How to Have a Successful Career in the Field Services Industry

On this episode of Field Focus, a podcast by MSI Data, host Mike Pandl, Vice President of Marketing of MSI Data, talked with Jay McFadyen, Chief Services Officer at Fairbanks Morse Defense and President at Fairbanks Morse. The duo spoke about field service leadership from a career perspective, the skills required to be successful, career paths to lead someone to field service leadership, and several other topics on this subject.

Fairbanks Morse manufactures and delivers high-quality engines and power systems for military and commercial-class vessels designed to perform under the most rigorous operating conditions. They build diesel, dual fuel and gas engines to meet a wide range of applications. They recently underwent a rebranding to highlight their focus on supporting the Navy and the Coast Guard.

When it comes to making a career in field services leadership, McFadyen found himself in a leadership position after stints as an engineer at General Electric. There, he would have to explain the results of product acceptance testing to customers. He also worked as a design engineer for another company, and it was here that he knew he had a passion for working with customers and solving challenging problems.

“My path led me through different roles in program management, operations and general management, but the assignment that kind of created that senior leadership opportunity was a program management role, where I spent a significant amount of time working alongside our field service engineers to overcome late delivery of equipment,” McFadyen said. “It was during that time that I realized how much of our company’s reputation relied on the customer’s perception of the field service team.”

Follow us on social media for the latest updates in B2B!

Twitter – @MarketScale
Facebook – facebook.com/marketscale
LinkedIn – linkedin.com/company/marketscale

Follow us on social media for the latest updates in B2B!

Image

Latest

Mission
Why Is the Mission of Benchmark So Important
December 23, 2025

As pharmaceutical innovation accelerates, the margin for error narrows, making quality assurance not just a regulatory necessity but a public good. Benchmark’s mission sits at the intersection of progress and protection—helping manufacturers stay aligned with FDA standards so life-saving therapies reach patients faster and safer. By keeping cleanrooms compliant and companies out of trouble, Benchmark…

Read More
Benchmark
What Is It Like for You to Be Part of the Benchmark Products Teams Now
December 23, 2025

Being part of the Benchmark Products team today means working at the intersection of precision manufacturing and deeply human collaboration, especially in the high-stakes world of cleanroom and sterility assurance solutions. As the organization grows, employees describe a culture that still feels familial—one where clear communication, personal accountability, and genuine care for customers drive…

Read More
Cleaning
Do Your Friends Ever Ask You For Cleaning Tips
December 23, 2025

In a media landscape increasingly shaped by privacy constraints, data clean rooms have emerged as a quiet but powerful way for brands to collaborate without exposing sensitive information, even if, as Will Sepsis quips, some partners would still prefer that “ignorance is bliss.” That tension—between curiosity and caution—captures the moment we’re in, where understanding…

Read More
Clean
Do You Friends Ask You For Cleaning Methods or Clean Their Home
December 23, 2025

At Benchmark Products, where cleanroom precision is part of everyday work, professionals often discover that specialized knowledge doesn’t always translate neatly into casual conversations—especially when friends jokingly wonder if you’ll critique their homes or turn them into germaphobes. The reality is that cleanroom science is about controlled environments and risk mitigation at an industrial scale,…

Read More