Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Engineering Services Manager

🎯 Role Definition

Are you a seasoned technical leader passionate about building world-class service delivery teams and ensuring unparalleled customer success? This role requires an ambitious and strategic Engineering Services Manager to lead our dynamic team, drive critical initiatives, and bridge the gap between our innovative products and our valued enterprise customers.

The Engineering Services Manager is responsible for the leadership, operational excellence, and strategic direction of the team that delivers technical implementation, integration, and premium support services. This individual will own the entire post-sales technical customer journey, ensuring successful product adoption, customer satisfaction, and long-term value realization. You will be a player-coach, a strategic planner, and a key cross-functional partner, directly impacting customer retention and revenue growth by ensuring our solutions are delivered efficiently and effectively.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Senior Technical Consultant / Solutions Architect
Lead Implementation Engineer
Technical Project Manager
Team Lead, Technical Support

Advancement To:

Director of Professional Services
Director of Customer Success
Senior Manager, Global Technical Services
Head of Solutions Engineering

Lateral Moves:

Product Management
Solutions Architecture Manager

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing team of engineering services professionals, fostering a culture of collaboration, accountability, and continuous professional growth.
Oversee the complete lifecycle of customer-facing engineering projects, from pre-sales technical consultation and scoping to implementation, deployment, and post-launch support.
Develop and execute strategic plans for the Engineering Services department that align with overarching company objectives and drive exceptional customer satisfaction and retention.
Manage resource allocation, project scheduling, and team capacity planning to ensure the timely and successful delivery of services while maintaining the highest quality standards.
Act as the primary escalation point for key client stakeholders, building strong, trusted-advisor relationships by expertly navigating technical and business conversations.
Define, monitor, and report on key performance indicators (KPIs) and service level agreements (SLAs) to measure team effectiveness, client health, and identify areas for process optimization.
Collaborate closely with Sales, Product Management, and Core Engineering teams to provide structured feedback from the field, influence product roadmaps, and ensure a seamless customer journey.
Drive the creation, refinement, and adoption of best practices, standardized processes, and technical documentation for service delivery, troubleshooting, and customer onboarding.
Manage the departmental budget, including accurate forecasting, expense control, and contributing to the P&L management for the professional services business line.
Skillfully handle complex customer escalations, providing timely resolution and clear communication to de-escalate critical situations and rebuild customer trust.
Conduct regular performance reviews, provide ongoing coaching, and identify professional development opportunities for team members to support their long-term career growth.
Champion a deeply customer-centric approach within the team, ensuring all activities are focused on delivering tangible value and a world-class customer experience.
Partner with the Sales and Solutions Architecture teams during the pre-sales cycle to accurately scope projects, create detailed Statements of Work (SOWs), and provide technical expertise to help close new business.
Evaluate and implement new tools, technologies, and methodologies to enhance the efficiency, scalability, and effectiveness of the engineering services team.
Oversee the development and maintenance of a comprehensive knowledge base and a library of reusable technical assets to empower both the team and our customers.
Direct the technical integration of our solutions into diverse and complex customer environments, ensuring compatibility, security, and optimal performance.
Facilitate cross-functional initiatives aimed at improving the end-to-end customer journey, from initial contact through to long-term adoption and advocacy.
Prepare and present regular, data-driven reports to senior leadership on team performance, project status, customer health metrics, and strategic initiatives.
Ensure strict compliance with industry standards, data security protocols, and company policies across all service delivery and support activities.
Cultivate a deep understanding of customer needs and emerging industry trends to proactively identify new service opportunities and enhance existing offerings.
Manage relationships with third-party vendors and implementation partners, ensuring seamless collaboration, quality of work, and alignment with our delivery standards.

Secondary Functions

Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory data analysis to inform strategic decisions.
Contribute to the organization's broader technology and customer success strategy and roadmap.
Collaborate with business units to translate evolving data and service needs into actionable engineering requirements.
Participate in sprint planning and agile ceremonies with adjacent technical teams to ensure alignment.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Project Management: Deep expertise in project management methodologies (e.g., Agile, Scrum, Waterfall) and tools (e.g., Jira, Asana, Smartsheet). PMP or similar certification is a plus.
CRM & Ticketing Systems: Proficiency with enterprise-grade CRM and support platforms such as Salesforce, Zendesk, or ServiceNow for tracking and reporting.
SaaS & API Integration: Strong understanding of SaaS architecture, RESTful APIs, webhooks, and common system integration patterns.
Cloud Platforms: Hands-on familiarity with major cloud computing services like AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud Platform (GCP).
Database & Scripting: Foundational knowledge of database technologies (SQL, NoSQL) and scripting languages (e.g., Python, Bash) for automation, reporting, and troubleshooting.
Financial Acumen: Experience with budgeting, forecasting, and P&L management for a services-based team.
Statement of Work (SOW) Creation: Proven ability to scope complex technical projects and draft clear, comprehensive SOWs.

Soft Skills

Inspirational Leadership: Proven ability to lead, motivate, and mentor a technical team, fostering a positive and high-performance culture.
Strategic & Analytical Thinking: Ability to see the bigger picture, analyze data to drive decisions, and align team goals with business objectives.
Client Relationship Management: Exceptional skills in building and maintaining strong relationships with senior-level client stakeholders, acting as a trusted advisor.
Complex Problem-Solving: A talent for dissecting complex technical and business problems and driving them to a swift and effective resolution.
Escalation Management: Calm and decisive under pressure, with a proven track record of successfully managing and de-escalating critical customer issues.
Cross-Functional Influence: Ability to collaborate effectively with and influence stakeholders across various departments, including Sales, Product, and Engineering.
Superior Communication: Outstanding verbal, written, and presentation skills, with the ability to articulate complex technical concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor's Degree in a technical or business-related field, or equivalent practical experience.

Preferred Education:

Master's Degree (e.g., MBA, MS in Engineering Management, MS in Computer Science).

Relevant Fields of Study:

Computer Science
Information Technology
Software Engineering
Business Administration

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

8-12 years of progressive experience in a technical, customer-facing role (e.g., professional services, solutions engineering, premium support).
At least 3-5 years in a formal leadership or management capacity, with direct responsibility for team performance and development.

Preferred:

Direct experience managing a professional services, implementation, or technical account management team within a B2B SaaS or enterprise software company. A proven track record of scaling teams and processes in a high-growth environment is highly desirable.