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

healthcare
The Early-Stage Playbook for Healthcare Founders: Credibility, Founder Mindset, and Real Market Fit
April 13, 2026

Healthcare innovation is having a moment. With over 500 startups applying annually to leading accelerators like Health Wildcatters, the sector is seeing a surge of founders eager to tackle inefficiencies in care delivery, diagnostics, and patient experience. At the same time, digital health is regaining momentum—after a period of market correction, funding went up…

Read More
apprenticeship degree
Career-Connected Health Care: Why the Apprenticeship Degree Is the Future
April 13, 2026

Hospitals across the country are feeling the strain—too many open roles, not enough trained professionals, and a growing gap between what students learn and what the job actually demands on day one. Training is getting more expensive, timelines are stretching, and healthcare leaders are being forced to rethink how new clinicians enter the field….

Read More
Cybersecurity
The Expanding Threat Surface: Why Cybersecurity Is No Longer Optional for SMBs
April 9, 2026

Cybersecurity is no longer a concern reserved for large enterprises—it has become a defining issue for businesses of every size. Over the past decade, the rapid rise of cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and cryptocurrency has fundamentally reshaped the threat landscape, lowering the barrier to entry for cybercriminals and expanding the range of viable targets….

Read More
rubber
How Precision Engineering and Regulatory Complexity Shape the Future of Rubber Manufacturing
April 9, 2026

In an era where precision manufacturing often hides behind the simplicity of everyday products, the world of rubber components offers a striking reminder that complexity frequently lives beneath the surface. What appears to be a modest gasket or sealing element is, in reality, the product of highly specialized engineering, rigorous testing, and an…

Read More