Industrial Automation Field Service Engineer

A day in the field

You start your day on a production line, watching machines cycle to pinpoint root causes before they become downtime events. You isolate faults, dismantle equipment to access defective components, examine wear patterns, adjust controls and functional mechanisms, and repair or replace parts. You verify performance with electrical and mechanical tests, then recondition and repair machine tools to bring assets back to spec.

Partner with customers

• Guide customer counterparts on maintenance optimization, reliability strategies, and preventive programs.
• Adhere to customer contractor codes of conduct, housekeeping standards, and safety processes at all times.

Build and improve equipment

• Identify and source parts, supplies, and repair items; evaluate alternative options to improve cost and reliability.
• Compile retrofit/upgrade/alternative-function packages and implement them.
• Independently execute maintenance to industry standards and author maintenance standards and instructions for modified or new manufacturing equipment.

Machining and fabrication

• Set up and operate lathes, drill presses, grinders, and other metalworking tools to fabricate and repair parts.
• Perform welding tasks when required.

Controls and data

• Alter, troubleshoot, and analyze complex control systems to resolve deep software, hardware, and configuration issues.
• Leverage advanced maintenance technologies to collect performance data, identify trends, and recommend actions.

Document and train

• Record work in service reports and enterprise systems, and provide clear written explanations of observations and equipment performance data.
• Compile technical manuals and develop operating and maintenance procedures for equipment upgrades and automation integrations.
• Support junior technicians, provide leadership on project teams, conduct on-the-job training, and lead technical programs for the development of customers and coworkers.

What you bring

• High school diploma or GED.
• Associate degree (technical focus) with 12+ years of related industry experience, or 15+ years of direct industry experience.
• Broad knowledge of electrical, mechanical, fluid power, and control systems; able to analyze problems, synthesize options, and execute repairs.
• Proficiency with basic and specialized hand tools and appropriate programming software.
• Extensive travel required (local, national, and international).

Preferred experience

• Condition-based maintenance, precision mechanical alignments, process equipment maintenance, and automation integration.
• Strong background in PLCs, field device troubleshooting, electrical drive and motor systems, and motion control devices.

Core competencies

• Communications
• Customer Focus
• Personal Discipline
• Safety

Travel

Expect frequent travel to customer sites locally, across the country, and internationally.

Physical demands and working conditions

• Regularly stand, walk, use hands/fingers, reach, climb (ladders or lifts), balance, stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl in confined spaces; communicate clearly.
• Occasionally sit.
• Occasionally lift and move items over 50 pounds.
• Regular need for close and color vision.
• Occasional exposure to outdoor weather and risk of electrical shock.
• Work is typically on loud factory floors, with possible exposure to hazardous materials and greasy or slippery surfaces.

Technical proficiencies

• Mechanical troubleshooting
• 120/208/240/480 VAC systems
• Electrical troubleshooting and repair
• High-voltage systems
• Industrial electrical systems
• Machine safety inspections