Summary
PerkinElmer helps scientists, researchers, and clinicians address critical challenges across science and healthcare. Our Service Engineers play an essential role in supporting laboratory productivity by ensuring scientific instruments operate safely, reliably, and efficiently.
As a Lab Equipment Service Engineer, you will perform hands-on installation, troubleshooting, repair, and maintenance of laboratory instruments at customer sites. You will work directly with laboratory personnel to diagnose equipment issues, minimize downtime, and keep critical laboratory operations running smoothly.
This role is ideal for a technically minded professional with experience servicing, repairing, or maintaining laboratory instruments, scientific equipment, or other complex electromechanical systems. Success requires strong troubleshooting skills, attention to detail, a customer-focused approach, and the ability to work independently in a field-based environment.
Key Responsibilities
Instrument Service, Repair & Maintenance
- Install, troubleshoot, repair and maintain PerkinElmer and applicable third-party laboratory instruments at customer sites.
- Perform scheduled preventative maintenance and unscheduled corrective repairs to ensure instruments operate safely and meet established performance specifications.
- Diagnose mechanical, electrical, electronic, and instrument performance issues using technical documentation, service manuals, diagnostic tools, and established troubleshooting procedures.
- Perform instrument inspections, calibrations and operational checks as required for supported equipment.
- Respond to customer service requests within established timelines, prioritizing equipment issues to minimize downtime and disruption to laboratory operations.
- Document service activities, troubleshooting findings, repairs, parts usage, and instrument status accurately in service management systems.
- Identify recurring equipment issues and communicate potential product quality concerns through established quality reporting processes.
- Complete required technical training and pursue additional product certifications to expand instrument knowledge and service capabilities.
Customer Support & Technical Communication
- Serve as a primary technical contact for customers during onsite service visits, providing professional, responsive, and effective support.
- Explain equipment issues, recommended repairs, maintenance requirements, and instrument operation in a clear, customer-friendly manner.
- Provide customer familiarization and basic instruction on instrument operation, routine maintenance, and appropriate equipment care.
- Work with laboratory personnel to understand instrument applications, workflows, and operational needs.
- Identify opportunities to improve instrument performance, reduce recurring service issues, and enhance the overall customer experience.
- Communicate service needs, potential equipment upgrades, and relevant support offerings when appropriate.
Field Service Operations & Team Collaboration
- Manage daily service activities, travel schedules, service documentation, and customer commitments across an assigned territory.
- Partner with other Service Engineers, technical support teams, sales representatives, and internal service organizations to resolve complex instrument issues and support customer needs.
- Maintain assigned company assets, including vehicles, tools, test equipment, computers, and service parts inventory.
- Follow established service procedures, safety requirements, warranty guidelines, and service agreement documentation standards.
- Complete administrative responsibilities, including time reporting, service record updates, inventory management, and required training.
- Contribute to service team performance through efficient scheduling, accurate documentation, effective parts utilization, and timely issue resolution.
Basic Qualifications
- Associate degree in Applied Science, Electronics, Engineering Technology, Biology, Chemistry, or a related technical or scientific discipline; relevant military technical training and experience may also be considered.
- Demonstrated hands-on experience troubleshooting, repairing, maintaining, or servicing laboratory instruments, scientific equipment, medical or diagnostic equipment, or comparable technical systems.
- Ability to follow technical procedures, interpret service manuals and technical documentation, and use a structured approach to diagnose and resolve equipment issues.
- Strong mechanical and technical aptitude, problem-solving skills, and attention to detail.
- Ability to travel by vehicle, air, or other means of transportation as required by customer and territory needs.
- Valid driver's license and ability to maintain safe driving practices.
Preferred Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in a scientific, engineering, or technical discipline.
- Two or more years of hands-on laboratory instrumentation, field service, equipment repair, or technical maintenance experience.
- Experience servicing analytical laboratory instruments, particularly high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) or ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) systems.
- Experience with temperature-controlled laboratory equipment, centrifuges, balances, plate washers, or other common laboratory instruments.
- Knowledge of instrument calibration, preventative maintenance, equipment qualification, and performance verification.
- Experience troubleshooting mechanical, electrical, electronic, fluidic, or other instrument subsystems.
- Manufacturer or vendor training or certification on laboratory, scientific, medical, or analytical instrumentation.
- Familiarity with instrument control software, diagnostic software, service management systems, and Microsoft 365 applications.
- Knowledge of laboratory safety practices and the ability to work safely in laboratory environments with potential electrical, chemical, radiological, or biological hazards.
- Strong customer service, communication, organization, and time management skills, with the ability to manage competing priorities and work independently in the field.
Physical Requirements & Work Environment
- Must be able to remain in a stationary position more than 25% of the time.
- Must be able to move throughout customer facilities and laboratory environments as required.
- Frequently operates instruments, tools, and controls, requiring bending, squatting, stretching, and reaching.
- Regularly moves or lifts up to 25 pounds and occasionally moves or lifts up to 100 pounds, as required by the role.
- Requires the ability to observe instrument components and details at close range, along with distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.
- Occasionally operates a computer and other office equipment.
- Must be able to work safely around laboratory equipment and applicable electrical, chemical, radiological, and biological hazards while following company and customer safety protocols.
The annual compensation range for this full-time position is $80,000 to $90,000. The final base pay offered to the successful candidate will be determined by factors including internal equity, work location, and individual qualifications, such as job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training.
Nothing in this job description restricts management’s right to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities of this job at any time.