Service Manager

Skills Alliance; Hamburg; On-site; EUR 90,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Skills Alliance is seeking a Service Manager in Hamburg to lead an established German service operation. You will guide Field Service Engineers and Service Administration, ensuring efficient processes, accountability and a strong team culture.

You will lead from the front, develop people, improve processes and build rapport with the team, while acting as the escalation point for customers and operations. Fluency in German and English is essential.

Qualifications

• Leadership experience in field service or service operations within technical environments.
• Experience with medical devices, capital equipment, electronics, or manufacturing.
• Experience managing Field Service Engineers or technical teams.
• Strong grasp of service operations: utilisation, scheduling, escalation and administration.
• Lead-from-the-front style with rapport-building and positive culture.
• Comfort setting expectations, giving feedback and handling difficult conversations.
• Proactive mindset to identify improvements over the status quo.
• Strong customer focus and professional escalation management.
• Fluent in German and English.

Responsibilities

• Oversee day-to-day service operation in Germany.
• Lead and develop Field Service Engineering and Service Administration teams.
• Manage utilisation, workload and fair allocation of service activity.
• Provide visible leadership and build strong team rapport.
• Create a positive, collaborative culture with clear expectations.
• Act as escalation point for customer and operational issues.
• Oversee service administration including estimates, workflow and invoicing.
• Identify process improvements to boost efficiency and CX.
• Collaborate with senior leadership and escalate key issues as needed.
• Spend time with administrators and engineers to understand end-to-end service processes.
• Know the team individually and help them perform at their best.

Skills

People leadership

Field Service

Service operations

German English fluency

Stakeholder management

Conflict resolution

Job description

We’re partnering with a global medical device organisation to appoint a Service Manager to lead its established service operation in Germany.

This is a leadership and operational role, not a hands-on engineering position. You’ll take responsibility for an experienced team of Field Service Engineers and Service Administration, ensuring the function operates efficiently while creating structure, accountability and a strong team culture.

It’s an opportunity for someone who enjoys leading from the front, developing people and improving processes, while building strong relationships with an established team.

The role

You’ll oversee the day-to-day service operation, including:

• Leading and developing the Field Service Engineering and Service Administration teams
• Managing engineer utilisation, workload and fair allocation of service activity
• Providing visible, hands-on leadership and building strong rapport across the team
• Creating a positive, collaborative culture with clear expectations and accountability
• Acting as the key point of escalation for customer and operational issues
• Having constructive and sometimes difficult conversations when required
• Overseeing service administration, including estimates, workflow and invoicing
• Identifying opportunities to improve processes, efficiency and the overall customer experience
• Working closely with senior leadership and escalating key operational issues where appropriate
• Spending time with both administrators and engineers to understand the end-to-end service process
• Getting to know the team individually, understanding what motivates them and helping them perform at their best

What we’re looking for

We’re looking for a strong, credible and approachable people leader who can build trust while providing clear direction.

You’ll ideally bring:

• Previous leadership experience within field service, technical service or service operations
• Experience within medical devices, capital equipment, electronics, manufacturing or another technical/service-led industry
• Experience managing Field Service Engineers and/or technical teams
• Strong understanding of service operations, including utilisation, scheduling, customer escalation and administration
• A lead-from-the-front leadership style, with the ability to build rapport and maintain a positive team culture
• Confidence setting expectations, providing feedback and navigating difficult conversations when needed
• The initiative and drive to identify improvements rather than simply accepting existing ways of working
• Strong customer focus and the ability to manage escalations professionally
• Fluent German and English

This role requires someone who will be visible and present with the Hamburg-based team, particularly while getting to know the people and understanding how the operation currently works.