Associate Director, Customer Service

Linde PLC; Youngstown (OH); On-site; USD 125,000 - 184,000; Full time

Job summary

Linde plc is seeking a seasoned operations leader to oversee safety, compliance, and performance across two service centers. You will translate regional priorities into actionable plans, coach senior staff, coordinate staffing, equipment, and materials, and partner with sales and engineering on project scope and cost estimates.

The role demands a decade of experience in industrial operations, plus at least three years of management.

Qualifications

• Ten years of progressively responsible experience in industrial operations, technical service, customer supply systems, or a related industry.
• At least three years of management experience over supervisors, technical teams, or multiple operating functions.
• Experience managing budgets, labor costs, productivity, and operating performance.
• Industrial gas experience and familiarity with cryogenic equipment and customer supply systems preferred.
• Willingness to travel 25–50% between service centers and customer locations, including on-site presence.

Responsibilities

• You will lead safety and operational compliance across both centers, reinforcing accountability and ensuring compliance with applicable requirements and company policies
• You will translate regional priorities into operating plans and establish expectations for safety, quality, productivity, cost, and customer responsiveness
• You will coach and develop superintendents and functional leaders while addressing staffing, performance management, training, and succession needs
• You will coordinate staffing, technical capabilities, equipment, and materials across both centers to meet customer needs and balance workloads
• You will oversee customer supply system installations, preventive and corrective maintenance, equipment removals, and refurbishment
• You will manage operating budgets and controllable costs, including labor, overtime, materials, and outside services, and implement corrective actions to address financial and performance gaps
• You will partner with sales and engineering on site surveys, technical requirements, project scope, cost estimates, and installation planning
• You will lead cross-functional resolution of complex customer concerns, address recurring issues, and communicate priorities and progress to stakeholders
• You will oversee equipment refurbishment, warehouse controls, inventory accuracy, and material availability
• You will standardize processes across both centers, share effective practices with other regions, and improve service reliability, project execution, and productivity
• You will provide regular updates to the Northeast Operations Director on performance, staffing, customer issues, project status, and improvement initiatives

Skills

Leadership and team development

Budget management

Cross-functional collaboration

Problem solving

Travel 25-50%

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Business, Operations Management, or related field

Job description

What you will enjoy doing*

• You will lead safety and operational compliance across both centers, reinforcing accountability and ensuring compliance with applicable requirements and company policies
• Translate regional priorities into operating plans and establish expectations for safety, quality, productivity, cost, and customer responsiveness
• Coach and develop superintendents and functional leaders while addressing staffing, performance management, training, and succession needs
• You will also coordinate staffing, technical capabilities, equipment, and materials across both centers to meet customer needs and balance workloads
• Oversee customer supply system installations, preventive and corrective maintenance, equipment removals, and refurbishment
• Manage operating budgets and controllable costs, including labor, overtime, materials, and outside services, and implement corrective actions to address financial and performance gaps
• Partner with sales and engineering on site surveys, technical requirements, project scope, cost estimates, and installation planning
• Furthermore, you will lead cross-functional resolution of complex customer concerns, address recurring issues, and communicate priorities and progress to stakeholders
• Oversee equipment refurbishment, warehouse controls, inventory accuracy, and material availability
• Standardize processes across both centers, share effective practices with other regions, and improve service reliability, project execution, and productivity
• Provide regular updates to the Northeast Operations Director on performance, staffing, customer issues, project status, and improvement initiatives

What makes you great

• You have a minimum of ten (10) years of progressively responsible experience in industrial operations, technical service, customer supply systems, or a related industry
• At least three (3) years of management experience with responsibility for supervisors, technical teams, or multiple operating functions
• Demonstrated ability to lead teams, develop leaders, and manage competing operational priorities
• Experience managing budgets, labor costs, productivity, and operating performance
• You have working knowledge of equipment installation, maintenance, refurbishment, or comparable technical service operations
• Strong problem‑solving, communication, and cross‑functional collaboration skills
• Ability to manage escalated customer issues and coordinate timely and effective resolutions
• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Business, Operations Management, or a related field preferred
• Experience overseeing multiple locations or geographically dispersed teams preferred
• Industrial gas experience, including familiarity with cryogenic equipment and customer supply systems preferred
• Experience partnering with sales and engineering on technical solutions, project planning, and cost estimates preferred
• You have ability to travel approximately 25–50% between service centers and customer locations, including regular on‑site presence at both centers
• Availability during off‑hours to support urgent customer and operational matters

Why you will love working with us

Linde is a leading global industrial gases and engineering company with 2025 sales of $34 billion. We live our mission of making our world more productive every day by providing high-quality solutions, technologies and services which are making our customers more successful and helping to sustain, decarbonize and protect our planet.
Linde serves a variety of end markets such as chemicals & energy, food & beverage, electronics, healthcare, manufacturing, metals and mining. Linde’s industrial gases and technologies are used in countless applications, enabling space exploration and launch technologies, delivering ultra‑high‑purity and specialty gases for semiconductor manufacturing, providing life‑saving medical oxygen and enabling clean hydrogen production and carbon capture to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Linde also delivers state‑of‑the‑art gas processing solutions to support customer growth, efficiency improvements and emissions reductions.

What we offer you!

At Linde, the sky is not the limit. If you’re looking to build a career where your work reaches beyond your job description and betters the people with whom you work, the communities we serve, and the world in which we all live, at Linde, your opportunities are limitless. Be Linde. Be Limitless.
Linde offers competitive compensation and an outstanding benefits package. Enjoy access to health, dental, disability, and life insurance, paid holidays and vacation, 401(k) matching, pension benefits, an employee discount program, and opportunities for educational and professional growth. Additional compensation may vary depending on the position and organizational level. Build your future with us while making an impact every day!
Pay commensurate with experience. Open to salary range $125,475 - $184,030

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, protected veteran status, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other reason prohibited by applicable law.

Linde Inc. acts responsibly towards its shareholders, business partners, employees, society and the environment in every one of its business areas, regions and locations across the globe. The company is committed to technologies and products that unite the goals of customer value and sustainable development.

*The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by employees assigned to this classification. They are not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and skills required of employees assigned to this position. Therefore employees assigned may be required to perform additional job tasks required by the manager.