The Senior Director of Service Engineering will lead the end-to-end service supply chain strategy and execution, ensuring the availability, reliability, and cost-effectiveness of Field Replaceable Units (FRUs) to support product lifecycle and data center operations. This role is responsible for defining FRU strategy, forecasting failure rates, securing financial alignment, and driving global service logistics—from product launch readiness through reverse logistics and repair.
Internal Responsibilities
Key Responsibilities
FRU Strategy & Planning
Define and maintain the global strategy for Field Replaceable Units (FRUs) across all products.
Establish criteria for what constitutes a FRU based on serviceability, cost, and operational impact.
Partner with engineering, manufacturing, and product teams to align FRU design and serviceability requirements.
Failure Rate Forecasting & Analytics
Develop and validate expected failure rates for all FRUs using historical data, reliability models, and engineering inputs.
Continuously monitor in-field performance and compare actual failure rates against forecasts.
Drive corrective actions when variances occur, collaborating with quality, engineering, and operations teams.
Financial Planning & Approval
Build business cases and secure financial approval for FRU positioning strategies, including inventory levels and geographic distribution.
Optimize total cost of ownership, balancing service levels with inventory and logistics costs.
Partner with finance to manage budgets related to service inventory, repair, and logistics.
Supply Chain Execution & Product Launch
Lead the service supply chain readiness for new product launches, ensuring FRUs are properly planned, stocked, and positioned globally.
Drive cross-functional coordination to ensure timely availability of service parts at launch.
Establish and manage service-level agreements (SLAs) for part availability and response times.
Global Inventory & Logistics Management
Ensure optimal positioning of FRUs across global field locations and data centers.
Oversee inventory health, including excess, obsolescence, and replenishment strategies.
Lead logistics planning for forward deployment and redistribution of service parts.
Reverse Logistics & Repair Operations
Manage the end-to-end returns process from field to factory, including triage, tracking, and disposition.
Oversee repair operations, ensuring timely refurbishment and redeployment of units.
Drive continuous improvement in repair turnaround time, yield, and cost efficiency.
Performance Monitoring & Continuous Improvement
Establish KPIs and dashboards to monitor service supply chain performance, including fill rates, turnaround times, and cost metrics.
Lead initiatives to improve reliability, reduce failure rates, and enhance service efficiency.
Implement best practices in service supply chain management, leveraging automation and data analytics.
Leadership & Cross-Functional Collaboration
Build and lead a high-performing team across service planning, logistics, and repair operations.
Collaborate closely with engineering, manufacturing, quality, finance, and data center operations teams.
Influence executive stakeholders and drive alignment on service strategy and investments.
Qualifications
Required:
- Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Engineering, Operations, or related field (MBA or advanced degree preferred).
- 12+ years of experience in supply chain, service operations, or hardware lifecycle management.
- Proven leadership experience managing global teams and complex operations.
- Strong expertise in service supply chain, including spare parts planning, reverse logistics, and repair operations.
- Experience with reliability engineering concepts and failure rate modeling.
- Demonstrated ability to build financial business cases and manage budgets.
Preferred:
- Experience supporting data center or high-availability hardware environments.
- Familiarity with FRU design, serviceability engineering, and product lifecycle management.
- Strong analytical skills with experience using data to drive decision-making.
- Experience with ERP systems and service logistics platforms.
Work Environment & Travel
- Combination of office, lab, and manufacturing environments.
- Travel required (~25%) depending on product lifecycle and location
External Responsibilities
Key Responsibilities
FRU Strategy & Planning
Define and maintain the global strategy for Field Replaceable Units (FRUs) across all products.
Establish criteria for what constitutes a FRU based on serviceability, cost, and operational impact.
Partner with engineering, manufacturing, and product teams to align FRU design and serviceability requirements.
Failure Rate Forecasting & Analytics
Develop and validate expected failure rates for all FRUs using historical data, reliability models, and engineering inputs.
Continuously monitor in-field performance and compare actual failure rates against forecasts.
Drive corrective actions when variances occur, collaborating with quality, engineering, and operations teams.
Financial Planning & Approval
Build business cases and secure financial approval for FRU positioning strategies, including inventory levels and geographic distribution.
Optimize total cost of ownership, balancing service levels with inventory and logistics costs.
Partner with finance to manage budgets related to service inventory, repair, and logistics.
Supply Chain Execution & Product Launch
Lead the service supply chain readiness for new product launches, ensuring FRUs are properly planned, stocked, and positioned globally.
Drive cross-functional coordination to ensure timely availability of service parts at launch.
Establish and manage service-level agreements (SLAs) for part availability and response times.
Global Inventory & Logistics Management
Ensure optimal positioning of FRUs across global field locations and data centers.
Oversee inventory health, including excess, obsolescence, and replenishment strategies.
Lead logistics planning for forward deployment and redistribution of service parts.
Reverse Logistics & Repair Operations
Manage the end-to-end returns process from field to factory, including triage, tracking, and disposition.
Oversee repair operations, ensuring timely refurbishment and redeployment of units.
Drive continuous improvement in repair turnaround time, yield, and cost efficiency.
Performance Monitoring & Continuous Improvement
Establish KPIs and dashboards to monitor service supply chain performance, including fill rates, turnaround times, and cost metrics.
Lead initiatives to improve reliability, reduce failure rates, and enhance service efficiency.
Implement best practices in service supply chain management, leveraging automation and data analytics.
Leadership & Cross-Functional Collaboration
Build and lead a high-performing team across service planning, logistics, and repair operations.
Collaborate closely with engineering, manufacturing, quality, finance, and data center operations teams.
Influence executive stakeholders and drive alignment on service strategy and investments.
Qualifications
Required:
- Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Engineering, Operations, or related field (MBA or advanced degree preferred).
- 12+ years of experience in supply chain, service operations, or hardware lifecycle management.
- Proven leadership experience managing global teams and complex operations.
- Strong expertise in service supply chain, including spare parts planning, reverse logistics, and repair operations.
- Experience with reliability engineering concepts and failure rate modeling.
- Demonstrated ability to build financial business cases and manage budgets.
Preferred:
- Experience supporting data center or high-availability hardware environments.
- Familiarity with FRU design, serviceability engineering, and product lifecycle management.
- Strong analytical skills with experience using data to drive decision-making.
- Experience with ERP systems and service logistics platforms.
Work Environment & Travel
- Combination of office, lab, and manufacturing environments.
- Travel required (~25%) depending on product lifecycle and location
