Director of Field Services

Director of Field Services

Lancaster CA

Company Overview RIDE Electric Vehicles is a fast-growing innovator in zero-emission transportation, delivering advanced electric transit buses, school buses, and commercial electric trucks across the United States. Our mission is to accelerate the transition to clean mobility by offering reliable, efficient, and sustainable transportation technology. With a customer-first approach and a commitment to excellence, RIDE is redefining the future of fleet operations through industry-leading service and engineering support.

Position Summary RIDE Electric Vehicles is seeking a Director of Field Service to lead and evolve our Field Service Organization. Field Service is responsible for leading RIDE's technician workforce and field service execution across all five service centers and remote technicians located across the country. This role owns service delivery performance, technician productivity, work order discipline, customer uptime, and field cost control. This role is critical to ensuring customer satisfaction, operational excellence, and continuous improvement. This position will work closely with the Director of Customer Service, who oversees the Parts, Warranty, Training and Customer Service Engineering groups. The Director of Field Services will drive operational excellence, foster customer satisfaction, and align after-sales strategies with the company's mission and growth objectives.

Key Department Responsibilities:

Field Service Operations

• Lead and develop all field service personnel including service center operations, support engineers, and remote field teams
• Own execution of preventive maintenance, corrective repairs, campaigns, and recalls
• Enforce work order discipline ("No WO, No Work") to ensure data integrity and billing accuracy
• Improve first-time fix rate, uptime, and service quality
• Develop and monitor KPIs such as technician utilization, first-time fix rates, mean repair time, etc.
• Ensure timely resolution of customer issues and technical escalations.

Technician & Workforce Management

• Manage Field Service Managers and Service Center leadership
• Drive technician utilization, productivity, and overtime control
• Support recruiting, onboarding, coaching, and performance management

Customer Delivery & Escalations

• Act as escalation point for customer-impacting field issues
• Ensure SLA, contract, and warranty execution in the field

Financial & Cost Accountability

• Own field service labor, travel, tools, and outsourced repair costs
• Ensure customer quotes are accurate and include appropriate cost/pricing
• Ensure labor is properly captured to billable, warranty, or internal work orders
• Develop and implement policies to maintain robust financial controls and drive continuous improvement in cost management
• Ensure compliance with internal and external warranty standards.

Safety, Compliance & Governance

• Ensure adherence to RIDE safety standards and procedures
• Maintain audit-ready work order, labor, and service documentation
• Assist in developing and ensuring compliance with training programs for service technicians.

Position Responsibilities:

Customer Experience

• Manage department activities to maintain operational efficiency.
• Oversee department operations with a focus on customer service, making sure after-sales interactions meet established standards.
• Introduce metrics and feedback systems to track and enhance customer satisfaction levels.

After-sales Business Development

• Formulate approaches to increase after-sales revenue by offering services Planned Maintenance Programs, maintenance packages, parts, and accessories.
• Assess potential business opportunities that could contribute to customer retention and satisfaction.

Leadership & Strategy

• Lead, mentor, and build a high-performing after-sales team.
• Develop and manage budgets efficiently while maintaining operational quality.
• Align after-sales and customer service strategies with company objectives.
• Drive cross-functional projects to improve customer experience and service efficiency.
• Advocate for customers in product development and quality discussions.
• Promote a results-driven, customer-focused team culture.
• Ensure team compliance with RIDE safety, procedures, and standards.

Financial Management (P&L Responsibility)

• Oversee after-sales revenue, expenses, and warranty claims.
• Review monthly financials and address budget variances.
• Work with Finance and Operations on cost allocation.
• Track warranty recovery and ensure timely documentation.

Reporting & Performance Monitoring

• Set and track after-sales KPIs for all departments, with clear goals and regular reviews.
• Use CRM dashboards and analytics to spot trends and gaps.
• Share performance reports with RIDE leadership, offering insights and process suggestions.
• Recommend ways to improve customer satisfaction, service efficiency, and financial results.
• Gather cross-department feedback to drive continuous improvement and align with company goals.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Automotive Technology, Business, or related field.
• 10+ years of experience in field service leadership preferably in automotive, industrial, or technology sectors.
• Experience leading multi-site technician teams

Core Competencies

• Strong leadership and team-building capabilities.
• Expertise in supply chain management, customer service, and operational efficiency.
• Strategic thinker with the ability to drive business development and revenue growth.
• Strong analytical, communication, and project management skills.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Knowledge of EV technology, charging systems, and industry trends.
• Customer-focused mindset with a passion for sustainability and innovation.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.
• Strong problem-solving and analytical skills.
• Strong operational discipline and KPI-driven management.

Travel

• Travel is required for this position.
• Weekly visits to Lancaster CA, Carson CA, and Pasadena CA
• 25%-50%, possible locations including but not limited to various facilities and customers across the US.

Pay Range

• $170,000 - $200,000 per year

Benefits

Pulled from the full job description

• Professional development assistance
• 401(k)
• Health insurance
• Paid time off
• Vision insurance
• Health savings account
• Dental insurance
• Relocation assistance
• Employee assistance program

Work Type Full-time

Work Location On-site: Lancaster CA or Pasadena CA

Physical Requirements

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this Job, the employee is regularly required to sit; use hands to finger, handle, or feel and talk or hear. The employee is frequently required to reach with hands and arms. The employee is occasionally required to stand; walk and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close, distance, color, peripheral, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus.

RIDE is an Equal Opportunity Employer that does not discriminate on the basis of actual or perceived race, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, gender, gender identity, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical condition, religious creed, physical disability, mental disability, age, medical condition, marital status, veteran status, sexual orientation, genetic information or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law. Our management team is dedicated to this policy with respect to recruitment, hiring, placement, promotion, transfer, training, compensation, benefits, employee activities, and general treatment during employment.