The posting
Our Company
Lancer Worldwide, a Hoshizaki Company, is an award-winning global leader in beverage dispensing. Through innovation and a commitment to dedication in action, we create products that benefit our customers worldwide, and give them a distinct advantage in the marketplace. We offer our teammates the opportunity to grow personally and professionally, to contribute to the success of a dynamic organization, and to serve others in a manner that exceeds their expectations. We welcome talented, passionate, and highly motivated individuals to join our team.
Summary/Objective
The Product Configuration Administrator is responsible for governing and continuously improving the company’s active product configuration portfolio within the Product Line Management (PLM) organization. This role serves as the cross-functional business owner for product configuration strategy and administration by translating input from Sales, Marketing, competitive market analysis, Engineering, and Operations into approved product options, launch recommendations, rationalization decisions, and valid configuration rules within the ERP/PLM environment. The role helps shape demand toward targeted standard models that support shorter lead times and operational efficiency, while also enabling higher-complexity, premium configurations for customers willing to pay more and accept longer lead times. This position continuously reviews product configuration performance, validates active offerings across the business, and drives disciplined lifecycle decisions on which configurations to introduce, maintain, simplify, or retire using the Bluestar PLM configurator and related business processes.
Key Performance Indicators
- Achieve targeted portfolio optimization by launching new high-potential configurations annually while also retiring slow-moving or unprofitable variants based on volume and profitability analysis
- Maintain a high level of configuration validity by ensuring active options are technically correct, manufacturable, commercially viable, and aligned with current market strategy
- Maintain configuration data accuracy and validation compliance at 98%+ through cross-functional coordination, minimizing errors in BOMs, pricing, and manufacturing processes
Essential Functions
- Gather and analyze inputs from sales, marketing, competitive intelligence, and market data to recommend and prioritize new product configurations for launch in the Bluestar PLM configurator and ERP system
- Design and maintain product configuration rules, options, and logic in Bluestar PLM to support demand shaping—guiding customers toward efficient, short-lead-time models while enabling complex, high-value configurations for customers willing to accept longer lead times
- Monitor product configuration volumes, sales performance, and market trends to identify slow-moving variants for retirement and generate updated demand plans that balance inventory, production capacity, and customer requirements
- Coordinate with cross-functional teams (sales, marketing, engineering, operations) to continuously validate active configurations, resolve discrepancies, and ensure alignment between product offerings and customer demand preferences
- Administer and optimize configurations in the Bluestar PLM configurator, including variant management, BOM automation, rule-based pricing, lead time logic, and Dynamics 365 synchronization, to support accurate demand planning, order promising, and fulfillment
- Maintain and administer configuration logic, attributes, option structures, and related product data in the Bluestar PLM configurator, ensuring alignment with approved business rules and downstream ERP requirements
- Coordinate ongoing validation of active configurations to confirm they remain sellable, manufacturable, serviceable, and compliant as products, components, costs, and business priorities change
- Document configuration standards, decision criteria, and change impacts, and support training, communication, and adoption of configuration processes across the business
- Support continuous improvement of configuration management, including training stakeholders and leveraging data analytics for better decision-making
Additional Responsibilities:
- Other responsibilities as needed and assigned
Knowledge, Skills & Abilities
- Assignments are in the form of broad goals. There is broad latitude for decision making. Complex decisions / analyses are being made. Innovations and flexibility are being exercised
- Must be able to review and relate Engineering Drawings and Specifications
- Keeps abreast of the latest trends and competitive activities within the marketplace
- Competencies with expected proficiency – Collaboration, Execution, Leading [Project] Teams, Initiating Action, Work Standards, Execution, Coaching, Creating a Culture of Trust
Education & Experience
- Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Supply Chain Management, Engineering, Information Systems, or a related field (Master’s preferred)
- 3–7 years of experience in product configuration, PLM administration, ERP systems (preferably Microsoft Dynamics 365), or a similar role in a manufacturing or configurable products environment
- Hands-on experience with Bluestar PLM configurator or similar product configuration tools, including rule setup, variant management, BOM generation, and ERP integration
- Strong background in reading and interpreting manufacturing drawings, engineering specifications, and BOMs
- Experience working in a manufacturing environment and collaborating with sales, engineering, operations, and product management teams is highly preferred
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office tools (especially Excel for data analysis) and familiarity with CAD/3D visualization concepts as they relate to product configuration
- Strong understanding of product lifecycle management principles, configuration management best practices, and demand shaping strategies
- Proven analytical skills with the ability to interpret sales data, market analysis, and volume metrics to drive configuration decisions
- Excellent cross-functional collaboration and communication skills, with the ability to influence stakeholders across sales, marketing, engineering, and operations
- Detail-oriented with strong problem-solving abilities and a proactive approach to portfolio optimization and process improvement
- Excellent organization skills required
- Strong critical thinking and negotiation skills
- Excellent management and interpersonal skills
- Strong presentation skills
- Strong verbal and written communication skills
- LEAN training or experience is preferred
- Self-motivated, good project and resource management skills. Ability to work independently
- Ability to lead a project team; Ability to adapt to change
- Willing to travel regionally & internationally
Work Environment
- Ensure compliance of workplace safety rules, including but not limited to the usage of a personal protective equipment, if provided to you, while working; not involve in any unsafe or negligent act that may endanger peers or oneself; reporting unsafe work conditions and providing suggestions to improve safety/ health at work, as needed
- As agreed with direct manager and other leadership, follow all work-from-home policies and procedures
Physical Demands
- This role is primarily based in an office environment, with the majority of time spent working on a computer, participating in conference calls, or attending meetings
- Sitting, standing, walking, and bending as needed. Using proper lifting technique may be required to lift objects up to 25 lb. with assistance. May have to reach for objects at or above shoulder height. May be required to operate traditional office equipment including computers, copiers, fax machines and telephones
- This role requires occasional travel, which may involve extended periods of sitting, standing, and carrying light luggage
Additional Information
Lancer Worldwide does not provide employment-based visa sponsorship for this position. Candidates must be legally authorized to work in the United States and must not require employer sponsorship to obtain or maintain work authorization for this position.
Applicants who require reasonable accommodation during the application or interview process should contact Lancer Worldwide directly.
Notice To Third Party Agencies Please note that LANCER does not accept unsolicited resumes from recruiters or employment agencies. In the absence of a signed Recruitment Fee Agreement, LANCER will not consider or agree to payment of any referral compensation or recruiter fee. In the event a recruiter or agency submits a resume or candidate without a previously signed agreement, LANCER explicitly reserves the right to pursue and hire those candidate(s) without any financial obligation to the recruiter or agency. Any unsolicited resumes, including those submitted to hiring managers, are deemed to be the property of LANCER.
EEO Statement Lancer provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.
- Hands-on experience with Bluestar PLM configurator or similar product configuration tools, including rule setup, variant management, BOM generation, and ERP integration
- 3–7 years of experience in product configuration, PLM administration, ERP systems (preferably Microsoft Dynamics 365), or a similar role in a manufacturing or configurable products environment
