Associate Director, Service & Support

Role Summary

Associate Director, Service & Support at Nautilus. Oversees post-commercialization support for instruments, assays, and software, ensuring customers receive technical, scientific, and service assistance. Responsible for establishing and improving the product support program for the platform instrument, starting with in-house support at the San Carlos office. Collaboration with Systems Integration, Engineering, and Software teams to gain expertise in the Proteomic Analysis System. Prior experience with optics, fluidics, mechanics, or computing is desirable. Based in San Carlos, CA.

Responsibilities

• Leadership & Strategy: Support the formulation and implementation of a global product support strategy, in partnership with senior leaders. Lead technical support, field service, and customer experience teams; align with departmental goals. Collaborate with R&D, Quality, Regulatory, and Commercial departments to enhance customer satisfaction and drive product performance improvements. Define and monitor KPIs and metrics to assess service quality, response times, and resolution effectiveness.
• Customer & Technical Support: Direct technical support teams in managing customer inquiries, troubleshooting, and issue escalation processes. Develop and maintain thorough documentation and knowledge bases for internal stakeholders and customers. Establish clear escalation protocols for critical or high-impact incidents.
• Field Service Management: Oversee field service operations, including installation, maintenance, and repair of instruments or automation systems. Promote improvements in first-time fix rates, system uptime, and preventive maintenance initiatives.
• Product Lifecycle Support: Collaborate with Product Management and R&D to integrate customer feedback into product design and enhancement efforts. Supervise post-market surveillance, manage complaint handling, and facilitate root cause analyses. Prepare service teams for new product launches through training, documentation, and spare parts planning.
• Team Development: Recruit, mentor, and develop high-performing support and service personnel. Cultivate a culture of accountability, innovation, and strong customer advocacy within the team.
• Financial Management: Manage departmental budgets for staffing, inventory, and logistics. Contribute to developing and implementing service revenue models, such as contracts, extended warranties, and training programs.

Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor’s or Master’s in Biological Sciences, Biomedical Engineering, or related field; MBA preferred.
• Experience: 5–7 years of management experience in product support or operations in life sciences/diagnostics, including experience leading multiple teams or subordinate managers.
• Experience with complex biotech or diagnostic instrumentation/software required.
• Knowledge of ISO 13485, FDA QSR, and GxP necessary.
• Strong cross-functional communication and customer focus.
• Willingness to travel up to 30%.

Skills

• Leadership and people management
• Technical support and field service operations
• Customer relationship management
• Product lifecycle and post-market surveillance
• Process improvement and KPI development
• Documentation and knowledge management

Education

• As listed in Qualifications

Additional Requirements

• Travel up to 30% as needed