Application Engineer

The Application Engineer serves as the technical lead throughout the pre-sale and solution development process. This role bridges engineering and sales by defining project scope, developing system concepts, and delivering technically sound, commercially viable solutions to customers. The Application Engineer plays a critical role in shaping capital projects from concept through proposal while ensuring alignment between customer expectations, technical feasibility, and business objectives.

Communication/ Interaction Responsibilities:

• Working alongside Account Managers, Application Engineering Manager, Project Engineers, Project Managers, and customers
• Report directly to the Application Engineering Manager
• Lead customer communications from a technical standpoint during the discovery and proposal phases
• Conduct site visits and virtual meetings to understand application requirements, constraints, and performance targets
• Serve as the primary technical liaison between the customer, sales team, and internal engineering resources

Duties/Responsibilities:

• Scope and define automation, integration, and packaging system projects
• Translate customer needs into clearly defined functional requirements
• Identify risks, assumptions, and technical considerations early in the sales cycle
• Develop preliminary timelines and execution strategies
• Develop system concepts, equipment selections, and overall solution architecture
• Create system layouts, line configurations, and integration concepts (robotics, conveying, packaging, etc.)
• Ensure designs align with throughput goals, safety standards, and plant constraints
• Collaborate with project engineering and controls teams to validate feasibility
• Generate detailed cost sheets and budgetary pricing
• Work with vendors and internal teams to obtain equipment pricing and lead times
• Analyze margins, risk exposure, and scope alignment before final proposal submission
• Support internal review processes prior to customer presentation
• Prepare professional, technically accurate final proposals
• Clearly communicate scope, inclusions/exclusions, assumptions, and performance expectations
• Support commercial terms alignment with sales leadership
• Present solutions to customers in support of the sales process
• Explain technical concepts in a clear, confident, and consultative manner
• Support sales negotiations by validating technical decisions and system performance expectations
• Participate in customer meetings, presentations, and strategy discussions

Required and Desirable Skills/Abilities:

• 4+ years of experience in automation, packaging systems, robotics, or related industrial engineering field
• Strong understanding of integrated production lines and capital equipment
• Experience with system layouts (AutoCAD or similar) is required
• 3D Modeling - SolidWorks or similar, experience is desired, but not required
• Excellent communication skills — able to lead both technical and executive-level discussions
• Comfortable working in a fast-paced, customer-driven environment
• Excellent written and verbal communication and presentation skills.
• Proficient with Microsoft Office Suite, Excel, PowerPoint, Word and PDF.
• Preferred knowledge of project management software (Wrike preferred, training provided)
• Fanuc and or general robotics programming experience is a plus

Education and Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering is preferred
• Four years of relevant experience, preferably in applications or project engineering role, highly preferred
• Four years of relevant experience, preferably in PLC controls and controls narratives

Physical Requirements:

• Prolonged periods sitting at a desk and working on a computer.
• Must be able to lift 50 pounds at a time.
• Must be able to access and navigate all areas of an industrial facility.

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