Senior Manager, Product Support Engineering

About the role:

As a Sr. Manager of Product Support Engineering reporting to Director, L3 Technical Support, you will grow, develop, and motivate a team of technical experts and supervise the day-to-day operations of your team. You will work across the Samsara. solution set, working hand in hand with the broader Technical Support, Engineering, and Product Management teams for fast resolution of complex technical issues with on-going proactive steps for reduced time to resolution, product supportability and ticket deflection. You will handle customer escalations related to product defects, and work with Support, Engineering, and other Samsara resources, to set and manage customer expectations as needed.

Day-to-day operations include facilitating the prioritization and resolution of defects, driving high customer satisfaction, spearheading engagement with cross-functional teams including Customer Success, Support managers, Software Development, and Hardware Engineering. The ultimate outcomes you will be contributing to are an unparalleled customer experience coupled with excellent efficiency and efficacy.

You should apply if:

• You want to impact the industries that run our world: Your efforts will result in real-world impact—helping to keep the lights on, get food into grocery stores, reduce emissions, and most importantly, ensure workers return home safely.
• You are the architect of your own career: If you put in the work, this role won’t be your last at Samsara. We set up our employees for success and have built a culture that encourages rapid career development, provides countless opportunities to experiment and master your craft in a hyper-growth environment.
• You’re energized by our opportunity: The vision we have to digitize large sectors of the global economy requires your full focus and best efforts to bring forth creative ideas for our customers.
• You want to be with the best: At Samsara, we win together, celebrate together and support each other. You will be surrounded by a high-caliber team that will encourage you to do your best.

Click here to learn about what we value at Samsara.

In this role, you will:

• Provide guidance, mentorship, and support to a team of 12-15 Product Support Engineers (PSE) for handling complex technical issues related to Samsara products. Set performance expectations, conduct regular performance reviews, and facilitate professional development opportunities.
• Issues Resolution: Partner with Support, Sales and Customer Success to address customer feedback and drive high-priority escalated customer issues to resolution, while adhering to the contractual SLAs and internal OLAs pertaining to response and resolution times. Regularly review with engineering the adherence to the agreed upon defect resolution SLAs.
• Process Optimization and Efficiency: Continuously evaluate existing support processes and workflows related to both hardware and software components to identify areas for improvement and efficiency gains. Where possible, use data to identify and implement automation and self-service tools to improve issue resolution time, reduce repetitive tasks and decrease incoming ticket volume.
• Cross-functional collaboration: Partner with cross-functional teams to resolve customer issues effectively and implement strategies to proactively identify and address potential customer pain points.
• Data & KPIs: Use data-driven insights to make informed decisions and drive continuous improvement efforts from KPIs to drive improved customer experience and product quality.
• Staffing & Capacity: Conduct capacity planning, identify staffing requirements, and uplevel existing team’s skills to meet business goals, company growth and employee experience.
• Champion, role model, and embed Samsara’s cultural principles (Focus on Customer Success, Build for the Long Term, Adopt a Growth Mindset, Be Inclusive, and Win as a Team) as we scale globally and across new offices.
• Team Development: Hire, develop, and direct inclusive, engaged, and high-performing teams across several geographies.

Minimum requirements for the role:

• 7-10 years of relevant experience in a technology company, with a minimum of 5+ years of leadership experience in Technical Support and/or Engineering, at Manager or Sr. Manager level.
• Experience managing a team of 10+ engineers across time zones / geographies. Proven ability to partner with and influence R&D.
• Experience managing highly technical engineers in a Level 3 tier in software and/or hardware support or engineering function.
• Demonstrated ability to analyze complex technical issues, identify root causes, and provide effective solutions within established timelines. Experience in handling highly visible escalations and working cross-functionally with the Product, Engineering, Sales, Support, and Customer Success teams to resolve.
• A strategic thinker, able to set the team’s vision, operational metrics, evolve out-of-the-box solutions at scale and execute to attain the defined KPI and OKR’s.
• Strong analytical, data-driven, problem-resolution, and decision-making skills.
• A customer-centric mindset with a passion for delivering exceptional customer experience and resolving customer issues promptly and effectively.
• Experience working collaboratively with other teams, such as Support, Engineering, Product Management, and Sales, to advocate for customer needs and provide feedback for product improvement.

An ideal candidate also has:

• BS in Engineering (Computer Science, Information Systems, or related field), MBA is a plus.
• Combination of hardware/equipment and cloud-based software product experience.
• Experience working with telematics solutions that include hardware and software components, such as GPS devices, sensors, communication modules, and data analysis software.
• Adaptability, flexibility, and the conviction to “do the right thing” under stress, high tension, and tight deadlines.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills to be effective at collaborating with a wide variety of individuals.
• Ability to influence others, including those outside of the immediate team.
• Must be a strong leader with the ability to attract, motivate, retain, and develop people.
• Deep understanding of data analytics, using metrics to monitor team performance, identify trends, and make data-driven decisions. Experience with databricks or tableau to drive data analysis.