Application Engineer Supervisor PTS Sanitary

GEA Group • Columbia, SC

10d

About The Position

The Application Engineer Supervisor supports the Director of Technical Offer Management (TOM) – PTS with the daily operations of the PTS-Sanitary application engineering group. The role coordinates priorities, deliverables, and due dates across Sales, Process Engineering, and TOM leadership, and provides functional leadership through coaching, mentoring, and training. The Supervisor is a first point of escalation for team members, supports adherence to TOM governance, policies, and procedures, and also performs Application Engineering responsibilities for assigned opportunities. Leadership activities are expected to account for half of working time.

For assigned opportunities, the role reviews customer requests for quotation and engineering specifications, identifies appropriate offer scope and exceptions or exclusions, and prepares cost estimates, proposals, equipment specifications, and supporting documentation. The Supervisor works with Procurement, Sales, Engineering, vendors, and other departments; reviews calculations and process and engineering documents; supports customer and internal meetings and sales presentations; and maintains pricing and offer-tracking information.

The position requires technical-commercial awareness, strong analytical and organizational skills, and the ability to coordinate and prioritize work in a fast-paced environment. The role is based in the United States and does not offer visa or work sponsorship; applicants must be authorized to work in the U.S. without current or future sponsorship.

Requirements

• Mechanical or chemical engineering degree, or equivalent experience.
• More than 5 years of experience in Application Engineering, Process/Project Engineering, Project Management, and/or Estimating.
• Relevant technical experience within the PTS portfolio and experience estimating projects in the NPE – NAM PTS portfolio.
• Ability to read and interpret technical specifications and drawings.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, including excellent written and verbal English, to work with team members and internal and external stakeholders.
• Demonstrated ability to provide functional leadership through influence, including coaching, mentoring, prioritizing, and coordinating work.
• Ability to lead engineering teams by establishing clarity and direction and building a positive team.
• Technical-commercial awareness and ability to identify risks and opportunities in proposals and project estimates.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, including breaking down complex issues and driving action to remove roadblocks.
• Creativity in developing innovative and competitive solutions.
• Self-motivation and ability to work both independently and as part of a team.
• Strong customer focus, organizational skills, attention to detail, and time management, with a demonstrated ability to meet deadlines.
• Ability to prioritize tasks and delegate or coordinate work when appropriate, and to function in a fast-paced and sometimes stressful environment.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite or related software.
• Must be authorized to work in the United States without current or future sponsorship.

Nice To Haves

• Background experience in dairy, food, chemical, pharmaceutical, environmental, or beverage projects is highly desirable.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate day-to-day workload and priorities with the Director of TOM – PTS; assign tasks, set deadlines, and track progress to ensure timely deliverables.
• Ensure team work complies with company requirements and TOM governance, policies, and procedures.
• Provide technical guidance, clear expectations, and feedback to team members; serve as the first escalation point and escalate issues further when appropriate.
• Communicate process and expectation changes, clarify requirements, and reinforce standard work.
• Review proposals, costing, and supporting documentation for accuracy, completeness, and compliance before submission.
• Foster collaboration, professional development, and continuous improvement within the team.
• Identify workflow and process gaps and opportunities, and recommend and support approved improvements to efficiency, quality, and competitiveness.
• Review customer RFQ documents and engineering specifications to determine appropriate offer scope and identify exceptions or exclusions.
• Prepare cost estimates and written proposals for GEA equipment, services, and systems in coordination with Procurement, Sales, Engineering, and other departments.
• Ensure technical proposals, costing, and other deliverables receive appropriate review and approval under TOM governance, policies, and procedures.
• Research past customer opportunities and projects for comparable pricing.
• Prepare equipment specifications and obtain component pricing from vendors.
• Check process calculations, heat and mass balances, PFDs, P&IDs, and GAs, and coordinate document development with discipline leads.
• Participate in technical, classroom, remote, and independent training to learn GEA’s sales business.
• Participate in customer and internal meetings and support sales activities with customer presentations.
• Maintain the historical pricing database and update the Offer Tracking List.
• Develop and share ideas with team members; follow GEA procedures and work efficiently in a fast-paced environment.
• Perform other supervisor and application engineering tasks as assigned.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision coverage beginning on the first day.
• 12 paid holidays, including a flexible floating holiday.
• 136 hours of paid time off.
• 7% 401(k) employer match.
• Tuition reimbursement.
• Wellness incentive program.
• Confidential Employee Assistance Program.
• Flexible Health Savings and Spending Accounts.
• May be eligible for a discretionary bonus, based on eligibility, and/or equity awards.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior