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Formic

Robotics Field Service Engineer

Formic, Chicago, Illinois, United States, 60290

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Robotics Field Service Engineer

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Who We Are At Formic, we’re on a mission to revolutionize American manufacturing and create more abundance in the world. We believe in continuing the American legacy of innovation by making automation accessible to all manufacturers and increasing their factory productivity by 10x. Built upon deep expertise in robotics and manufacturing, our unique full-service automation solutions combine the best automation technology, software, and analysis tools for manufacturers with best-in-class uptime, support, and maintenance services. We are creating a new era of supercharged efficiency and competitiveness for U.S. manufacturers.

As the world faces growing pressure from tariffs, rising costs, and labor shortages, Formic is uniquely positioned as the industry-leading solution to overcome these challenges. Fueled by our vision for a re‑industrialized domestic supply chain, everything we do is aimed at growing “Made in America” products. And we’re growing fast – achieving 7x growth in production hours YoY. With investments totaling over $60 million, we are backed by Lux Capital, Initialized Capital, Blackhorn Ventures, Mitsubishi HC Capital NA, and CEOs and founders of multiple Fortune 50 companies.

The

Production Optimization

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.

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 and Relationship Building

Build trusted, professional relationships with plant managers, operators, and technicians

Document and escape 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 and 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

Located in, or willing to relocate to, the Chicago, IL area and report to our Woodridge, IL office

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

Our Total Rewards

Equity in Formic: Own a meaningful stake in a fast‑growing Series A startup, backed by leading global investors

Comprehensive Healthcare Coverage: 99% covered Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance plans, with 75% coverage for dependents, provided by Blue Cross Blue Shield and Guardian

Additional Fully Covered Insurance Benefits: FSA & DCFSA, Life Insurance, Short‑Term Disability, and Long‑Term Disability through Guardian, all 100% employer‑paid

Employee Assistance Program (EAP): Fully funded by Formic and provided via Guardian, offering support when you need it most

Paid Parental Leave: Generous parental leave to support our employees and their growing families

Company‑sponsored 401(k): Invest in your future with our company‑backed retirement savings plan

Home Office Stipend: A one‑time allowance for fully remote employees to set up your ideal at‑home or on the road work environment

Monthly Cell‑Phone Reimbursement: Monthly stipend toward phone and internet expenses

Flexible Time‑Off: Take the time you need, when you need it, supported by our flexible PTO policy

Paid Company Holidays: Celebrate important dates with paid time off

Compensation Philosophy Formic’s compensation packages – including salaries and equity – are thoughtfully benchmarked against peer companies at a similar growth stage. Equity represents a critical part of our mutual investment: when Formic succeeds, so do you. Final compensation packages are carefully customized based on candidate preference for cash and equity balance, experience, geographic location, and market considerations. Our goal is to attract and reward top talent who will significantly impact our organization.

Base Salary Range $70,000—$120,000 USD

What we look for

Fearless Optimism: You share our ambitious vision of what we can accomplish. You’re aware of the challenges we will face as a startup doing new things in an old space, but you’re energized by the incredible opportunity we have to drive change for our customers, and for the manufacturing industry at large.

Factories First: You have a strong customer focus, no matter who your customer is. You seek to make things easier and better for our customers, even if it makes your job a little harder.

Today, Not Tomorrow: There are always plenty of projects to tackle in a startup, but you prioritize, take accountability for work, and have a bias toward action.

Be Right Often: You don’t do things just because that’s how they’ve always been done. You keep looking for ways to improve, seek out feedback along the way, and back your decisions up with data.

Made of Rubber: Just like rubber, when you fall you bounce back up. You know there’s going to be a lot of challenge and change in our work ahead but you are adaptable, resilient, and ready to thrive through it all.

Good Baton Passes: You work with a desire to make things easier and better for your team members. You use empathy to understand the needs and goals of others and support each other so Formic can be successful together.

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.

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