Head of Service

Free day to volunteer

GEA is one of the world’s leading system suppliers to the food, beverage and pharmaceutical industries. Our extensive portfolio spans machinery and complete plants, advanced process technologies, components and a full range of services. Driven by a strong sense of purpose, our more than 18,000 employees worldwide are committed to improving the sustainability and efficiency of production processes across the globe.

GEA – Did you know?
• Every third chicken nugget produced worldwide is made using GEA equipment
• One in three instant coffee production lines is installed by GEA
• One quarter of all processed milk is produced using GEA systems
• Nearly every second litre of beer is made with GEA technology
• One third of all polymer producers rely on GEA drying technology
• GEA emission control systems help prevent almost two million tonnes of pollutants each year
• Half of the world’s container ships operate with GEA marine equipment
• GEA industrial heating and refrigeration solutions are used across almost every industry we serve

GEA is looking to appoint a Head of Service (HoS) to lead and further develop an already successful service team of 14 within the Food & Healthcare Technologies division. The Head of Service will shape and drive the company’s service strategy, strengthen GEA’s established service ethos, and deliver sustained budget growth in 2026 and beyond.

Reporting to the Director of Service and Projects, the HoS will be responsible for defining GEA’s future service strategy and inspiring the team to deliver exceptional service performance alongside strong commercial growth aligned with company objectives. Passionate about service excellence at every touchpoint, the HoS will continue to develop and expand the team, establish clear service benchmarks, and identify opportunities to unlock incremental commercial value across both new and existing customers.

The successful candidate will be skilled in building strong, collaborative relationships with direct reports, cross‑functional colleagues, customers and suppliers. Leading by example, the HoS will demonstrate GEA’s commitment to long‑term customer partnerships, combining product excellence with consistently high levels of customer satisfaction.

Set the benchmark and clear expectations for service delivery standards across GEA.

Guide and support the service team in all aspects of service delivery, including customer escalations and breakdown management.

Build strong, consistent relationships with customers, ensuring open communication, SLA compliance, and swift resolution of service issues.

Act as the senior point of contact for customers for service activities or escalated matters.

Work closely with the service sales team to ensure technical and financial scopes are feasible, accurate, and aligned with customer needs.

Ensure all site issues are accurately logged and documented to enable timely and effective resolution by the service team.

Proactively identify incremental commercial opportunities within the existing customer base.

Oversee service department work scheduling and coordination (including skill matching) to maintain consistently high customer quality standards.

Provide on‑site supervision of field service engineers where required.

Ensure job costs remain within budget and escalate unforeseen issues to the Service Director.

Develop and implement tools, processes, and systems to improve resource utilisation and highlight capacity gaps.

Ensure the service team fully understands GEA’s products, processes, and procedures and consistently represents the company professionally.

Liaise with the QSHE team to ensure engineers receive regular updates on health and safety requirements and apply these consistently in the field.

Proactively facilitate collaboration and problem‑solving across internal and external stakeholders.

Maintain strong working relationships with manufacturing centres and stay informed about product developments and innovations.

Work closely with sales, project, and service colleagues to ensure high levels of…