Senior Field Service Engineer, Fleet

About Blue Bird Corporation

Blue Bird (NASDAQ: BLBD) is recognized as a technology leader and innovator of school buses since its founding in 1927. Our dedicated team members design, engineer and manufacture school buses with a singular focus on safety, reliability, and durability. School buses carry the most precious cargo in the world – 25 million children twice a day – making them the most trusted mode of student transportation. The company is the proven leader in low- and zero-emission school buses with more than 25,000 propane, natural gas, and electric powered buses sold. Blue Bird is transforming the student transportation industry through cleaner energy solutions. For more information on Blue Bird’s complete product and service portfolio, visit www.blue-bird.com.

 

JOB SUMMARY:

Reporting to the Manager, Fleet Sales Support, this senior-level role is responsible for providing advanced, expert-level support to the Field Service Representative (FSR) team by diagnosing and resolving complex technical issues that exceed standard technical capabilities. The Senior Field Service Engineer (SR FSE) owns, launches, manages, and completes Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) design and release projects to resolve critical field service failures and drive continuous product improvement changes in current and future vehicle builds. Serving as the primary liaison between the field and factory engineering, the Senior FSE mentors junior engineers, establishes standardized troubleshooting frameworks, and strategically influences product reliability and design.

 

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Team Leadership & Mentorship: Act as a technical mentor and escalation point for Field Service Engineers and the FSR team, fostering strong, trusting professional relationships.
• Advanced Problem Solving: Troubleshoot, diagnose, and resolve highly complex, systemic technical problems, ensuring strict compliance with all appropriate engineering and safety specifications.
• Product Alignment: Stay at the forefront of new products, technologies, and features to author advanced troubleshooting and repair instructions for the FSR team and dealer network.
• Cross-Functional Strategy: Proactively advise and collaborate with Technical Publications and Training Content teams to identify, prioritize, and drive required updates for technical manuals and training programs.
• Technical Content Creation: Deliver high-level technical input, engineering data, and validation needed to complete comprehensive technical publications and complex training modules.
• Campaign Management: Author, review, and approve critical field campaign instructions, advanced troubleshooting guidelines, and specialized repair manuals.
• Project Ownership: Lead PLM design, root cause investigation, and engineering change management projects from initiation through to factory implementation.
• Collaborative Support: Support global fleet initiatives and cross-functional engineering teams as required to protect fleet uptime and brand reputation.
• Assigned Duties: Perform other advanced engineering and leadership tasks as assigned by management.

 

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES FOR SUCCESS

• Expert Technical Knowledge: Mastery of engineering-level chassis, body, electrical, multiplexing, and powertrain systems.
• Network Protocol Expertise: Deep technical experience in CAN communication, J1939 protocol analysis, and vehicle network architecture.
• Communication & Relations: Exceptional communication, negotiation, and customer relations skills, with a proven ability to manage high-stakes fleet escalations.
• Strategic Decision Making: Advanced rational decision-making and data-driven problem-solving capabilities under pressure.
• Quality Focus: Meticulous attention to detail with a high degree of technical accuracy in reporting and documentation.
• Autonomy & Accountability: Proven track record of working independently, driving complex projects to completion, and solving ambiguous problems rapidly.
• Collaboration & Influence: Strong collaborative mindset with the ability to lead cross-functional matrixed teams to solve complex field issues.
• Travel Flexibility: Readiness to travel on short notice to support critical customer and fleet needs.
• Diagnostic Innovation: Proven ability to derive, document, and execute creative, advanced diagnostic strategies when standard published troubleshooting procedures are exhausted.
• Diagnostic Tool Proficiency: Master-level proficiency with common medium/heavy-duty diagnostic software (e.g., Allison DOC, Cummins Insite, Bendix A-Co