Service Manager

Prevalent Group; Lombard (IL); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Prevalent Group is seeking a Field Service Manager for our packaging equipment division in Illinois. You will lead the field service team, drive customer satisfaction, and own escalations while partnering with Engineering, Manufacturing, Sales and Product Development.

You will develop technicians, balance service profitability with uptime, and deploy resources to meet commitments. This role emphasizes leadership, technical depth, and a strong customer focus.

Qualifications

• Experience managing Field Service Technicians, Field Service Engineers, or technical service personnel
• Experience supporting complex industrial equipment, automation, packaging machinery, or capital equipment
• Experience with equipment installation, start-up, commissioning, maintenance, repair, upgrades, or retrofits
• Ability to diagnose complex problems and provide technical direction to field personnel
• Strong customer relationship and communication skills
• Demonstrated ability to coach, mentor, and develop technical employees
• Experience managing service schedules, resources, and competing priorities
• Familiarity with service KPIs, productivity metrics, budgets, and operational performance
• Strong organizational and problem‑solving skills
• Ability to work effectively with Engineering, Sales, Manufacturing, and other cross‑functional teams

Responsibilities

• Lead, coach, mentor, and develop a team of Field Service Technicians and technical support personnel
• Establish performance expectations, development plans, and training programs
• Identify skill gaps and implement technical training to strengthen the team’s capabilities
• Conduct ride-alongs, customer visits, and field coaching when appropriate
• Foster a culture built around safety, accountability, responsiveness, teamwork, and continuous improvement
• Participate in interviewing, hiring, onboarding, and performance management of service personnel
• Serve as a senior escalation point for complex mechanical, electrical, controls, automation, and equipment-performance issues
• Take ownership of critical customer issues from initial escalation through resolution
• Maintain strong relationships with customers and ensure a consistently positive service experience
• Participate in customer visits to address technical issues, equipment performance, reliability, and service opportunities
• Provide hands-on technical assistance during installations, start-ups, troubleshooting, repairs, upgrades, and customer visits when needed
• Ensure customer issues are resolved quickly while balancing customer satisfaction, technician availability, productivity, and profitability
• Direct daily field service activities and technician deployment
• Prioritize incoming service requests based on customer needs, urgency, technician skill sets, and availability
• Coordinate schedules, resources, logistics, and customer requirements
• Monitor service response times and ensure service commitments are met
• Track service KPIs, productivity, resource utilization, customer satisfaction, and financial performance
• Analyze operational trends and implement improvements where performance is below expectations
• Ensure service documentation, field reports, service logs, and customer records are accurate and completed on time
• Help establish and improve service processes, procedures, and best practices
• Work closely with internal teams to resolve customer issues
• Communicate field issues and customer feedback to senior leadership
• Help customers understand the value of investing in equipment reliability and professional service

Job description

Service Manager – Packaging Equipment

Are you an experienced Field Service Manager, Service Manager, or Senior Field Service Supervisor who knows what it takes to keep complex industrial equipment running — and knows that great service is about much more than fixing machines?

Our client is a growing manufacturer of sophisticated packaging equipment and is seeking an experienced Field Service Manager to lead its field service organization and play a critical role in delivering an exceptional customer experience.

This is an opportunity for a hands‑on service leader who can lead technicians, solve complex technical problems, improve service operations, and build strong customer relationships.

Why This Opportunity?

This is not simply a scheduling or administrative management position.

The Field Service Manager will have significant influence over the performance of the service organization, including technician development, customer satisfaction, response times, resource utilization, technical escalation, and continuous improvement.

You’ll work closely with customers and internal teams including Engineering, Manufacturing, Sales, Product Development, and other technical groups to resolve problems and improve equipment reliability.

Most importantly, you’ll have the opportunity to build and develop a high‑performing service team while remaining connected to the technology and customers.

What You’ll Do

Lead & Develop the Field Service Team

• Lead, coach, mentor, and develop a team of Field Service Technicians and technical support personnel
• Establish performance expectations, development plans, and training programs
• Identify skill gaps and implement technical training to strengthen the team’s capabilities
• Conduct ride‑alongs, customer visits, and field coaching when appropriate
• Foster a culture built around safety, accountability, responsiveness, teamwork, and continuous improvement
• Participate in interviewing, hiring, onboarding, and performance management of service personnel

Own Customer Service & Technical Escalations

• Serve as a senior escalation point for complex mechanical, electrical, controls, automation, and equipment‑performance issues
• Take ownership of critical customer issues from initial escalation through resolution
• Maintain strong relationships with customers and ensure a consistently positive service experience
• Participate in customer visits to address technical issues, equipment performance, reliability, and service opportunities
• Provide hands‑on technical assistance during installations, start‑ups, troubleshooting, repairs, upgrades, and customer visits when needed
• Ensure customer issues are resolved quickly while balancing customer satisfaction, technician availability, productivity, and profitability

Manage Service Operations

• Direct daily field service activities and technician deployment
• Prioritize incoming service requests based on customer needs, urgency, technician skill sets, and availability
• Coordinate schedules, resources, logistics, and customer requirements
• Monitor service response times and ensure service commitments are met
• Track service KPIs, productivity, resource utilization, customer satisfaction, and financial performance
• Analyze operational trends and implement improvements where performance is below expectations
• Ensure service documentation, field reports, service logs, and customer records are accurate and completed on time
• Help establish and improve service processes, procedures, and best practices

Partner Across the Organization

• Work closely with internal teams to resolve customer issues
• Communicate field issues and customer feedback to senior leadership
• Help customers understand the value of investing in equipment reliability and professional service

What We’re Looking For

We’re looking for an experienced industrial service leader who combines strong technical capability with genuine leadership and customer‑facing skills.

Ideal candidates will have:

• Experience managing Field Service Technicians, Field Service Engineers, or technical service personnel
• Experience supporting complex industrial equipment, automation, packaging machinery, or capital equipment
• Experience with equipment installation, start‑up, commissioning, maintenance, repair, upgrades, or retrofits
• The ability to diagnose complex problems and provide technical direction to field personnel
• Strong customer relationship and communication skills
• Demonstrated ability to coach, mentor, and develop technical employees
• Experience managing service schedules, resources, and competing priorities
• Familiarity with service KPIs, productivity metrics, budgets, and operational performance
• Strong organizational and problem‑solving skills
• The ability to work effectively with Engineering, Sales, Manufacturing, and other cross‑functional teams
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and ERP/business systems
• Experience with machine integration, industrial controls, networking, or automation is highly desirable

This Could Be a Great Fit If You Are Currently a:

• Field Service Manager
• Service Manager
• Field Service Supervisor
• Service Supervisor
• Senior Field Service Engineer
• Senior Field Service Technician
• Technical Service Manager
• Installation & Service Manager
• Industrial Service Manager
• Service Operations Manager

…and you’re ready to take the next step in your career.

What You’ll Bring to the Role

We’re looking for someone who:

Leads from the front. You understand the technical challenges your technicians face because you’ve been in the field yourself.

Takes ownership. When a major customer has a critical equipment problem, you’re the person who takes charge and drives the issue to resolution.

Develops people. You know that building a stronger service organization starts with developing technicians and giving them the tools, training, and support to succeed.

Thinks commercially. You understand that excellent service protects customer relationships, strengthens equipment reliability, and creates opportunities for additional service, upgrades, and aftermarket revenue.

Thinks beyond the immediate problem. You don’t simply ask, “How do we fix it?” You ask, “Why did it happen, how do we prevent it from happening again, and what can we learn from it?”

Understands the customer. You recognize that customers aren’t buying service calls. They’re buying uptime, reliability, responsiveness, and confidence in their equipment investment.

The Opportunity

This is an excellent opportunity to join a growing organization where your leadership and technical expertise will have a direct impact on the service organization, its customers, and the company’s continued growth.

You’ll have the opportunity to influence service strategy, develop people, improve processes, work with sophisticated equipment, and build long‑term relationships with some of the company’s most important customers.

Packaging Equipment | Industrial Automation | Capital Equipment | Field Service Leadership | Customer Service | Technical Service