Field Service Manager

Job Title: Field Service Manager

Job Description

The Field Service Manager leads global service operations and drives a comprehensive service strategy that supports business growth and customer success. This role oversees regional service teams and third-party providers, builds a culture of accountability and technical excellence, and ensures world-class field service, repair, and RMA performance. The Field Service Manager serves as a key executive escalation point for critical customer issues, strengthens long-term customer partnerships, and uses service data to improve product reliability, quality, and overall customer satisfaction.

Responsibilities

• Provide global leadership for service operations, including regional service teams and third-party providers, ensuring consistent, high-quality service delivery worldwide.

• Develop and execute a global service strategy aligned with company growth objectives, customer expectations, and long-term business goals.

• Build and sustain a culture of accountability, technical excellence, and continuous improvement within the service organization.

• Develop talent across the service organization, including succession planning, skills development, and certification programs for global service personnel.

• Serve as the executive escalation point for critical customer issues, ensuring timely resolution and clear communication with internal stakeholders and customers.

• Build strong cross-functional relationships with customers, Engineering, Quality, Operations, and Supply Chain teams to improve product performance and service outcomes.

• Lead customer business reviews and service performance discussions, presenting service metrics, reliability data, and improvement plans.

• Drive customer satisfaction, retention, and the development of long-term strategic partnerships through proactive service leadership.

• Ensure global field service personnel are properly trained and certified on semiconductor equipment, robotics, automation systems, vacuum systems, and related technologies.

• Oversee global RMA and repair operations, ensuring standardized processes, tooling, and performance metrics across all repair locations.

• Standardize procedures for FAI (First Article Inspection), failure analysis, and customer returns, ensuring consistent quality and accurate root cause identification.

• Drive continuous improvements in repair quality, turnaround time, and overall service responsiveness.

• Monitor product performance, reliability trends, warranty costs, and key service metrics, using this information to identify issues and opportunities.

• Partner closely with Operations, Engineering, and Quality teams to define and implement corrective actions that address product and process issues.

• Ensure accurate reporting of OBQ, failure analysis (FA), RMA, and customer complaint data, and use these insights to drive product and process improvements.

• Plan and lead service readiness activities for new product introductions (NPI), ensuring service teams are prepared prior to launch.

• Ensure completion of service-related training, documentation, tooling, and spare parts plans before new products are released to customers.

• Coordinate with Engineering, Applications, and Product Management to support successful product deployments and field performance.

• Collaborate with Supply Chain and Warehouse Operations to ensure global spare parts availability that minimizes customer downtime.

• Develop inventory strategies and service policies that balance cost efficiency with high levels of customer uptime and satisfaction.

• Own service revenue forecasting, budget planning, and financial performance for the global service organization.

• Align service resources and staffing with customer demand, installed base growth, and strategic business objectives.

• Collaborate cross-functionally with Engineering, Applications, Operations, Quality, Supply Chain, Sales, and Marketing to improve customer satisfaction and product performance.

• Act as the voice of the customer in cross-functional reviews, ensuring customer-impacting changes are thoroughly evaluated and communicated.

• Provide leadership and guidance on troubleshooting complex electromechanical systems and high-tech capital equipment in the field.

• Maintain strong internal executive relationships to align service priorities with broader business strategy and objectives.

• Perform other duties as assigned to support the success of the service organization and overall business.

Essential Skills

• Proven experience leading global service teams and operations, including management of regional resources and third-party service providers.

• Demonstrated ability to develop and execute a global service strategy focused on growth, technical excellence, and team development.

• Strong customer relationship management skills, including handling executive-level escalations and leading customer business reviews.

• Track record of improving customer satisfaction, retention, and long-term partnerships through proactive service initiatives.

• Extensive knowledge of field service operations, including RMA and repair processes, service standardization, FAI, failure analysis, and turnaround time improvement.

• Hands-on experience with global service, RMA, troubleshooting, NPI, failure analysis, FAI, and customer support in complex technical environments.

• Analytical skills to monitor reliability, warranty, and quality metrics and translate data into corrective actions and process improvements.

• Experience collaborating cross-functionally with Engineering, Quality, Operations, Supply Chain, Sales, and Marketing to resolve customer issues and improve product performance.

• Financial and supply chain acumen, including budget planning, service revenue forecasting, and spare parts inventory strategy development.

• Minimum 6–10 years of leadership or management experience, including 6–8 years specifically in service leadership or management roles.

• Experience managing internal executive relationships and customer relationships at a high level.

• Ability to function autonomously in a global environment, making decisions and setting priorities with limited supervision.

• Experience in semiconductor equipment, robotics, automation systems, vacuum systems, manufacturing, or related industries involving highly complex electromechanical systems, machinery, or instrumentation.

• Strong management and leadership skills, including team building, coaching, and performance management.

• Ability and willingness to travel approximately 30% of the time to local, domestic, and international customer locations.

• Ability to troubleshoot and understand complex electromechanical systems and high-tech capital equipment.

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Business, Operations Management, or a related field is required.

Additional Skills & Qualifications

• Master's degree in Engineering, Business, Operations Management, or a related discipline is preferred.

• Deep understanding of the semiconductor industry, its customers, and typical field service expectations.

• Experience with robotics, automation, or vacuum technology, or closely related high-complexity electromechanical machinery or instrumentation.

• Experience in capital equipment and advanced automation systems used in manufacturing or semiconductor environments.

• Strong leadership presence and communication skills, with the ability to represent the service organization to executives and customers.

• Ability to build and maintain collaborative relationships across Engineering, Applications, Operations, Quality, Supply Chain, Sales, and Marketing.

• Comfort working with performance metrics, service dashboards, and data-driven decision-making.

• Capability to support and guide teams in failure analysis, FAI processes, and root cause investigations.

• Physical ability to occasionally stand, walk, grasp, and lift or move up to 25 pounds as part of service and operations activities.

Job Type & Location

This is a Permanent position based out of Bedford, MA.

Pay and Benefits

The pay range for this position is $130000.00 - $145000.00/yr.

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.

We offer competitive compensation packages including comprehensive health benefits (medical, dental and vision), generous paid time off, 100% company paid short-term, long-term disability insurance, 100% company paid Basic life and AD&D insurance and a 401(k) plan with 5% company matching

Workplace Type

This is a fully onsite position in Bedford,MA.

Application Deadline

This position is anticipated to close on Sep 9, 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 View email address on click.appcast.io 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.