Head of Delivery & Field Operations

About Frinks AI Frinks AI builds AI-powered visual inspection systems that automate quality control on manufacturing production lines. We serve customers in automotive, electronics, medical devices, and consumer packaged goods (CPG) across India, the U.S. Midwest, Mexico, and Australia. We provide end-to-end solutions, from optical feasibility studies and proof-of-concept work to hardware installation, AI commissioning, and longterm support. Our no-code platform helps reduce deployment timelines from months to weeks.The Role As Head of Delivery & Field Operations, you will own all activities after a purchase order is received, including project management, engineering design documentation, field installation, commissioning, and post-handover support. You will oversee approximately 17-24 concurrent projects across four countries and lead a lean team of about 20 people across four functions: the Project Management Office (PMO), an engineering design team covering mechanical and PLC work, regional field operations teams in India and the U.S. with partner technicians in Mexico and Australia, and the customer support/Annual Maintenance Contract (AMC) team. This role reports to the VP of Operations. Your two key success measures are on-time customer handover and delivered margin versus as-sold margin on every project. You will also build a consistent and scalable delivery model using clear playbooks, standardized kits, and formal delivery gates so that project volume can grow without requiring the team to grow at the same rate.Key Responsibilities 1. Own delivery end to end: Manage every project from purchase order acceptance through signed customer handover, ensuring delivery is on schedule and within the committed margin. 2. Manage the two delivery gates: At Gate B, ensure the assigned Project Manager formally accepts the project with agreed scope, baseline margin, and acceptance criteria. At Gate C, ensure performance is proven on the live production line and formally signed off by the customer. Handoffs and project completion must always be documented. 3. Lead the weekly delivery review: Review Red-Amber-Green (RAG) status and margin variance for every active project, and ensure escalation decisions are made and assigned during the meeting. 4. Lead and develop four teams: Manage Project Managers, design engineers, field operations teams, and support engineers. Own hiring, training, installation quality, and site-safety standards, with one clearly accountable Project Manager for each project. 5. Own the installed customer base: Manage uptime SLAs, AMC renewals, preventive service discipline, and the monthly handoff of customer expansion opportunities to the Sales team. 6. Own escalations: Resolve cross-functional conflicts and schedule or margin risks within 48 hours. Production line-down and other customer-critical issues require immediate action. 7. Improve delivery productivity: Increase the number of systems installed per senior engineer each quarter through better playbook adoption, standardized pre-calibrated kits, and remote-first commissioning wherever practical.8. Coordinate cross-functional interfaces: Work closely with Solutions Engineering on project intake, Supply Chain on procurement critical paths, and the Platform and AI teams on commissioning and modelacceptance SLAs.What You Bring 10-15 years of experience in industrial automation, machine vision, robotics, or special-purpose machinery, including at least 4 years leading a delivery or projects organization - not only individual projects. Experience managing 10+ concurrent customer-site projects through a team of Project Managers and field engineers, with a team size of 15+ people. Multi-city or international experience is preferred. Strong plant-floor experience in automotive or electronics environments, including installations, line trials, shutdown-window work, and customer acceptance testing. Commercial ownership of project profitability, with direct responsibility for protecting delivered margin in addition to meeting schedule commitments. Experience hiring and developing field engineers and Project Managers, and creating SOPs, checklists, or playbooks that can be used consistently across teams. An engineering degree in mechanical, electrical, mechatronics, or a related discipline. Exposure to vision systems, PLC/controls, or U.S. site work is a strong advantage. Comfort working in a scale-up environment: able to create structure where it is important while remaining practical and adaptable where needed.