Field Services Engineer

Watlow Electric Manufacturing Company; St. Louis (MO); On-site; USD 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Watlow Electric Manufacturing Company in the St. Louis area is seeking a Field Service Engineer to commission and troubleshoot Watlow products at customer sites, restoring uptime and delivering technical training.

The role requires strong electrical and mechanical aptitude, the ability to travel up to 50–75% and work independently. You will collaborate with maintenance and engineering teams to diagnose issues, provide clear reports, and implement service improvements.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical, Mechanical, or Controls Engineering.
• Experience with on-site troubleshooting and root-cause analysis.
• Experience with industrial control systems (PLCs, SCADA, HMIs).
• Ability to read electrical schematics, P&IDs, and mechanical drawings.
• Willingness to travel up to 50–75% domestically and internationally.

Responsibilities

• Commission and troubleshoot industrial heaters, sensors, controllers, and power panels.
• Resolve field equipment/controls issues (mechanical, electrical, software).
• Perform maintenance, programming, and validation of thermal systems.
• Provide technical guidance and training to customers’ teams.
• Respond to service calls and participate in on-call rotation.
• Create service reports and documentation in company systems.
• Coordinate with sales, engineering, and manufacturing to resolve issues.
• Maintain spare parts, tools, and calibration equipment for field work.
• Escalate issues to Engineering/Quality for permanent corrective actions.
• Adhere to safety, quality, and regulatory requirements.

Skills

Electrical systems

Process controls

Wiring fundamentals

Power distribution

On-site troubleshooting

Root-cause analysis

Schematics reading

P&IDs

Communication skills

Travel readiness

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Electrical, Mechanical, or Controls Engineering

Tools

PLCs/SCADA/HMI

Industrial instrumentation

Sensors

Modbus TCP/RTU/Ethernet IP

Multimeter

Job description

Position summary

As a Field Service Engineer, you will commission, troubleshoot and maintain Watlow products and systems at customer locations. You will be the face of the company onsite - working directly with customers to restore uptime, provide technical training, implement upgrades, and capture feedback that improves our products and services. This role requires strong electrical/mechanical aptitude, excellent communication skills and the ability to travel and work independently.

Key responsibilities

• Commission and troubleshoot industrial electric heaters, sensors, controllers, power panels, and associated systems.
• Troubleshoot and resolve equipment, controls, and integration issues (mechanical, electrical, software/controls) in the field.
• Perform maintenance, programming, validation of thermal system installations.
• Provide technical guidance and training to customers’ maintenance, operations, and engineering teams.
• Respond to service calls and participate in on-call rotation to support customers’ uptime needs.
• Create clear, timely service reports, technical documentation and parts/service tickets in company systems.
• Collaborate with sales, engineering and manufacturing to resolve complex issues and propose product or process improvements.
• Maintain appropriate spare parts, tools and calibration equipment for field assignments.
• Work with internal teams to coordinate documentation updates, spare parts ordering, and RMA processes to resolve customer issues.
• Escalate complex issues as needed with Engineering, Quality, and the Business Unit to drive permanent corrective actions.
• Comply with all company and customer safety, quality and regulatory requirements.

Required qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical, Mechanical, or Controls Engineering, and 3+ years of relevant experience.
• Strong working knowledge of electrical systems, process controls, wiring, and fundamentals of power distribution.
• Experience with industrial control system integration, such as PLCs, SCADAs, HMIs, instrumentation, sensors, and basic networking and communications (Modbus TCP, Modbus RTU, Ethernet I/P).
• Demonstrated experience performing on-site troubleshooting and root-cause analysis using diagnostic tools such as a multimeter.
• Ability to read and interpret electrical schematics, P&IDs and mechanical drawings.
• Valid driver’s license and ability to travel frequently (including overnight stays).
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, and a strong customer-service mindset.
• Willingness to work flexible hours, including occasional weekends and on-call shifts.

Preferred qualifications

• Experience with thermal systems, heaters, temperature sensors, and control loops.
• Familiarity with general safety standards for low and medium voltage equipment, OSHA training.
• Experience with logical programming of control equipment such as temperature and process controllers, HMIs, PLCs, SCADA, DCS.
• Prior experience working with OEMs, integrators, or large industrial end users.
• Experience with service ticketing/CRM tools and structured documentation practices.

Physical demands & working conditions

• Up to 50-75% domestic and international travel within North America, including overnight travel and on-call rotation
• Ability to lift and carry up to 50 lbs, and work on elevated platforms.
• Work in industrial environments which may include exposure to high/low temperatures, noise, and the need to wear PPE.