Field Technician

Actalent; Mission (KS); On-site; USD 103,000 - 152,000; Full time

Job summary

Actalent in Mission, KS, is seeking a Senior Industrial Combustion Field Technician for a contract-to-hire role. You will lead on-site commissioning, tuning, and troubleshooting of industrial burners and combustion-control systems, with extensive travel to North American sites.

The position requires hands-on, technical expertise in burner-management systems, flame-safeguard controls, and complex combustion diagnostics, working closely with engineering and project teams.

Qualifications

• Independently start up, commission, troubleshoot, test, tune and optimize industrial burners and combustion systems.
• Experience tuning combustion using analyzers and process data to optimize performance.
• Evaluate fuel-to-air ratios for safe, efficient, and reliable operation.
• Interpret combustion measurements including O2, CO, CO2, and stack temperature.
• Read electrical schematics, P&IDs and control narratives for field projects.

Responsibilities

• Lead field installation, startup, commissioning, tuning, troubleshooting and performance testing of combustion systems.
• Commission and optimize systems in rotary dryers, kilns, and other heavy industrial equipment.
• Diagnose complex burner and control issues including burner-management and flame-safeguard systems.
• Troubleshoot PLC-controlled equipment and verify control sequences.
• Interpret schematics, P&IDs, process-flow diagrams, and manufacturer docs.
• Document field-service reports with operating conditions and corrective actions.
• Train customer operators and maintenance personnel on safe operation.

Skills

Burner startup

Combustion tuning

Troubleshooting

Process instrumentation

Electrical controls

Reading schematics

NFPA compliance

Field service leadership

Tools

Combustion analyzers

Flame scanners

PLC programming

Job description

Job Title: Senior Industrial Combustion Field TechnicianJob Description

This role is a Senior, hands-on field position focused on industrial combustion systems within an industrial Engineering, Procurement, and Construction environment. As a key technical member of a growing field service, commissioning, and aftermarket organization, you independently commission, troubleshoot, test, tune, and optimize industrial burners and combustion-control systems. The position centers on advanced combustion tuning and system optimization rather than general maintenance or routine equipment repair.

Responsibilities

• Lead and support field installation, startup, commissioning, combustion tuning, troubleshooting, inspection, repair, optimization, and performance testing of industrial combustion and thermal-process systems.
• Commission and optimize combustion systems associated with rotary dryers, kilns, industrial process-heating equipment, thermal-processing systems, and other heavy industrial applications.
• Diagnose complex operating issues involving industrial burners, combustion controls, burner-management systems, flame-safeguard systems, rotary dryers, kilns, process-air systems, fuel systems, and related equipment.
• Troubleshoot PLC-controlled industrial equipment, including inputs, outputs, logic sequences, permissives, alarms, interlocks, process controls, and overall system operating sequences.
• Diagnose industrial electrical and instrumentation issues involving control panels, field wiring, motors, variable frequency drives (VFDs), sensors, transmitters, thermocouples, pressure devices, actuators, valves, process controllers, limit controllers, and 4-20 mA control systems.
• Interpret electrical schematics, piping and instrumentation diagrams (P&IDs), process-flow diagrams, equipment drawings, control narratives, sequences of operation, technical manuals, and manufacturer documentation.
• Perform and document combustion-system safety testing in accordance with applicable codes, NFPA standards, manufacturer requirements, customer requirements, and internal safety practices.
• Collaborate with engineering, controls, project management, construction, commissioning, field-service, and aftermarket teams to resolve complex technical challenges and improve system performance.
• Prepare accurate, detailed field-service reports documenting operating conditions, testing procedures, combustion readings, identified deficiencies, corrective actions, system performance, and recommended follow-up activities.
• Train customer operators and maintenance personnel on safe equipment operation, combustion-system performance, troubleshooting techniques, and preventative maintenance practices.
• Serve as a Senior technical resource and mentor for developing field technicians and other members of the service organization, sharing expertise in industrial combustion and system optimization.

Essential Skills

• Proven ability to independently start up, commission, troubleshoot, test, tune, and optimize industrial burner and combustion systems.
• Hands-on experience performing combustion tuning using combustion analyzers, process instrumentation, operating data, and direct evaluation of system performance.
• Ability to evaluate and adjust fuel-to-air ratios to achieve safe, stable, efficient, and reliable combustion.
• Skill in interpreting oxygen, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, stack-temperature, draft, pressure, flame-signal, and other relevant combustion and process measurements.
• Capability to evaluate flame stability, flame shape, ignition performance, burner turndown, combustion-air delivery, fuel delivery, furnace or dryer pressure, draft conditions, and overall process response.
• Experience identifying and correcting combustion issues such as improper fuel-to-air ratios, unstable flames, ignition failures, nuisance shutdowns, inadequate airflow, excessive emissions, poor heat distribution, inefficient fuel consumption, and process-temperature instability.
• Ability to tune combustion systems to support production requirements, fuel efficiency, equipment reliability, emissions objectives, and safe operation.
• Strong troubleshooting skills for industrial burners, fuel trains, combustion-air systems, ignition systems, flame scanners, flame rods, burner-management systems, safety interlocks, permissives, process controls, and shutdown systems.

Additional Skills & Qualifications

• Experience with burner-management systems, flame-safeguard controls, ignition systems, fuel trains, combustion-air systems, safety interlocks, permissives, and shutdown systems.
• Strong industrial electrical, instrumentation, and control-system troubleshooting capabilities.
• Experience troubleshooting PLC-controlled industrial equipment and diagnosing control-sequence issues.
• Background working with heavy industrial process-heating and thermal-processing equipment, such as rotary dryers and kilns.
• Ability to read and interpret technical documentation, including electrical schematics, P&IDs, process-flow diagrams, and control narratives.

Work Environment

This position is field-based with approximately 100% travel to industrial sites across North America. You work in heavy industrial environments around process-heating equipment, rotary dryers, kilns, combustion systems, and related machinery. The role involves extensive on-site commissioning, testing, and troubleshooting of complex electrical, instrumentation, and combustion-control systems. You collaborate closely with engineering, controls, project management, construction, commissioning, field-service, and aftermarket teams while interacting directly with customer operations and maintenance personnel. Expect a highly technical, hands-on environment focused on safety, adherence to applicable codes and NFPA standards, and detailed documentation of field activities.

Job Type & Location

This is a Contract to Hire position based out of Mission, KS.

Pay and Benefits

The pay range for this position is $75000.00 - $110000.00/hr.

Individual compensation offered for this position within this range will depend on many factors, including qualifications, skills, relevant experience, job knowledge, geographic location, internal equity, and other pertinent job-related factors.

Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to specific elections, plan, or program terms. If eligible, the benefits available for this temporary role may include the following:

• Medical, dental & vision
• Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital
• 401(k) Retirement Plan - Pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions available
• Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents)
• Short and long-term disability
• Health Spending Account (HSA)
• Transportation benefits
• Employee Assistance Program
• Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave)

Workplace Type

This is a fully onsite position in Mission,KS.

Application Deadline

This position is anticipated to close on Sep 15, 2026.

About Actalent

Actalent is a global leader in engineering and sciences services and talent solutions. We help visionary companies advance their engineering and science initiatives through access to specialized experts who drive scale, innovation and speed to market. With a network of almost 20,000 consultants and 5,000 clients across the U.S., Canada, Asia and Europe, Actalent serves many of the Fortune 500. We are proud to be an Engineering News-Record (ENR) Top 500 Design Firm for our engineering design services and a ClearlyRated Best of Staffing® winner for both client and talent service.

The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications without regard to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protected by law.

If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation, such as the modification or adjustment of the job application process or interviewing process due to a disability, please email [e-mail] for other accommodation options.

San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance: Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, for all positions located in the city and county of San Francisco, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Massachusetts Lie Detector: It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI): We may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support parts of our hiring process, including sourcing, screening, and evaluating candidates. AI helps assess applications and qualifications, but final decisions are made by our hiring team. By applying, you acknowledge and agree that your application may be reviewed using AI tools.