Job Purpose:

Directs division customer care, order services and field operations functions including warranty administration, freight and technical services. The customer care team provides technical service and expertise including field service to dealers and growers. Helps continuously improve all aspects of customer care by implementing state-of-the-art technology, systems and business practices.

Job Duties & Responsibilities:

• Create and implement a vision for the customer care department, including technical support, warranty administration and dealer/grower support.

• Direct the development, implementation and administration of short and long-term department goals, policies, strategies and budgets.

• Develop and deploy reporting metrics for customer responsiveness.

• Support deployment of new service offerings, including pre-paid preventive maintenance contracts by developing the service infrastructure to ensure proper costing, processes and contract management practices.

• Review and improve current warranty administration policies and procedures, including simplified methods of customer interaction and reporting.

• Elevate existing technical support activity to world class levels by deploying call management processes, metrics and customer support methodologies.

• Develop and institutionalize cost reduced, customer solutions, including case based reasoning tools and artificial intelligence approaches.

Manage overall customer care function including:

• Call center operations, both technical and non-technical

• Technical training and education

• Service communications to distributors and dealers

• Warranty claims and contract administration

• Vendor recovery

• Domestic field service operations as needed.

• Develop corporate policies for division customer care issues that affect the company.

• Establish performance metrics and continuously improve operations.

• Lead product recall activities.

• Serve on product safety and development committee.

• Provide support for divisional activities including field demonstrations, sales meetings and trade shows.

• Monitor the analysis of product performance and reports results to engineering, sales, quality, marketing, test, manufacturing and product reliability council meetings.

• Ensure communication with vendors to assist the purchasing department in the negotiation and definition of vendor responsibilities for field failures.

• Other duties as assigned.

Job Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in a business or technical field. MBA preferred, although not required.

• A minimum of 8 years of cross-functional, broad-based business experience in a manufacturing, customer service oriented industry. Work history should include experience with various aspects of customer service functions including warranty administration, technical support, field service, service management, customer satisfaction measurements, participation in new product development process and implementation of customer service systems/technologies.

• Excellent interpersonal and communications skills are required to lead and manage the customer care function and to interact effectively with internal and external customers including corporate management, new product development teams, distributors, and end users.

• Strong PC skills are required to analyze and assess effectiveness of existing systems and to recommend and implement new systems and technologies to improve overall service and efficiencies.

• Bi-lingual/Spanish Speaking preferred

We are proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer and consider qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity, and sexual orientation), parental status, national origin, age, disability, genetic information (including family medical history), political affiliation, military service, or other non-merit based factors. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.