Installation Manager

Irwin; Altamont (IL); On-site; USD 87,000 - 107,000; Full time

Job summary

Irwin Seating is seeking an Installation Manager to lead installation execution, oversee field teams, and coordinate cross-functional partners from planning to closeout. You will ensure schedule readiness, quality, safety, and customer satisfaction while driving a scalable operating model for future growth.

The role emphasizes leadership of installation support staff, proactive risk identification, and effective escalation during active field work, with a strong focus on delivering a superior

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in business, operations management, construction management, engineering, or a related field preferred; equivalent experience will be considered.
• 7+ years of experience in installation, field service, construction operations, project coordination, manufacturing, or a related technical field.
• Leadership experience with field teams, subcontractors, technicians, or cross-functional project teams.
• Strong understanding of installation planning, quality control, contractor coordination, customer escalation, and field issue resolution.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities, make timely decisions, and communicate clearly under schedule pressure.
• Experience using project management, CRM, ERP, or field documentation tools. Familiarity with Salesforce, Infor LN, or similar systems preferred.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to work effectively with customers, installers, sales, engineering, production, and leadership.
• Knowledge of Irwin products, telescopic seating, fixed seating, or venue construction environments is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Own day-to-day coordination of installation execution, including schedule readiness, installer assignments, project constraints, and issue escalation.
• Partner with Project Coordinators, Project Managers, Customer Experience, production, shipping, and sales to identify installation risks before crews arrive on site.
• Ensure installers and Irwin field resources have drawings, site information, materials, safety requirements, and customer expectations needed to execute the work.
• Support the transition of installation coordination responsibilities into the installation team as defined by the Evolve operating model.
• Monitor active installation work to ensure projects meet schedule, quality, safety, and customer expectations.
• Establish and maintain standard install closeout practices, including customer sign-off, training, photo documentation, open item tracking, and handoff to service.
• Use field issue data to identify recurring problems and partner with quality, engineering, production, and parts teams to reduce repeat issues.
• Review installation performance metrics and communicate risks, trends, and corrective actions to leadership.
• Provide leadership, coaching, and direction for assigned installation support and field resources.
• Serve as an escalation point when installers, customers, or internal teams need a clear decision during active field work.
• Help define role clarity, priority sequencing, and daily operating routines for the installation support team.
• Promote a culture that focuses on timely answers, practical problem solving, and ownership of the customer experience.
• Coordinate with installation subcontractors and certified partners to support quality, schedule adherence, cost control, safety compliance, and customer experience standards.
• Help develop and maintain installer expectations, capability levels, retraining needs, and off-ramp recommendations when standards are not met.
• Support the long-term installer on-ramp by identifying training needs, product capability gaps, and recurring field support issues.
• Represent Irwin professionally during escalated installation issues, customer interactions, and priority job reviews.
• Work with sales and service to ensure installation closeout supports the longer customer lifecycle, including parts and service opportunities.
• Provide clear, timely communication to internal stakeholders when field issues create schedule, cost, quality, or customer risk.
• Ensure Irwin field resources and installation partners follow company safety standards and applicable site-specific safety requirements.
• Review project safety needs, certified payroll requirements, quality plans, and customer-specific requirements before work begins.
• Escalate unsafe conditions and support corrective action when safety expectations are not met.

Skills

Leadership

Installation planning

Field service coordination

Communication

Decision making under pressure

Education

Bachelor's degree in business/ops/construction/engineering

Tools

Salesforce

Infor LN

ERP systems

CRM tools

Project management tools

Job description

The Installation Manager is responsible for the execution discipline, quality, field support, and closeout of Irwin installation work. This role provides day-to-day leadership for installation support activity, coordinates with project management, customer experience, engineering, production, logistics and subcontractor partners, and ensures installers in the field receive timely answers and clear direction.

This role centralizes and elevates our installation strategy, creating a unified voice for execution. In this role, you will play a pivotal part in elevating the customer experience, streamlining project closeouts, and proactively designing the scalable operating model that will drive Irwin's future growth.

Responsibilities

Installation Planning and Coordination

• Own day-to-day coordination of installation execution, including schedule readiness, installer assignments, project constraints, and issue escalation.
• Partner with Project Coordinators, Project Managers, Customer Experience, production, shipping, and sales to identify installation risks before crews arrive on site.
• Ensure installers and Irwin field resources have the drawings, site information, materials, safety requirements, and customer expectations needed to execute the work.
• Support the transition of installation coordination responsibilities into the installation team as defined by the Evolve operating model.

Operational Oversight and Quality Assurance

• Monitor active installation work to ensure projects meet schedule, quality, safety, and customer expectations.
• Establish and maintain standard install closeout practices, including customer sign-off, training, photo documentation, open item tracking, and handoff to service.
• Use field issue data to identify recurring problems and partner with quality, engineering, production, and parts teams to reduce repeat issues.
• Review installation performance metrics and communicate risks, trends, and corrective actions to leadership.

Team Leadership and Field Support

• Provide leadership, coaching, and direction for assigned installation support and field resources.
• Serve as an escalation point when installers, customers, or internal teams need a clear decision during active field work.
• Help define role clarity, priority sequencing, and daily operating routines for the installation support team.
• Promote a culture that focuses on timely answers, practical problem solving, and ownership of the customer experience.

Subcontractor and Partner Management

• Coordinate with installation subcontractors and certified partners to support quality, schedule adherence, cost control, safety compliance, and customer experience standards.
• Help develop and maintain installer expectations, capability levels, retraining needs, and off-ramp recommendations when standards are not met.
• Support the long-term installer on-ramp by identifying training needs, product capability gaps, and recurring field support issues.

Customer and Cross-Functional Communication

• Represent Irwin professionally during escalated installation issues, customer interactions, and priority job reviews.
• Work with sales and service to ensure installation closeout supports the longer customer lifecycle, including parts and service opportunities.
• Provide clear, timely communication to internal stakeholders when field issues create schedule, cost, quality, or customer risk.

Safety and Compliance

• Ensure Irwin field resources and installation partners follow company safety standards and applicable site-specific safety requirements.
• Review project safety needs, certified payroll requirements, quality plans, and customer-specific requirements before work begins.
• Escalate unsafe conditions and support corrective action when safety expectations are not met.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in business, operations management, construction management, engineering, or a related field preferred; equivalent experience will be considered.
• 7+ years of experience in installation, field service, construction operations, project coordination, manufacturing, or a related technical field.
• Leadership experience with field teams, subcontractors, technicians, or cross-functional project teams.
• Strong understanding of installation planning, quality control, contractor coordination, customer escalation, and field issue resolution.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities, make timely decisions, and communicate clearly under schedule pressure.
• Experience using project management, CRM, ERP, or field documentation tools. Familiarity with Salesforce, Infor LN, or similar systems preferred.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to work effectively with customers, installers, sales, engineering, production, and leadership.
• Knowledge of Irwin products, telescopic seating, fixed seating, or venue construction environments is preferred.

Why Irwin?

Founded in 1907, Irwin Seating is a fourth-generation, family-owned company with locations in Grand Rapids, Michigan and Altamont, Illinois. We bring people together to learn, create, and share meaningful experiences both within our teams and in the spaces we design. You’ll be part of a people-first team that believes in collaboration, growth, and doing the right thing. Here, you can build a career you love while growing alongside a company that feels like family.

Compensation: The base salary range for this full‑time position is $87,000 - $107,000. Within this range, individual pay is determined based on several factors, including but not limited to: relevant work experience, job‑related knowledge, skills, and complexity of the role.