Supervisor, Laboratory Automation Service Engineering

Thornton Tomasetti; Phoenix (AZ); On-site; USD 78,000 - 156,000; Full time

Job summary

Abbott is seeking a Supervisory Laboratory Automation Service Engineer to lead a team responsible for maintaining and optimizing lab automation systems. The role balances management with hands-on support, contributing roughly 10% time to direct maintenance tasks.

The position requires 5+ years in service engineering, leadership experience, and US work authorization. Strong collaboration and communication skills are essential to drive efficiency and reliability across laboratories.

Qualifications

• Minimum 5+ years of experience in service engineering.
• 2+ years leading and/or directing people and/or project teams.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office programs (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
• Authorized to work in the United States without sponsorship.

Responsibilities

• Lead and allocate daily tasks to service engineers for installation, calibration, adjustment, repair, and optimization of automation systems.
• Serve as the primary contact for service engineers and oversee day-to-day team functionality.
• Conduct regular check-ins and performance reviews; train and develop staff.
• Ensure coverage for workload and approve/reject time-off requests.
• Provide technical guidance on automation technologies and control systems.

Skills

Service engineering

Leadership

Team management

Troubleshooting

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Engineering/Technology

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

Abbott is a global healthcare leader that helps people live more fully at all stages of life. Our portfolio of life‑changing technologies spans the spectrum of healthcare, with leading businesses and products in diagnostics, medical devices, nutritionals and branded generic medicines. Our 122,000 colleagues serve people in more than 160 countries.

JOB DESCRIPTION: The Supervisor, Laboratory Automation Service Engineer plays a key leadership role in supporting a team of service engineers responsible for maintaining and optimizing laboratory automation. This position focuses on guiding daily operations, fostering team development, and ensuring that equipment service activities align with the needs of the laboratory. While primarily focused on team coordination and oversight, the Supervisor may also contribute hands‑on support for maintenance and repairs as needed, typically accounting for about 10% of their time.

Essential Duties

• Lead and allocate daily tasks to service engineers supporting installation, calibration, adjustment, repair, and optimization of custom lab automation systems, ensuring high responsiveness and efficiency.
• Serve as the primary source of contact for service engineers, overseeing day‑to‑day service team functionality.
• Conduct routine check‑in meetings with each member of the team, as appropriate.
• Ensure ample coverage for day‑to‑day workload needs; recommending approval or rejection of requested time off.
• Supervise staff; including, but not limited to, organize and prioritize work, write/conduct performance reviews, train/develop, and manage work performance.
• Communicate goals clearly to employees to ensure understanding and success in achieving them.
• Motivate and inspire employees to do their best work through coaching.
• Maintain morale and support employee engagement initiatives.
• Provide technical guidance on automation technologies and control systems, ensuring reliable performance and alignment with operational requirements.
• Support enterprise service and integration leadership in the introduction and adoption of organizational initiatives.
• Work closely with integration and development teams on service requirements gathering and potential operational improvements.
• Promote customer satisfaction through problem solving, clear and effective communications, and efficient repair/maintenance activities.
• Develop and oversee service strategies for laboratory automation, including scheduled updates, large scale downtimes, and consistent evaluation of service procedures to ensure accuracy, efficiency, and alignment with operational goals.
• Advise sustaining engineering efforts by providing system data and service insights to improve system reliability, maintainability, and component lifecycle planning.
• Support hands‑on troubleshooting of interconnected automation components (robots, sensors, actuators, liquid handlers, etc.) and coordinate root‑cause analysis for recurring failures or control logic issues.
• Ensure the team follows all applicable documentation standards when servicing automated systems, including change control, deviation reports, relevant IQ/OQ/PQ, and applicable technical bulletins or notifications.
• Ensure all service documentation is complete, timely, and accurate following good documentation practices (GDP).
• Ensure appropriate tracking of all service activities utilizing systems developed in accordance with service policies and procedures.
• Support and comply with the company’s Quality Management System policies and procedures.
• Support training and development efforts for team members on evolving automation technologies, including new robotics platforms, machine vision, pipeline projects, and other skills essential for troubleshooting, optimizing, and supporting complex lab automation systems.
• Assist and coordinate training methodology and training documentation in conjunction with other engineer leads/leadership.
• Provide feedback on the effectiveness of training for new employees, training methodology, and training documentation.
• Provide mentoring and technical guidance to service engineers.
• Collaborate with automation design and integration teams to feed field insights back into future iterations or new developments.
• Ensure that assigned support requests from cross‑functional project teams or business units are being actively addressed.
• Ensure that any incoming support requests from outside of the normal channels are properly routed to ensure they are assigned and actively addressed.
• Ensure appropriate hand‑off communication and work completion between shifts.
• Escalate service concerns, as appropriate.
• Ability to communicate effectively with all levels of staff through both verbal and written communication.
• Strong interpersonal skills; ability to easily convey concepts and priorities, as well as ability to solicit feedback and inputs across all levels of the organization.
• Adaptable, open to change, and able to work in ambiguous situations and respond to new information and unexpected circumstances.
• Self‑motivated and reliable, able to stay focused on a task and work independently.
• Strong attention to detail and focus on quality output.
• Uphold company mission and values through accountability, innovation, integrity, quality, and teamwork.
• Maintain regular and reliable attendance.
• Ability to act with an inclusion mindset and model these behaviors for the organization.
• Ability to lift up to 40 pounds for approximately 5% of a typical working day.
• Ability to work seated for approximately 60% of a typical working day.
• Ability to work standing for approximately 40% of a typical working day.
• Ability to work on a mobile device, tablet, or in front of a computer screen and/or perform typing for approximately 60% of a typical working day.
• Ability to comply with any applicable personal protective equipment requirements.
• Ability to employ gross motor and fine motor skills during maintenance of laboratory equipment.
• Ability and means to travel between local Exact Sciences locations.
• Ability to travel 25% of working time away from work location, may include overnight/weekend travel.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering, Technology, Molecular Biology, Electronics, or field as outlined in the essential duties; or Associates degree and 2 years of relevant experience as outlined in the essential duties in lieu of Bachelor’s Degree; or High School Diploma/General Education Degree (GED) and 4 years of relevant experience as outlined in the essential duties in lieu of Bachelor’s Degree.
• 5+ years of experience in service engineering or related industry as outlined in the essential duties.
• 3+ years of experience supporting the administration/execution of a service program.
• 2+ years of experience leading and/or directing people and/or project teams.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office programs, such as Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• Authorization to work in the United States without sponsorship Demonstrated ability to perform the Essential Duties of the position with or without accommodation.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering, Technology, Molecular Biology, Electronics, Life Sciences, or field as outlined in the essential duties.
• 3-4+ years of experience leading and/or directing people and/or project teams.
• Experience in the maintenance, repair, and optimization of complex automation and laboratory equipment, including robotics, integrated control systems, servo controls, and complex electromechanical components.
• Skilled in interpreting technical manuals, schematics, and system diagrams to diagnose and resolve issues efficiently.
• Familiar with inventory management, parts requisition, and documentation practices supporting equipment lifecycle and compliance.
• Demonstrated mechanical ability and hands‑on troubleshooting skills in structured, process‑driven environments requiring quality, accountability and cross‑functional coordination.
• Proven ability to plan workloads, allocate tasks, and scale operations to align with priorities and organizational goals.

The base pay for this position is $78,000.00 – $156,000.00 In specific locations, the pay range may vary from the range posted.

JOB FAMILY: Operations Quality DIVISION: ONCO Cancer Diagnostics LOCATION: United States > Phoenix : 445 North 5th St ADDITIONAL LOCATIONS: WORK SHIFT: Standard TRAVEL: Yes, 5 % of the Time MEDICAL SURVEILLANCE: No SIGNIFICANT WORK ACTIVITIES: Continuous sitting for prolonged periods (more than 2 consecutive hours in an 8 hour day), Continuous standing for prolonged periods (more than 2 consecutive hours in an 8 hour day), Continuous walking for prolonged periods (more than 2 hours at a time in an 8 hour day)

Abbott is an Equal Opportunity Employer of Minorities/Women/Individuals with Disabilities/Protected Veterans.

EEO is the Law link - English: http://webstorage.abbott.com/common/External/EEO_English.pdf EEO is the Law link - Espanol: http://webstorage.abbott.com/common/External/EEO_Spanish.pdf

Abbott is about the power of health. For more than 135 years, Abbott has been helping people reach their potential — because better health allows people and communities to achieve more. With a diverse, global network serving customers in more than 160 countries, we create new solutions — across the spectrum of health, around the world, for all stages of life. Whether it’s next‑generation diagnostics, life‑changing devices, science‑based nutrition, or novel reformulations, we are advancing some of the most innovative and revolutionary technologies in healthcare, helping people live their best lives through better health.

The people of Abbott come to work each day with relentless energy, enthusiasm and a promise to enhance the health and well‑being of millions of people. They push the boundaries to help manage and treat some of life’s greatest health challenges.

We invite you to explore opportunities at Abbott, to see if your talents and career aspirations may fit with our openings. An equal opportunity employer, Abbott welcomes and encourages diversity in our workforce.

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