Application Engineer - Seattle, WA

Festo SE & Co. KG•Home Office, UT

22h•$95,000 - $120,000

About The Position

The Application Engineer I/II serves as a technical partner to the sales organization, providing application and technology expertise to support customer automation solutions. The role develops technical knowledge and business acumen through customer engagement, solution development, and project support. The engineer independently manages routine application opportunities and receives guidance on more complex solutions. Working closely with customers, the engineer understands production processes, identifies improvement opportunities, and recommends automation solutions aligned with technical capabilities and business objectives. Approximately 50–70% of the time is spent supporting customers at their facilities, from concept development through commissioning and optimization. The role includes supporting sales and customers on applications and production processes in factory and process automation and relevant industry segments. It assesses proposal feasibility, develops customer-specific solutions, creates requirements and specifications, supports training and product introductions, and collaborates with Festo departments and customers throughout pre-sales and project delivery. Travel to customer sites and company events is required.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree, preferably in electrical, mechatronics, or mechanical engineering, or 2–7 years of relevant business experience.
Fluent in English.
Proficiency with MS Office.
Travel is required for business reasons.
Ability to support customers at their facilities for approximately 50–70% of work time.

Nice To Haves

Experience in project engineering or a similar role.
Two years of experience in the industry segment, such as OEM.
Experience with Quick Search Plus and Festo Part Data Manager.
Proficiency in Positioning Drives, HGO, CACOS, Part Data Manager, and Fluid Draw.

Responsibilities

Provide technical support to sales and customers on applications and production processes in factory and process automation and relevant industry segments.
Assess the commercial and technical feasibility of proposals based on application and technology knowledge.
Propose customer-specific solutions in accordance with industry practices and customer specifications.
Maintain specification lists and technical files, including application examples, competitor information, and test data.
Create requirement specifications together with customers.
Act as the pre-sales interface between customers and relevant Festo departments, in coordination with the sales engineer.
Provide technical training and arrange knowledge transfer for customers on relevant products and applications.
Provide product and application requirements as input to Product Development through PMM.
Support questions concerning norms and regulations.
Assist in identifying and winning projects using application, automation, and sector competence.
Transfer knowledge to enable solutions to be multiplied.
Mentor less experienced application engineers when needed.
Oversee installations and perform commissioning in alignment with specifications and requirements.
Troubleshoot system failures by reviewing and recommending schematic redesigns in coordination with Festo Engineering; modify existing computer operating software programs or support implementation of new programs as directed by Festo Engineering or customer specifications.
Support product introductions, including onsite training during commissioning.
Write bug and failure reports.
Travel for business needs, including training, customer site visits, and company events.
Identify standardized or custom applications and functional solutions, and develop application descriptions to meet customer needs.
Discuss machine concepts to optimize machines and define specifications and concepts.
Promote new products and technologies that provide Festo with a competitive advantage.
Assist with transitioning inactive products to newer products as part of the phase-out process.
Support the Product Segmentation Model by selecting relevant products for solutions and providing input to PMM for continued development of the program.
Participate in projects of varying team sizes and durations.
Support, follow up with, and influence team members.
Transfer knowledge to team members and colleagues.