Robotics 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.

About the Fleet Operations Team:

The Fleet Operations team is responsible for delivering uptime, performance, and insight across Formic's nationwide fleet of robotic systems. This team is deeply technical and customer-facing—at the intersection of automation engineering, field service, and business impact.

The Robotics Field Service Engineer (FSE) plays a critical role in this mission. You will diagnose issues, perform maintenance, monitor systems, and interact with customers to ensure optimal performance. You’ll work hands-on with equipment from OEMs like Fanuc, Yaskawa, ABB, Universal Robots, and others across food, packaging, CPG, and logistics environments.

What You’ll Do:

Field Service and Support

• Perform preventative, corrective, and predictive maintenance for robotic manufacturing cells
• Respond to alarms or escalations (remote or on-site), diagnosing and resolving issues in accordance with customer ASA (agreed service agreements)
• Provide on-site production support and informal training to operators and technicians
• Use CMMS tools (e.g. MaintainX) to log and track all field activity, asset status, and spare parts needs
• Coordinate self, vendors, and partners for in-field support—including scheduling and customer alignment
• Maintain a clean, safe work environment and ensure compliance with OSHA and Formic safety standards

Monitoring, Documentation, and Insights

• Monitor system performance remotely via Formic dashboards (e.g., Grafana)
• Generate detailed service reports including issue, RCA (root cause analysis), resolution, and follow-ups
• Feed real-world system and customer insights back into Continuous Improvement and Customer Success teams
• Help identify systemic issues and opportunities to drive fleet-wide maintenance reductions

Customer Interaction & Relationship Building

• Build trusted, professional relationships with plant managers, operators, and technicians
• Document and escalate feedback from the field to internal stakeholders for commercial or product consideration
• Support site onboarding by identifying key champions and mapping decision-makers
• Represent Formic’s mission and values while on-site with a customer-first, solution-oriented mindset

Team Participation & Self-Development

• Collaborate in RCA sessions, site audits, and Continuous Improvement initiatives
• Train and mentor junior field technicians as needed
• Continuously improve technical knowledge (robotics, controls, networking, pneumatics, packaging equipment)
• Maintain required safety, Lockout / Tagout (LOTO), and forklift certifications
• Contribute to internal documentation, shared playbooks, and field service SOPs

What Makes You a Great Fit:

Required:

• 3+ years of hands-on field service experience working on robotic or automation equipment
• Practical troubleshooting skills across electrical, mechanical, and PLC/robotic control systems
• Experience reading electrical schematics, wiring diagrams, and pneumatic drawings
• Strong familiarity with safety protocols, especially LOTO, and adherence to GMP or industrial SOPs
• Experience using CMMS tools (MaintainX, UpKeep, FIIX, etc.) to track, schedule, and report maintenance
• Comfortable with local area travel up to 80%, (Formic will provide mileage reimbursement for travel in your personal vehicle)
• Overnight travel up to 50% (travel and meal expenses covered by Formic)
• Clear communicator across email, phone, and on-site conversations—able to write effective service reports

Preferred / Bonus Points:

• Experience with some 6-axis robot brands (e.g. Fanuc, Kuka, Yaskawa, ABB, Universal Robots)
• Familiarity with robot palletizing, case packing, pick-and-place, and conveyor systems
• Background in high-speed manufacturing (food, beverage, packaging, CPG)
• Comfort operating in customer-facing or account-support roles
• Bilingual (English/Spanish) a strong plus

Success in this role looks like:

• High autonomy and ability to resolve issues without extensive supervision
• Clean and timely documentation of all service work
• Frequent collaboration with Customer Success, Continuous Improvement, and Engineering teams
• Contribution to reducing overall fleet downtime and improving system uptime and customer satisfaction metrics
• Trusted by customers as a reliable technical partner and representative of Formic’s mission

This role is ideal for field engineers who are mechanically sharp, detail-oriented, calm under pressure, and passionate about the future of American manufacturing. If you’re looking to be part of a fast-paced, mission-driven company at the leading edge of automation—this is your chance.

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

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.