Principal Field Service Engineer – Austin Texas Location Who We Are PulseForge develops and delivers advanced process equipment and material solutions for electronics manufacturing and semiconductor packaging. Our proprietary high-intensity flashlamp technology enables innovative manufacturing processes, including photonic debonding, photonic soldering, and other advanced thermal processing applications. Our technologies and products support leading semiconductor manufacturers, advanced packaging companies, electronics manufacturers, and process equipment integrators worldwide. As our customer base and installed equipment footprint continue to expand, we are strengthening our engineering and service capabilities to ensure reliable equipment performance, rapid technical support, and continued customer success. About the Role PulseForge is seeking a highly experienced, hands-on Principal Field Service Engineer to take ownership of field service activities, equipment installations, troubleshooting, and ongoing technical support for our growing global installed base. This role is for someone who enjoys solving complex equipment challenges, working directly with customers and partners, and taking responsibility for equipment performance and reliability. Unlike a traditional service management position, this role requires someone who is willing and capable of working directly on equipment, diagnosing problems, implementing solutions, and supporting customers in the field. The successful candidate will initially serve as PulseForge's primary field service technical lead in the United States while coordinating with engineering teams, international service resources, equipment integrators, and strategic customers globally. Beyond addressing immediate service needs, this individual will help establish the processes, documentation, service infrastructure, and technical standards necessary to support a growing global service organization.
Key Responsibilities
- Equipment Installation, Commissioning, and Field Service
- Lead and execute equipment installations, commissioning, qualification support, preventive maintenance, and repair activities at customer facilities.
- Develop a thorough understanding of PulseForge equipment, including system architecture, operating principles, assembly, calibration, and critical components.
- Independently troubleshoot and resolve complex mechanical, electrical, optical, thermal, cooling, control, and software-related equipment issues.
- Perform systematic root-cause analysis and implement effective corrective actions to restore equipment performance and minimize downtime.
- Support equipment upgrades, retrofits, component replacements, and field modifications in coordination with Engineering.
- Provide hands-on technical support during critical customer installations, production ramp-ups, and equipment qualification activities.
- Ensure equipment operates safely, reliably, and in accordance with established performance specifications.
- Customer Support, Equipment Uptime, and Technical Ownership
- Serve as the primary technical service contact for PulseForge equipment installed in the United States.
- Take end-to-end ownership of customer service issues, from initial response and diagnosis through resolution, verification, and closure.
- Prioritize equipment availability, uptime, and rapid recovery, particularly for strategic semiconductor and electronics manufacturing customers.
- Establish clear service response and escalation procedures, including after-hours support arrangements for critical customer production issues.
- Communicate proactively with customers and internal stakeholders regarding technical issues, corrective actions, and expected resolution timelines.
- Build strong working relationships with customer engineering, maintenance, and manufacturing teams.
- Identify recurring equipment issues and implement corrective and preventive actions that improve long-term reliability.
- Maintain a strong sense of urgency, accountability, and ownership in addressing customer needs.
- Global Service Coordination and Equipment Integrator Support
- Coordinate field service activities with PulseForge's international technical resources, regional representatives, and equipment integration partners.
- Work closely with equipment integrators and OEM partners to establish clear responsibilities for installation, warranty support, troubleshooting, spare parts, and technical escalation.
- Support service activities involving strategic semiconductor customers and equipment integration partners across the United States and Asia.
- Serve as a technical escalation resource for complex equipment issues that cannot be resolved by regional or first-line service personnel.
- Establish effective communication and information-sharing practices between PulseForge executives, its integration partners, and end customers.
- Support equipment integrators in maintaining customer tool performance while ensuring PulseForge's technical responsibilities are clearly understood and fulfilled.
- Participate in international technical reviews, service planning, and customer support activities as required.
- Engineering Interface and Continuous Improvement
- Work closely with PulseForge's Mechanical, Electrical, Optical, Controls, Software, and Applications Engineering teams to resolve complex equipment issues.
- Own field issue diagnosis, resolution, and closure, escalating to Engineering when problems exceed field service capabilities.
- Provide Engineering with complete and actionable troubleshooting information, including equipment logs, measurements, photographs, operating conditions, and preliminary root-cause assessments.
- Identify design weaknesses, component reliability concerns, serviceability limitations, and recurring failure modes observed in the field.
- Translate field experience into practical recommendations for improving equipment design, reliability, maintainability, and service accessibility.
- Ensure equipment hardware, firmware, software, and configuration changes are documented and implemented through established engineering change-control procedures.
- Collaborate with Engineering to develop troubleshooting procedures, preventive maintenance schedules, service bulletins, and equipment upgrade plans.
- Support new equipment development by providing feedback on serviceability, diagnostics, component accessibility, and field readiness.
- Service Infrastructure, Documentation, and Process Development
- Help establish and continuously improve PulseForge's field service processes, standards, and operating procedures.
- Develop service manuals, troubleshooting guides, preventive maintenance checklists, installation procedures, and technical training materials.
- Maintain accurate equipment service histories, configuration records, corrective actions, and customer communications within PulseForge's Odoo ERP system.
- Ensure service activities are documented completely and closed only after corrective actions, verification results, and equipment configuration records have been updated.
- Develop and maintain an installed-base equipment register, including system configurations, maintenance requirements, service histories, and critical spare parts.
- Support the development of spare parts strategies, service kits, and inventory requirements to minimize equipment downtime.
- Identify opportunities to use remote diagnostics, automation, AI-assisted troubleshooting, and digital tools to improve service responsiveness and operational efficiency.
- Establish scalable practices that enable future field service engineers and regional partners to deliver consistent, high-quality support.
Travel: Up to 40% domestic and international travel, including customer/partner site visits, equipment installations, commissioning, troubleshooting, maintenance, and technical support activities. Required Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechatronics, Engineering Technology, or a related technical discipline, or equivalent relevant experience.
- Typically 5+ years of experience in field service, equipment engineering, systems integration, equipment maintenance, or a related technical role involving complex industrial equipment.
- Demonstrated ability to independently diagnose and resolve complex equipment problems involving multiple engineering disciplines.
- Strong working knowledge of electrical systems, mechanical assemblies, cooling systems, sensors, controls, and industrial equipment diagnostics.
- Experience installing, commissioning, troubleshooting, and maintaining sophisticated equipment in customer or production environments.
- Proven ability to conduct structured root-cause analysis and implement practical, effective corrective actions.
- Strong technical documentation skills, including the ability to prepare service reports, troubleshooting procedures, and corrective-action documentation.
- Excellent communication skills and the ability to interact professionally with customers, engineers, equipment integrators, and PulseForge management.
- Ability to manage multiple service priorities independently and respond effectively to urgent customer needs.
- Willingness to travel upto 40% domestically and internationally and provide hands-on field support as required.
- Demonstrated commitment to safe working practices, including electrical safety and lockout/tagout procedures.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience supporting semiconductor manufacturing, advanced packaging, electronics assembly, or industrial process equipment.
- Experience with pulsed-light, flashlamp, laser, optical, thermal processing, or other high-energy equipment is a plus.
- Experience with semiconductor equipment installation, electronics manufacturing systems installation factory acceptance testing (FAT), site acceptance testing (SAT), and customer qualification.
- Familiarity with PLCs, motion control, industrial communication protocols, embedded controls, and equipment diagnostics.
- Experience working with international OEMs, equipment integrators, contract service providers, or distributed technical support teams.
- Familiarity with ERP or service management systems such as Odoo.
- Experience developing service procedures, maintenance programs, spare parts strategies, or technical training programs.
Salary range: $60,000 - $182,000; commensurate on experience
