Service Manager – Laboratory Equipment / Life Science Instrumentation
Location: Oxfordshire, Berkshire, Surrey, or Hampshire counties
Job Type: Full-time, Permanent
About the Company
Our client is a global manufacturer of innovative small laboratory bench equipment and instrumentation, supplying the medical diagnostics, pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and food industries. They are a market leader known for high-quality equipment and strong customer support and are looking to strengthen their UK Service function with an experienced Service Manager.
The Role
This is a hands-on leadership role responsible for the UK field service and technical support function. You will manage a team of Service and Field Service Engineers, oversee service delivery across customer sites nationally, and act as the key point of escalation for technical and operational service issues. You'll play a central role in shaping service processes, driving customer satisfaction, and ensuring the team meets performance and compliance targets.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead, coach, and manage a team of Service and Field Service Engineers covering the UK, ensuring efficient scheduling and coverage of customer sites
- Oversee installation, preventive maintenance, calibration, troubleshooting, and repair of laboratory equipment
- Own service KPIs (response times, first-time-fix rate, customer satisfaction) and report performance to senior management
- Manage service contracts, warranty claims, and spare parts logistics/inventory
- Act as the escalation point for complex technical issues, working closely with global technical support and product teams
- Ensure compliance with health & safety, quality standards, and regulatory requirements relevant to laboratory/medical device servicing
- Recruit, train, and develop engineers; conduct performance reviews and identify training needs
- Support the sales team with technical input on service contracts, tenders, and customer visits
- Drive continuous improvement of service processes, documentation, and use of CRM/ERP systems
- Build strong relationships with key accounts, ensuring high levels of customer satisfaction and retention
What We're Looking For
- Proven experience managing a field service or technical service team, ideally within life sciences, laboratory equipment, medical devices, or a related technical/engineering environment
- Strong technical background in equipment repair, maintenance, or field service (mechanical, electrical, and/or software systems)
- Experience managing service KPIs, contracts, and budgets
- Excellent leadership and people management skills, with a track record of developing engineering teams
- Strong customer-facing communication skills and commercial awareness
- Proficiency with CRM/ERP systems (e.g. Salesforce, SAP) and Microsoft Office
- Full UK driving licence and willingness to travel regularly across the UK, with occasional international travel
- Degree or equivalent qualification in a relevant scientific, engineering, or technical discipline is desirable