Life at Formic revolves around our Solutions Engineering Team - a dynamic group dedicated to uncovering and solving customers’ production challenges. This team delves deep into understanding how proposed robotic solutions will integrate seamlessly with a customer’s environment and operational processes, ensuring the desired productivity gains are achieved. In close collaboration with Sales, the Solutions Engineering Team identifies key value drivers for each customer and designs comprehensive, fully managed solutions. Their expertise is vital to Formic’s mission of delivering enhanced efficiency, reliability, and safety while achieving cost savings and a positive ROI from Day 1. Beyond implementation, this team also plays a pivotal role in educating customers about critical considerations they may have overlooked - factors that can significantly influence their satisfaction and success with robotic solutions. Their work ensures that every deployment not only meets but exceeds expectations.

As the Head of Solutions at Formic, you will lead a team of Solutions Engineers in identifying and addressing the challenges prospective customers face on their production lines. Leveraging Formic’s product offerings, you’ll develop tailored solutions that effectively meet those needs This role requires an owner/operator mindset as you evaluate potential solutions, oversee your team’s project pipelines, balance workloads, and continuously improve processes and workflows. You’ll work closely with Formic’s Product Team and partners to scope and quote applications, ensuring seamless coordination of internal activities to deliver polished, customer-ready proposals and contracts to the sales team. Your primary responsibility will be to guide your team in delivering high-quality results - focusing on technical viability, adherence to standards, cost efficiency, and meeting turnaround time goals. This is a pivotal leadership role at the intersection of technical innovation and customer success.

As our Head of Solutions, you will: 

• Allocate incoming requests for scoping, customer site support, proposal creation, and contract drafting based on team members’ experience, workload, and geography
• Provide coaching and guidance on solution development for end-of-line packaging applications, available tools/resources, and professional growth opportunities
• Prepare and enable Solutions Engineers to establish credibility with customers as trusted technical and production experts
• Ensure consistent, high-quality output from the team while adhering to standard operating procedures
• Collaborate with Formic’s Product Team to identify and address product gaps and streamline quoting processes
• Work with Product, Deployment, and Production Optimization Teams to secure technical resources during peak demand
• Support collaboration between Solutions Engineers and the Sales Team to deploy the most suitable Standard Automation Products for customer challenges
• Oversee the seamless handoff of closed-won opportunities to the Deployment Team
• Collaborate with Sales, Sales Operations, Product, and Finance & Legal Teams to align tools and processes across departments
• Act as the first point of escalation for decisions on whether to proceed with specific opportunities
• Escalate technical or application support needs to the Product Team when required
• Recruit, onboard, and train new hires to ensure rapid proficiency and productivity
• Maintain and develop tools to capture knowledge, automate decision-making, and enhance the quality and efficiency of the Solutions Team
• Recommend procedural, design, or equipment changes where necessary
• Use customer insights and feedback to identify gaps in Formic’s technical, operational, and commercial offerings
• Communicate findings and recommendations to the leaders of other departuments, such as Sales, Product, and Deployment
• Visit customer sites as needed

What makes you a great fit:

• 3+ years of production or operational management experience in CPG, food production, manufacturing, or packing/packaging environments
• 3+ years of responsibility overseeing end-of-line packing and packaging activities
• 5+ years of experience in solutions selling to SMBs in packing, production, or manufacturing operations
• 3+ years of team leadership experience in solutions selling
• Technical or engineering degree relevant to manufacturing/packaging automation
• Familiarity with end-of-line packaging factory automation, preferably palletizing and/or case packing
• Firm understanding of the production and operational impacts of deploying turnkey automation systems
• Familiarity with various robotic automation applications and solutions for packing and packaging
• Experience with CAD drafting and 3D modeling is preferred
• Ability to organize, track, and manage deliverables across multiple concurrent projects
• Excellent problem-solving and critical thinking skills
• Superior written and verbal communication skills
• Outstanding interpersonal skills and ability to collaborate cross-functionally
• Proficiency in Microsoft or Google Workspace office products
• Ability to travel up to 25% #LI-MB1