Head of Solutions - Packing Automation

Who We Are:

At Formic, we’re on a mission to revolutionize American manufacturing and create more abundance in the world. We believe in continuing the American legacy of innovation by making automation accessible to all manufacturers and increasing their factory productivity by 10x.

Built upon deep expertise in robotics and manufacturing, our unique Pay-for-Productivity robotics solutions combine the best automation technology, tools, and uptime services for manufacturers, paving the way for a new era of supercharged efficiency and competitiveness.

As the world faces growing pressure from rising costs and labor shortages, Formic is a uniquely powerful tool in overcoming these challenges. Fueled by our vision for a resurged “Made in America,” we’re growing fast - achieving 70% quarterly growth in customer count and ARR, with ~30% of our customers having already deployed multiple systems.

Supporting us in our mission, with investments thus far totaling over $60 million, are backers including Blackhorn Ventures, Mitsubishi HC Capital America, NEC, Lorimer Ventures, Translink Capital, Alumni Ventures, FJ Labs, Lux Capital, Initialized Capital and founders of multiple Fortune 50 companies.

Life at Formic revolves around our Solutions Engineering Team - a dynamic group dedicated to uncovering and solving customers’ production challenges. This team delves deep into understanding how proposed robotic solutions will integrate seamlessly with a customer’s environment and operational processes, ensuring the desired productivity gains are achieved. In close collaboration with Sales, the Solutions Engineering Team identifies key value drivers for each customer and designs comprehensive, fully managed solutions. Their expertise is vital to Formic’s mission of delivering enhanced efficiency, reliability, and safety while achieving cost savings and a positive ROI from Day 1. Beyond implementation, this team also plays a pivotal role in educating customers about critical considerations they may have overlooked - factors that can significantly influence their satisfaction and success with robotic solutions. Their work ensures that every deployment not only meets but exceeds expectations.

As the Head of Solutions at Formic, you will lead a team of Solutions Engineers in identifying and addressing the challenges prospective customers face on their production lines. Leveraging Formic’s product offerings, you’ll develop tailored solutions that effectively meet those needs This role requires an owner/operator mindset as you evaluate potential solutions, oversee your team’s project pipelines, balance workloads, and continuously improve processes and workflows. You’ll work closely with Formic’s Product Team and partners to scope and quote applications, ensuring seamless coordination of internal activities to deliver polished, customer-ready proposals and contracts to the sales team. Your primary responsibility will be to guide your team in delivering high-quality results - focusing on technical viability, adherence to standards, cost efficiency, and meeting turnaround time goals. This is a pivotal leadership role at the intersection of technical innovation and customer success.

As our Head of Solutions, you will:

• Allocate incoming requests for scoping, customer site support, proposal creation, and contract drafting based on team members’ experience, workload, and geography
• Provide coaching and guidance on solution development for end-of-line packaging applications, available tools/resources, and professional growth opportunities
• Prepare and enable Solutions Engineers to establish credibility with customers as trusted technical and production experts
• Ensure consistent, high-quality output from the team while adhering to standard operating procedures
• Collaborate with Formic’s Product Team to identify and address product gaps and streamline quoting processes
• Work with Product, Deployment, and Production Optimization Teams to secure technical resources during peak demand
• Support collaboration between Solutions Engineers and the Sales Team to deploy the most suitable Standard Automation Products for customer challenges
• Oversee the seamless handoff of closed-won opportunities to the Deployment Team
• Collaborate with Sales, Sales Operations, Product, and Finance & Legal Teams to align tools and processes across departments
• Act as the first point of escalation for decisions on whether to proceed with specific opportunities
• Escalate technical or application support needs to the Product Team when required
• Recruit, onboard, and train new hires to ensure rapid proficiency and productivity
• Maintain and develop tools to capture knowledge, automate decision-making, and enhance the quality and efficiency of the Solutions Team
• Recommend procedural, design, or equipment changes where necessary
• Use customer insights and feedback to identify gaps in Formic’s technical, operational, and commercial offerings
• Communicate findings and recommendations to the leaders of other departuments, such as Sales, Product, and Deployment
• Visit customer sites as needed

What makes you a great fit:

• 3+ years of production or operational management experience in CPG, food production, manufacturing, or packing/packaging environments
• 3+ years of responsibility overseeing end-of-line packing and packaging activities
• 5+ years of experience in solutions selling to SMBs in packing, production, or manufacturing operations
• 3+ years of team leadership experience in solutions selling
• Technical or engineering degree relevant to manufacturing/packaging automation
• Familiarity with end-of-line packaging factory automation, preferably palletizing and/or case packing
• Firm understanding of the production and operational impacts of deploying turnkey automation systems
• Familiarity with various robotic automation applications and solutions for packing and packaging
• Experience with CAD drafting and 3D modeling is preferred
• Ability to organize, track, and manage deliverables across multiple concurrent projects
• Excellent problem-solving and critical thinking skills
• Superior written and verbal communication skills
• Outstanding interpersonal skills and ability to collaborate cross-functionally
• Proficiency in Microsoft or Google Workspace office products
• Ability to travel up to 25%

Total Rewards:

Total rewards packages at Formic consist of salaries benchmarked against similar stage growth companies, insurance (medical, dental, vision, life, STD, LTD), and equity in Formic itself. As an early stage startup, equity is an important part of our investment in you, and your investment in Formic. When Formic succeeds, we all succeed.

Final offer amounts are custom-crafted, based on the cash/equity ratio preference of the candidate, as well as their experience, geographical location and cost of labor, and more, and may vary from the range listed below. Ultimately we’re seeking top performers who will make a difference to our business, and we’re open to negotiating the compensation structure for the right candidate. The expected base pay range for this position is below.

What we look for:

We’re building a company from the ground up, so every single person we hire has a massive impact on our team, culture, and ability to accomplish our mission. While each individual brings their own unique skills and perspectives to Formic, we look for people who share our vision and act in alignment with our Operating Principles. If this sounds like you, Formic could be the place for you:

• Fearless Optimism:You share our ambitious vision of what we can accomplish. You’re aware of the challenges we will face as a startup doing new things in an old space, but you’re energized by the incredible opportunity we have to drive change for our customers, and for the manufacturing industry at large.
• Factories First:You have a strong customer focus, no matter who your customer is. You seek to make things easier and better for our customers, even if it makes your job a little harder.
• Today, Not Tomorrow: There are always plenty of projects to tackle in a startup, but you prioritize, take accountability for work, and have a bias toward action.
• Be Right Often: You don’t do things just because that’s how they’ve always been done. You keep looking for ways to improve, seek out feedback along the way, and back your decisions up with data.
• Made of Rubber:Just like rubber, when you fall you bounce back up. You know there’s going to be a lot of challenge and change in our work ahead but you are adaptable, resilient, and ready to thrive through it all.
• Good Baton Passes:You work with a desire to make things easier and better for your team members. You use empathy to understand the needs and goals of others and support each other so Formic can be successful together.

What We Offer:

Formic believes we do our best work when we are equipped to take care of ourselves and our loved ones. To support this Formic offers comprehensive benefits and perks for full-time US-based employees, including:

• Equity in Formic: your slice of ownership in a fast-growing Series A startup, backed by some of the best investors in the world
• 99% coverage on our base Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance plans (75% coverage for dependents) via Blue Cross Blue Shield and Guardian, with buy-up options, as well
• FSA & DCFSA
• Life insurance, Short-Term Disability, and Long-term Disability plans (covered at 100%) via Guardian
• Employee Assistance Program
• Paid parental leave
• Company-sponsored 401k
• Home Office Stipend for remote and hybrid roles
• Monthly Phone/Internet Reimbursement
• Flexible time off policy and 10+ company holidays
• Opportunity to join a talented and diverse team united behind our mission to revolutionize American manufacturing

As our team grows, our benefit and perk offerings for employees based outside of the United States will vary. We are happy to discuss these options with you as part of our recruiting and interviewing process. Temporary or contract positions are not eligible for Formic employee benefits and perks, except where legally required.

Formic is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion or religious creed, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, marital status, family or parental status, disability, military or veteran status, or any other basis protected by law. All employment decisions are based on a person’s merit, business needs, and role requirements. If you require further accommodations or have questions regarding accessibility of our roles, please reach out to [email protected].