Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Lead Row Field Support

🎯 Role Definition

The Lead Row Field Support is a senior, hands-on leadership role that serves as the backbone of our field operations and the trusted technical face of our company to our valued customers. This position is a unique blend of technical expertise, team mentorship, and strategic customer relationship management. The Lead is responsible for not only resolving the most complex technical challenges with our precision agriculture systems but also for guiding and developing a team of field support specialists. You will be the primary escalation point for your team, the key technical advisor for our largest accounts, and a critical link between our customers in the field and our internal engineering and product teams. This role is perfect for a seasoned field technician who is ready to take the next step into leadership, shaping the quality of our service and directly impacting customer loyalty and success.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Senior Field Support Technician / Specialist
Precision Agriculture Specialist
Experienced Agronomist with a strong technology focus

Advancement To:

Regional Field Service Manager
Customer Success Manager
Technical Operations Manager

Lateral Moves:

Technical Account Manager
Senior Product Trainer or Implementation Specialist

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Lead, mentor, and develop a regional team of Field Support Technicians, providing ongoing coaching, technical guidance, and performance feedback to cultivate a highly skilled and motivated team.
Serve as the primary point of technical escalation for the team, personally tackling the most complex diagnostic and troubleshooting challenges for our precision hardware, software, and integrated systems.
Manage and coordinate the team's daily and weekly schedules for on-site installations, calibrations, maintenance visits, and emergency repairs to ensure optimal resource allocation and timely customer service.
Develop and nurture strong, long-term relationships with key growers, enterprise accounts, and channel partners, acting as their primary technical advisor and ensuring their long-term success with our technology.
Oversee the end-to-end process of new product deployments and software updates within the territory, ensuring smooth customer transitions and high rates of feature adoption.
Design and deliver advanced-level training sessions for both customers and junior team members on the operation, maintenance, and optimization of our technology suite.
Proactively analyze equipment performance data, service tickets, and field reports to identify recurring issues, systemic trends, and opportunities for product or process improvements.
Act as the "voice of the customer" by collaborating directly with Engineering and Product Management teams, providing structured, detailed feedback from the field to influence future product design and reliability.
Ensure all field support activities, customer interactions, and issue resolutions are meticulously documented in the company's CRM and service ticketing systems for tracking and analysis.
Uphold and enforce all safety protocols, company policies, and quality standards during on-site operations, setting a high standard for the entire team.
Develop and implement standardized best practices, troubleshooting guides, and service protocols for the field support team to improve efficiency, consistency, and service quality.
Take command of critical customer escalations, managing all communications and coordinating cross-functional resources to drive swift and effective resolutions that rebuild customer confidence.
Support the regional sales team by providing in-depth technical expertise during pre-sales demonstrations and complex consultations to showcase product value and technical feasibility.
Manage the regional team's inventory of spare parts, diagnostic tools, and specialized equipment, ensuring operational readiness for all planned and unplanned service calls.
Generate and present regular, insightful reports to management on team performance, key service metrics (like first-call resolution and response time), customer satisfaction scores, and notable field activity trends.
Travel extensively throughout the assigned region to provide direct support to the team, meet with key clients, and perform hands-on technical work during peak agricultural seasons.

Secondary Functions

Represent the company with professionalism and expertise at industry trade shows, field days, and customer appreciation events, conducting product demonstrations and networking with industry professionals.
Participate in pilot programs by testing new hardware and pre-release software versions in real-world field conditions, providing critical validation and feedback to R&D.
Contribute to the creation, review, and refinement of technical documentation, internal knowledge base articles, and customer-facing training materials.
Analyze field-generated data to assist customers in making more informed agronomic decisions and help them quantify the return on investment (ROI) of our technology.
Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory data analysis.
Contribute to the organization's data strategy and roadmap.
Collaborate with business units to translate data needs into engineering requirements.
Participate in sprint planning and agile ceremonies within the data engineering team.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Expert-level proficiency in diagnosing and repairing complex mechanical, electrical, and hydraulic systems found on modern agricultural machinery.
Deep, hands-on knowledge of GPS/GNSS technology, autosteer systems, ISOBUS, variable rate application controllers, and other core precision agriculture hardware.
High proficiency with Farm Management Information Systems (FMIS) and GIS software (e.g., AgLeader SMS, Trimble Business Center, ArcGIS, QGIS) for data analysis and prescription mapping.
Strong diagnostic capabilities using specialized tools such as CAN bus analyzers, digital multimeters, oscilloscopes, and proprietary software diagnostic toolkits.
Solid experience with IT fundamentals, including network troubleshooting (Wi-Fi, cellular), remote desktop support tools, and managing service tickets in CRM systems (e.g., Salesforce Service Cloud, Zendesk).
Proven ability to read and interpret complex electrical schematics, hydraulic diagrams, and technical service manuals.
Familiarity with data formats (e.g., shapefiles, ISO-XML) common in the agriculture industry and experience managing large datasets.

Soft Skills

Exceptional leadership and mentoring skills, with a clear passion for helping others grow their technical and professional abilities.
Outstanding interpersonal and communication skills, with a unique ability to explain highly technical concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences with patience and clarity.
A profound customer-first mindset, demonstrating empathy, patience, and a relentless drive to ensure customer success and satisfaction.
Advanced analytical and problem-solving abilities, capable of methodical troubleshooting under pressure in challenging field environments.
Excellent organizational and time-management skills, with a proven ability to prioritize tasks, manage a demanding travel schedule, and operate autonomously.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Associate's Degree or a technical diploma/certification in a relevant discipline. Significant, directly related experience can be considered in lieu of a degree.

Preferred Education:

Bachelor's Degree

Relevant Fields of Study:

Agricultural Systems Technology or Management
Precision Agriculture
Agronomy
Mechanical or Electrical Engineering Technology

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

A minimum of 5-8 years of progressive experience in a hands-on field service, technical support, or precision agriculture specialist role.

Preferred:

We strongly prefer candidates with at least 2 years of experience in a formal or informal leadership capacity, such as a senior technician, team lead, project lead, or field trainer.