is responsible for maintaining relationships with assigned customers and developing new customers. Individuals in this role identify new project opportunities, review plans and specifications, prepare or supervise bids, present bids and follow up to close contracts and add work to committed backlog. The Contract Salesperson will handle various sales contract documents by reading, organizing, filing and assuring that all stated customer requirements are met. Also, these individuals will oversee the work performed and the billing for that work, and will be involved in promptly solving any problems that may arise on the project. 

Essential Functions
•    Visits assigned customers on a regular basis to check progress of current jobs and get leads for new work that may be coming up
•    With coordination from Branch Manager, cultivates new customer relationships in assigned territories
•    Secures construction plans and specifications on upcoming work in a timely fashion so that jobs may be taken off and bid
•    Participates in take-off process from plans and in construction specification interpretation in order to maximize bid potential
•    Reviews all bids for accuracy before submission; submits bids on a timely basis and in a fashion acceptable to the customer while meeting Cook & Boardman, Inc.’s requirements for terms, etc.
•    Follows up on bid results and negotiates to capture jobs where necessary
•    Maintains good vendor relationships, and obtains competitive bids from vendors to maximize bid potential and gross margins earned
•    Attends project meetings as required by customer and / or circumstances
•    Manages projects by proactive communication with customers, review of reports, monitoring of vendor performance and coordination with warehouse / shipping activities.
•    Communicates with important vendors regularly to refer service issues, maintain awareness of new product offerings or take advantage of educational opportunities
•    Reviews billing & costing on a timely basis; addresses any gross margin concerns that may arise
•    Participates in physical inventories by counting or verifying assigned areas
•    Visits jobsites as needed to attend meetings, check progress of work, or to diagnose and resolve problems
•    Participates in continuing education for door and hardware products and building code requirements from various sources, including DHI
•    Identifies and solves problems, either customer related matters or Cook & Boardman, Inc. internal issues that may involve Contract Salesperson’s work
•    Assists in collection issues as requested by Credit Department
•    Participates in regular sales meetings to assess market opportunities, report on potentials and determine assignments
•    Assists in developing skills of detailers, estimators or project managers by helping to coordinate work, identifying errors or potential problems and coaching through to solutions
•    Other relative duties as assigned

Minimum Qualifications
•    Associate’s Degree, or an equivalent combination of education/experience 
•    Current and valid US driver’s license and 21+ years old required to drive for the company
•    At least 5 years of experience in a construction-related environment 

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities 
•    English language communication skills (both written and verbal)
•    Experience using Microsoft Office products
•    Good math aptitude 
•    Some familiarity with industry specific software (Comsense) preferred 
•    Ability to travel, mainly local and regional
•    Ability to read and interpret construction plans and specifications is a requisite
•    Knowledge of commercial door and hardware products and building code requirements