JOB SUMMARY The Regional Engineering Manager is responsible for the engineering capability of an assigned region. That includes the quality of the engineering work produced in the region, the development of the engineers who produce it, and the working partnership between engineering and the branches it serves. The role puts engineering support close to the work, with people who know the branches, their customers, and their crews.
The Regional Engineering Manager holds the authority and responsibility for engineering process and quality on work produced in the region and develops branch engineers alongside the Branch Managers who lead them. The role manages engineering risk, applies proven methods, and supports the success of the field teams and customers in the region.
How this role works. Branch engineers report directly to their Branch Manager. The Regional Engineering Manager holds indirect oversight of those engineers and direct oversight of their engineering work, meaning the authority and responsibility for process and quality. Hiring, development, and workload are managed jointly with the region leaders. This role leads through technical authority and partnership with the leaders, not through a reporting line. This position will have a direct reporting line to the VP of Technical Services or Engineering Manager.
RESPONSIBILITIES: Engineering Talent and Development - Branch engineer development. Assist Branch Managers and Hub Managers in recruiting, onboarding, developing, and holding branch engineers accountable. Branch engineers report directly to their Branch Manager; this role supplies the technical judgment behind those decisions.
- Capability and level determination. Approve the capability assessment behind branch engineer levels (I, II, Senior). The Branch Manager sets the level; this role approves that the engineer's demonstrated capability supports it.
- Regional talent pipeline. Build a pipeline of humble, hungry, and smart engineering talent across the region through structured onboarding, mentorship, succession planning, and support of ProLift's internship program.
- Coaching and accountability. Coach and mentor engineers in the region on technical work, customer interaction, and field judgment. Raise cases of under-performance or over-performance to the Branch Manager with a recommended path.
- Regional bench strength. Work with Branch Managers so each branch is motivated and equipped to build its own engineering bench rather than relying permanently on regional or company support.
Engineering Work, Process, and Compliance - Direct oversight of engineering work. Hold the authority and responsibility to maintain alignment to engineering process and quality for all engineering work produced in the region, including drawings, calculations, sketches, and lift plans.
- Process adherence. Ensure the engineering process is followed by branch engineers and branch teams, and partner with Branch Managers where it is not.
- Review and discipline. Ensure work requiring engineering review is reviewed by a qualified Engineer II or Senior Engineer, and that review happens at the lowest capable level in the flow.
- Compliance and standards. Ensure engineering deliverables, calculations, and tools produced in the region comply with applicable industry standards and company process requirements, including OSHA, AISC, ANSI/ASME, DOT, and ISO 9001.
Workload and Request Flow - Workload execution and delegation. Complete or manage the delegation of the engineering workload based on the need of the region and/or the competency of the branch engineer.
- Active workload management. Jointly own engineer workload management with Branch and/or Hub Managers. Availability and capability are managed judgments, not guesses.
- Request flow discipline. Run engineering requests through the branch, then hub and region, then company sequence, and escalate only when the branch or region genuinely cannot complete the work as requested.
- Cross-regional collaboration. Collaborate with the SVC Engineering Manager and the other Regional Engineering Managers on workload, direction, and coverage so no branch is left without support and no engineer is overloaded.
- Fallback plan. When a request cannot be completed internally as requested, work with the branch to shift the requirements or secure third-party assistance rather than letting the request stall.
Branch Partnership, Strategy, and Growth - Branch relationships. Develop working relationships with local branch teams, including engineers, branch managers, operations, sales, and project management.
- Branch knowledge. Develop and maintain working knowledge of each branch's resources, equipment, needs, customers, market, and challenges within the region.
- Sales and operations support. Support branch sales and operations teams in opportunity development, including job walks, concepts, feasibility, and engineering estimates, both directly and through the branch engineers.
- Branch and regional strategy and growth. Set regional engineering objectives in alignment with branch and department goals and contribute the engineering view to branch growth plans.
- Cross-functional partnership. Collaborate with operations, sales, project management, quality, safety, and executive leadership so engineering solutions support company objectives and operational success.
Tools, Training, and Development - Tools and software. Support effective use and proficiency in engineering software and technical tools across the region, including AutoCAD, Inventor, Navisworks, RISA-3D, MathCAD, Excel-based calculators, and 3D Lift Plan. Feed regional requirements back to the department for selection and implementation decisions.
- Training and professional development. Deliver and reinforce department training programs in the region so engineers continuously build technical expertise, industry knowledge, leadership capability, and practical field experience.
- Tools and methods for the branch. Seek and implement new ways to assist the branches, including tool development, usage, and purchase, and improve methods that strengthen ProLift's position in regional markets.
- Knowledge management. Contribute to and apply technical resources including engineering references, calculators, SOPs, training materials, qualification programs, corrective actions, and inspection forms.
- Resource planning input. Provide regional staffing, capability, and resource input to the Director of Engineering to support the department budget, staffing plan, and growth objectives.
Culture and Values - Engineering culture. Build and reinforce a regional team of problem solvers and experienced engineers committed to quality work, collaboration, and delivering value to customers, field teams, and the business.
- Company values and policies. Promote and uphold ProLift Rigging's culture, values, policies, and procedures while serving as a leader and role model throughout the organization.
Types of Engineering Work Engineering Sales Support (ESS) - Assist branch sales teams in opportunity development, including job walks, concepts, feasibility, and engineering estimates.
Engineering Project Support (EPS) - Develop engineered lift plans and oversee execution.
Research and Development R&D) - Seek new ways to assist the branch through tool development, usage, and purchase.
Measures of Success Draft measures for discussion. To be finalized with department goals.
- Branch engineering work in the region consistently meets engineering process and quality expectations without rework or after-the-fact correction.
- Branch Managers use this role as a genuine partner in hiring, developing, and leveling their engineers.
- Engineering requests are resolved at the lowest capable level, and escalations to the company level are the exception rather than the pattern.
- Engineer workloads across the region are visible, balanced, and actively managed.
- Each branch in the region is measurably closer to carrying its own engineering bench than it was a year earlier.
PROLIFT RIGGING OFFERS: - Bonus program that pays for performance
- Medical, Dental, and Vision coverage
- Other additional personal and professional benefits are available.
Required Qualifications: - Ten or more years of progressively responsible experience in crane operations, rigging, lift planning, crane maintenance, or crane fleet management.
- Demonstrated experience with mobile cranes and relevant lifting equipment, including but not limited to: all-terrain cranes, crawler cranes, gantry systems, jacking, etc.
- Extensive knowledge of crane load charts, crane configurations, rigging capacities, sling-angle calculations, below-the-hook devices, ground-bearing considerations, and lift planning.
- Strong knowledge of OSHA crane and rigging requirements, manufacturer guidance, load-chart application, lift-planning practices, and relevant industry standards.
- Demonstrated ability to mentor and develop crane operators and rigging personnel through field leadership, hands-on coaching, technical instruction, and practical performance evaluation.
- Experience leading field crews, coordinating branch operations, managing contractors, or supporting multi-location crane and rigging programs.
- Ability to interpret technical drawings, equipment manuals, load charts, lift plans, inspection reports, and project specifications.
- Proficiency with fleet-management, maintenance-management, inspection, and document-control systems.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills and the ability to work effectively with executives, project teams, mechanics, operators, customers, vendors, and field crews.
- Ability to travel to branch locations, vendor facilities, project sites, and incident locations as required.
Preferred Qualifications - Current or prior NCCCO certification, or equivalent crane operator credential, in applicable crane categories.
- Qualified Rigger and Signalperson credentials, or equivalent demonstrated experience.
- Experience as a lift director, crane supervisor, crane inspector, crane mechanic, or technical crane consultant.
- Crane, rigging, or below-the-hook lifting-device inspection experience or credentials.
- OSHA 30-hour certification or comparable safety training.
Education:
- Highschool education or equivalent
