Customer Support Field Technician - Ethanol - Remote

Whitefox; Saint Paul (MN); On-site; USD 70,000 - 95,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k) matching

Dental insurance

Health insurance

Paid time off

Professional development assistance

Job summary

Whitefox is seeking a Customer Support Technician to be the face of our brand at client plants. You will perform on‑site technical support during commissioning, operations, maintenance, and post‑install activities, traveling up to 50% and sometimes covering weekends or nights to meet schedules.

You will train operators, verify system readiness, interpret drawings, and document field results, ensuring safe, reliable operation and continuous value realization for customers.

Qualifications

• Technical diploma or degree in a process, mechanical, instrumentation or chemical discipline from an accredited institution, or equivalent operating‑plant experience.
• 3+ years in an operating industrial plant, or in field service.
• Ability to read and interpret P&IDs, field layouts, commissioning packs and site information to understand equipment, process inputs and outputs, control loops, instrumentation, utilities and operating requirements.
• Comfortable providing training to both technical and non‑technical audiences on plant process operations.

Responsibilities

• Prepare commissioning packets and maintain field documentation for execution.
• Read P&IDs and site information to confirm field readiness and safe commissioning.
• Perform DCS & instrument verifications, control‑room checks, field confirmations, and start‑up readiness checks.
• Lead on‑site cartridge installation activities and train customers on installation steps and safety procedures.
• Build relationships with plant staff and operators during visits and trainings.
• Provide training to on‑site operations to ensure reliable operation without Whitefox support.
• Maintain field service reports, site updates, and customer support master files.

Skills

Field service

Training others

Safety focus

Education

Technical diploma or degree in process/mechanical/instrumentation/chemical

Job description

Purpose

The Customer Support Technician is a core member of the Customer Success team, helping ensure Whitefox clients get the full value they expect from their Whitefox systems throughout the life of the plant. As a direct connection to the market, you are the face of our brand and reflect our culture to customers and third parties. You provide hands‑on field execution and on‑site technical support for Whitefox systems throughout commissioning, operations, maintenance, and customer‑support activities. You are the primary Whitefox presence at the plant during field work, building positive working relationships with plant staff and operators, listening for gaps or areas for improvement, and sharing practical feedback that supports safe, reliable operations.

Department Responsibilities

Customer Support ensures the value designed into every Whitefox system is realized, sustained, and improved throughout years of plant operation. Account Engineers and Field staff work alongside customers after start‑up to support safe operation, system performance, troubleshooting, optimization, and data‑driven decision‑making. They help customers build confidence in the technology and maximize reliability, performance, and measurable value over the system's lifetime.

The team's work spans six areas: Project execution (commissioning and related work), Operations & Maintenance (O&M) support, field health & safety program, post‑install commercial, general program upkeep, and involvement in internal projects that feed field learnings back into Whitefox's standard offerings and project execution.

Position Responsibilities

What you own during project execution

• Support commissioning planning by preparing, organizing, and maintaining commissioning packets so field documentation is complete, accurate, and ready for execution.
• Read and interpret P&IDs, field layouts, commissioning documentation, and site information to confirm field readiness and prepare for safe, efficient commissioning.
• Perform DCS & instrument verifications, control‑room checks, field confirmations, and start‑up readiness checks.
• Inspect incoming membrane cartridges, verify handling requirements, and prepare for installation.
• Complete in‑field quality‑control walkdowns, document open items, and confirm corrective actions are closed before commissioning proceeds.
• Confirm field conditions, control‑room indications and system shutdown logic throughout commissioning and troubleshooting.
• Lead on‑site cartridge installation activities. Train customers on installation steps, system operation, routine maintenance, and safety procedures.
• Build working relationships with plant staff and operators during project and commissioning visits.
• Provide training to on‑site operations team to ensure operators and maintenance crews feel comfortable running their
• Whitefox systems and feel that operations, programming, and controls are reliable when operating without Whitefox support on site.
• Travel: Ability to travel up to 50% to plants to support as needed. Travel to support client needs and commissioning schedules. Rare, but occasional coverage on weekends/nights as needed to support plant initiatives/schedule.

What you own in the Operations & Maintenance stage

• Ensure adherence to Whitefox and plant safety standards by reviewing safety plans, following site requirements, and reinforcing safe work practices during field activities.
• Train plant operators and customer personnel on system operation, routine maintenance, safe work practices, and practical troubleshooting expectations. Develop standard operation documentation alongside plant staff for ease of operations.
• Strengthen customer relationships during O&M support by building trust with plant staff and operators, listening for concerns or gaps, identifying improvement opportunities, and sharing feedback that helps improve the overall customer experience.
• Maintain detailed service reports, field records, site updates, and customer support master‑file information.
• Perform sampling in line with approved procedures, ensuring samples are collected, labeled, documented, and communicated accurately.
• Troubleshoot routine field issues by observing operating conditions, verifying practical steps with operators, and escalating technical concerns to the Account Engineer when required.
• Monitor plant changes observed during field work, including process conditions, technology changes or operating practices, and flag potential impacts to the Account Engineer.
• Support process trials for improved operations onsite.

What you support outside assigned field work

• Own the field practicality of training, tools, materials, and procedures by ensuring they reflect site realities, are easy for field teams to use, and are clear for plant operators to understand and apply. Feed back lessons learned on design upgrades for future Whitefox systems.
• Participate in weekly project‑execution meetings when field input is required, providing updates on site readiness, commissioning progress, and open field items.
• Represent Whitefox professionally at industry conferences, customer sites, and vendor interactions when field experience or technical support perspective is required.
• Maintain spare‑parts awareness by tracking field needs, communicating stock concerns, and helping ensure required parts are available for planned site work.
• Participate in hazard training, site hazard assessments, process safety reviews, and incident reporting as required by the health and safety program.
• Maintain continuous development through MyQ goals, cross‑training and ongoing learning from customer‑support and project‑execution activities.

Education

Qualifications and Professional Experience Required

Technical diploma or degree in a process, mechanical, instrumentation or chemical discipline from an accredited institution, or equivalent operating‑plant experience.

Experience

3+ years in an operating industrial plant, or in field service.

Ability to read and interpret P&IDs, field layouts, commissioning packs and site information to understand equipment, process inputs and outputs, control loops, instrumentation, utilities and operating requirements.

Comfortable providing training to both technical and non‑technical audiences on plant process operations.

Familiarity with ethanol production is a plus.

Competencies

Safety: Demonstrates an unwavering commitment to health and safety and consistently prioritizes safe work practices in all activities and decisions.

Collaboration and Teamwork: Works effectively with process design, detailed engineering, operations, and project teams to achieve shared technical and customer objectives.

Remote Accountability: Maintains ownership of commitments, priorities, and outcomes while working independently across geographically dispersed customer sites and internal teams.

Integrity and Confidentiality: Protects client and Whitefox intellectual property and confidential information, builds trusted professional relationships, and maintains appropriate information boundaries between customer sites.

Whitefox Blueprint: Consistently represents Whitefox's values, professional standards, and safety culture in interactions with customers and external stakeholders.

Job Type

• Full‑time, Permanent

Schedule

• Standard US full‑time hours (40 hrs/week)
• Monday to Friday, with the flexibility that a field‑based role requires
• Travel within USA: 50%

Additional Pay

• Bonus pay

Benefits

• 401(k) matching
• Dental insurance
• Health insurance
• Paid time off
• Professional development assistance

We are an equal opportunities employer, and we welcome applications from all suitably qualified persons regardless of their sex; religious or similar philosophical belief; political opinion; race; age; sexual orientation; or whether they are married or are in a civil partnership; or whether they are disabled; or whether they have undergone, are undergoing or intend to undergo gender reassignment.

Find out more about being part of Whitefox Technologies, diverse, inclusive and innovative culture: https://whitefoxtechnologies.com/whitefox-careers/

“Waste Less and Produce More.”

Voted as one of the 50 Hottest Companies in the Advanced Bioeconomy, The Digest.

Named as one of the Sunday Times Top 10 Green Tech companies to watch.

Winner, BusinessGreen, International Impact Award: Energy Efficient Ethanol Plants.

Winner, Clean Energy Awards: Most Efficient Biofuels Separation Technology Provider.