Application Engineer Supervisor PTS Sanitary

GEA • Columbia, SC

18d

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 Supervisor coordinates priorities, deliverables, and due dates across Sales, Process Engineering, and TOM leadership; provides functional leadership through coaching, mentoring, and training; serves as a first point of escalation for team members; and supports compliance with TOM governance, policies, and procedures. The role also performs Application Engineering work for assigned opportunities. Leadership activities are expected to account for half of working time.

As Supervisor, the position coordinates workload and priorities, assigns tasks and deadlines, tracks progress, provides technical guidance and feedback, reviews proposals and related deliverables, supports adoption of process changes, and identifies workflow improvements. The position fosters collaboration, professional development, and continuous improvement.

As an Application Engineer, the role reviews customer RFQs and engineering specifications, identifies exceptions or exclusions, prepares cost estimates and proposals, researches comparable pricing, prepares equipment specifications, obtains vendor pricing, and checks process calculations and technical documents. The role coordinates document development with discipline leads, participates in customer and internal meetings, maintains historical pricing and offer tracking information, supports sales presentations, and completes training to learn GEA’s sales business. The position is based in the United States and does not offer visa or work 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 for supporting team members and communicating with internal and external stakeholders.
• Demonstrated ability to provide functional leadership through influence, including coaching, mentoring, prioritization, and work coordination.
• Technical-commercial awareness and ability to identify risks and opportunities in proposals and project estimates.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, including the ability to break down complex issues and remove roadblocks.
• Ability to lead engineering teams by establishing clarity and direction and building a positive team environment.
• Creativity in developing innovative and competitive solutions.
• Excellent English verbal and written communication skills.
• Self-motivation, good interpersonal skills, and ability to work both independently and as part of a team.
• Strong customer focus, organizational skills, attention to detail, and time management, with the 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 visa sponsorship.

Nice To Haves

• Experience with 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, establish deadlines, and track progress.
• Ensure team work complies with Company requirements and TOM governance, policies, and procedures.
• Provide technical guidance, clear expectations, and feedback to team members; coach, mentor, and train current and future application engineers.
• Serve as the first point of escalation for team members, resolve issues, and escalate further when appropriate.
• Communicate process changes and expectations, 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; identify workflow gaps and recommend or support approved improvements.
• Review customer RFQ documents and engineering specifications to determine the appropriate offer 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 proper review and approval under TOM governance.
• 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, coordinating document development with discipline leads.
• Complete training through hands-on, classroom, remote European-center, and independent learning opportunities.
• Participate in customer and internal meetings; 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 perform other assigned tasks.

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 and/or equity awards, based on eligibility.

What This Job Offers

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