Regional Lead Field Service Engineer

Who we are:

Formic is on a mission to reshape American manufacturing by making automation accessible to every factory. As labor constraints rise, costs increase, and global competition intensifies, automation is no longer optional for manufacturers that want to stay competitive.

We deliver automation through a Robotics-as-a-Service model that combines industrial robotics, proprietary software, and full-service support into a single, integrated solution. By removing the traditional barriers of cost, complexity, and risk, we enable manufacturers to deploy automation quickly and realize measurable gains in throughput, safety, and operational efficiency without large upfront capital investment.

Backed by leading investors including Lux Capital, Initialized Capital, Blackhorn Ventures, and Mitsubishi HC Capital North America, Formic is scaling rapidly and building the foundation for a new era of high-performance, Made in America production.

As Regional Lead Field Service Engineer, you are a senior, hands-on technical leader responsible for supporting a flexible regional territory, while leading a small local team of Field Service Engineers.

You will be a working lead, spending approximately 80% of your time doing field service work and 20% on technical leadership, coordination, and team support. You’ll serve as the primary escalation point for customer down situations in the region and ensure consistent service delivery through strong technical execution and field presence.

In this position you will lead through expertise and accountability, rather than formal people-management authority.

What You’ll Do

Field Service and Regional Support

• Perform advanced preventative, corrective, and predictive maintenance on robotic manufacturing cells.
• Respond to and lead resolution efforts for complex or high-impact service issues.
• Serve as the escalation point for customer down situations within the region.
• Provide on-site technical leadership during critical production interruptions.
• Support flexible regional coverage based on service demand and operational needs.
• Provide on-site production support and informal training to customer operators and technicians.
• Maintain a clean, safe work environment and ensure compliance with OSHA and Formic safety standards.

Technical Leadership

• Act as the senior technical resource for 2 to 4 Field Service Engineers in the region.
• Mentor and coach engineers through hands-on guidance, troubleshooting support, and technical review.
• Provide technical validation and sign off on work performed by less experienced engineers.
• Reinforce technical standards, safety practices, and service quality expectations.
• Share best practices and lessons learned to improve regional service execution.

Team Direction and Coordination

• Provide day-to-day direction to local Field Service Engineers and own team-level scheduling, coverage, and work assignment coordination.
• Coordinate service priorities and escalations within the team to minimize customer impact.
• Support onboarding and field ramp-up for new engineers.
• Participate in technical interviews and hiring decisions as needed.

Monitoring, Documentation, and Insights

• Monitor system performance remotely using Formic dashboards and tooling.
• Ensure accurate and timely service documentation, including root cause analysis and follow-ups.
• Identify recurring issues, systemic risks, and opportunities for fleet-wide improvement.
• Communicate field insights to Engineering, Continuous Improvement, and Service leadership.

Customer Interaction and Representation

• Build trusted, professional relationships with plant managers, operators, and technicians.
• Communicate clearly and calmly with customers during high-pressure service events.
• Represent Formic’s mission and operating principles with a customer-first mindset.

What Makes You a Great Fit

Required

• 5+ years of hands-on field service experience supporting robotics or industrial automation systems.
• High-level technical proficiency across mechanical, electrical, controls, and robotic systems.
• Experience working with industrial robots from one or more major manufacturers.
• Proven ability to independently diagnose and resolve complex system-level issues.
• Demonstrated experience mentoring or leading other engineers in the field.
• Strong communication skills in customer-facing environments.
• Willingness to travel approximately 50 percent of the time within the US.

Preferred

• Prior experience acting as a technical lead or informal team leader.
• Experience supporting distributed or multi-site manufacturing environments.
• Background in uptime-critical industries such as food, packaging, CPG, or logistics.

Success in This Role Looks Like

• Customer down situations are resolved quickly and effectively with clear technical leadership.
• Field Service Engineers in the region are supported, coordinated, and growing technically.
• Regional service execution is consistent, predictable, and professional.
• Customers view this role as a trusted technical escalation resource.
• Field insights lead to measurable improvements in uptime and reliability.

What we look for: 

We’re building this company from the ground up, and every person we hire has an outsized impact on our culture, performance, and trajectory. While each team member brings unique strengths and perspectives, we look for people who align with our Operating Principles and embody them in action. If this sounds like you, Formic may be the right place for you!

• Fearless Optimism: You make bold bets and default optimistic. You believe in the mission, aren’t paralyzed by risk, and fear inaction more than failure. You see ambiguity as opportunity and bring energy to building what doesn’t yet exist.
• Create the Magic: You absorb complexity so customers don’t have to. Whether your customer is external or internal, you focus on delivering experiences that are clear, fast, value-added, and outcome-driven. You don’t say “not my job.” You make things work. 
• Today, Not Tomorrow: You have a bias to action. You close the loop. You take extreme ownership. You understand that speed compounds, and you don’t confuse activity with results.
• Seek Truth: You think from first principles. You value data over ego and strong opinions loosely held. You’re willing to challenge assumptions, including your own, in pursuit of the best answer.
• Made of Rubber: You are resolute and adaptable. When things break or priorities shift, you rebound stronger. You treat setbacks as learning moments and move forward with grit.
• One Formic: You operate without silos. You practice radical helpfulness, document clearly, and make clean handoffs. You assume positive intent and prioritize team success over individual credit.

Equal Opportunity Employment:

Formic is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion or religious creed, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, marital status, family or parental status, disability, military or veteran status, or any other basis protected by law. All employment decisions are based on a person’s merit, business needs, and role requirements. If you require further accommodations or have questions regarding accessibility of our roles, please reach out to careers@formic.co.

AI Use:

At Formic, fairness and transparency are at the heart of our hiring process. We use AI-powered tools in some interviews to help our teams evaluate candidate responses, but all final hiring decisions are made by humans. You can learn more about how AI is used in our recruitment process by reviewing our AI Hiring Disclosure linked here.