Field Services Engineering Manager

Columbia Industries; Starkville (MS); Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Columbia Industries is seeking a Field Service Engineering Manager to lead a team of engineers across field service, commissioning, and warranty investigations. This role requires strong leadership and deep expertise in hydraulic, electrical, mechanical, and control systems.

You will collaborate with Quality, Manufacturing, and Sales to deliver reliable equipment and exceptional customer support. The ideal candidate will drive standardization, documentation, and knowledge sharing while managing

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a mechanical/electrical/industrial discipline or related technical field.
• 7–10 years of engineering and industrial field service experience.
• Demonstrated leadership or supervisory experience preferred.
• Expert understanding of hydraulic, electrical, mechanical, and control systems.
• Proven experience performing Root Cause Analysis and problem solving.
• Experience commissioning large industrial equipment.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead Field Service Engineering team with technical direction, coaching, and mentoring.
• Develop technical competency through structured training and field mentoring.
• Standardize troubleshooting procedures and engineering documentation.
• Serve as the highest technical resource for complex field issues.
• Lead commissioning, startup, and acceptance of complex equipment installations.
• Support strategic customer projects including international commissioning and large capital projects.
• Perform comprehensive RCA for significant equipment failures and propose corrective actions.
• Drive continuous improvement through field data, lessons learned, and design feedback.
• Supervise, coach, and develop the Field Service Engineering team; participate in recruiting.

Skills

Leadership

Root Cause Analysis

Coaching & Mentoring

Cross-functional Collaboration

Strategic Problem Solving

Documentation & Process Discipline

Accountability

Customer Communication

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Mechanical Engineering

Bachelor's Degree in Electrical Engineering

Bachelor's Degree in Industrial Engineering

Technical Degree in related disciplines

Tools

AutoCAD

Autodesk Inventor

Epicor ERP

Job description

The Field Service Engineering Manager provides technical leadership for Columbia Industries' Field Service Engineering team while maintaining responsibility for the organization's most complex technical challenges.

This role serves as the technical authority for advanced troubleshooting, commissioning, warranty investigations, Root Cause Analysis (RCA), and engineering support. The Field Service Engineering Manager develops the technical capability of the Field Service Engineers by establishing engineering standards, mentoring team members, and partnering closely with Engineering, Quality, Manufacturing, and Sales to continuously improve Columbia Industries' products and customer experience.

The ideal candidate is an experienced Field Service Engineering Manager with demonstrated leadership ability who is capable of managing people while remaining actively engaged in solving the organization's most technically challenging field issues.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Technical Leadership

• Lead the Field Service Engineering team by providing technical direction, coaching, and mentorship.
• Develop the technical competency of Field Service Engineers through structured training, knowledge sharing, and field mentoring.
• Establish engineering best practices, troubleshooting standards, and technical documentation.
• Serve as the highest technical resource for complex field issues after normal escalation paths have been exhausted.
• Standardize engineering approaches across all Field Service Engineers.

Advanced Technical Support

• Lead the commissioning, startup, and acceptance of Columbia Industries' most complex equipment installations.
• Support strategic customer projects requiring advanced technical expertise, including international commissioning and large capital projects.
• Lead complex hydraulic, electrical, mechanical, structural, and control system troubleshooting.
• Support Engineering with field validation of new products and product improvements.
• Provide technical support to the Field Service Representative Lead when engineering expertise is required.

Warranty & Root Cause Analysis

• Lead warranty investigations requiring detailed technical analysis.
• Perform comprehensive Root Cause Analysis (RCA) for significant equipment failures.
• Develop corrective action recommendations in partnership with Engineering and Quality.
• Identify recurring product issues and recommend permanent corrective actions.
• Monitor warranty trends and communicate findings to Engineering and executive leadership.

Engineering & Continuous Improvement

• Capture lessons learned from the field and convert them into design improvements.
• Improve equipment serviceability, reliability, and maintainability through engineering feedback.
• Develop standardized troubleshooting guides and technical service bulletins.
• Maintain the Field Service Engineering knowledge base.
• Supervise and develop the Field Service Engineering team.
• Conduct performance evaluations and coaching sessions.
• Identify technical skill gaps and develop individualized growth plans.
• Assist in recruiting, interviewing, and onboarding new Field Service Engineers.
• Build future technical leaders through mentoring and succession planning.
• Foster a culture of technical excellence, accountability, and continuous learning.

Cross Functional Collaboration

To improve product quality, customer satisfaction, and service execution, will partner closely with:

• Quality
• Manufacturing
• Field Service Representative Lead

Operational Excellence

• Develop standardized engineering troubleshooting procedures and technical documentation.
• Maintain engineering standards for commissioning, diagnostics, and field troubleshooting.
• Improve technical knowledge sharing across the Field Service Engineering team.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives using field data and Root Cause Analysis.
• Support KPI development related to warranty, first-time fix rate, engineering response time, and technical performance.

Customer Support

• Provide engineering support for strategic customer accounts and major technical escalations.
• Build confidence with customers through technical expertise and professionalism.
• Support customers remotely and on-site during complex service events.
• Assist Sales and Aftermarket during technical reviews and customer meetings when engineering expertise is required.

Travel

• Travel to customer site locations domestically and internationally as required to supervise projects and ensure quality work completion.
• Support major equipment commissioning, warranty investigations, and customer escalations.
• Occasional travel to Columbia Industries' Starkville, Mississippi headquarters.

Education & Experience

Required

• Bachelor's Degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, or related Engineering discipline or a Technical Degree in related disciplines.
• 7–10 years of engineering and industrial field service experience.
• Demonstrated leadership or supervisory experience preferred.
• Expert understanding of hydraulic, electrical, mechanical, and industrial control systems.
• Proven experience performing Root Cause Analysis and technical problem solving.
• Experience commissioning large industrial equipment.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.

Preferred

• OSHA 30
• Epicor ERP experience
• AutoCAD or Autodesk Inventor
• Technical Leadership
• Coaching & Mentoring
• Engineering Judgment
• Customer Communication
• Strategic Problem Solving
• Decision Making
• Cross-functional Collaboration
• Documentation & Process Discipline
• Accountability

Physical Demands

• Occasionally: Sit, climb or balance
• Regularly: Stand, walk, talk or hear, taste or smell
• Frequently: Use hands to finger, handle or feel, reach with hands or arms, stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl and lift up to 35 pounds
• Vision Requirements: Close, distance, color, peripheral, depth, perception and ability to adjust and focus
• Hybrid office, manufacturing, and field environment.
• Occasional to frequent domestic and international travel.