Application Engineering Manager

JEM Technical•Orono, MN

2d•Onsite

About The Position

The Application Engineering Manager provides hands-on technical and people leadership for JEM’s Application Engineering team. This role is responsible for leading customer-facing engineering activities from concept through production while actively contributing to the technical execution of complex hydraulic, electro-hydraulic, and control system solutions. Serving as both a working technical leader and people manager, the Application Engineering Manager ensures customer requirements are clearly defined, technically sound, and effectively translated into manufacturable solutions. This position works closely with customers, sales, design, controls, quality, and production teams to deliver high-quality systems that meet performance, reliability, and schedule expectations. In addition to managing and developing a team of application engineers, this role remains deeply involved in system architecture, design reviews, troubleshooting, validation, and key customer interactions. The Application Engineering Manager plays a critical role in setting technical standards, improving processes, and strengthening JEM’s reputation as a trusted engineering partner.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Mechatronics, Fluid Power, or related discipline required.
7+ years of experience in application engineering, hydraulic systems, electro-hydraulic integration, or related fields.
Strong understanding of hydraulic systems, controls integration, and customer-specific applications.
Proficiency in 3D modeling and 2D drafting (SolidWorks preferred).
Experience with test planning, system validation, and troubleshooting.
Knowledge of ECO processes, PDM/ERP systems, and NPD workflows.
Strong communication and customer engagement skills.
Valid driver’s license, ability to drive independently, and maintain a safe driving record.
Experience working cross-functionally in manufacturing or production environments.
Ability to travel up to 25%.

Nice To Haves

Prior experience leading or mentoring engineers strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

Remain actively engaged in application engineering work, including system architecture, design reviews, troubleshooting, and validation of hydraulic, electro-hydraulic, and control systems.
Serve as technical lead or co-owner on complex, high-risk, or high-visibility customer projects.
Review and approve system concepts, component selections, schematics, drawings, and technical documentation to ensure quality and consistency.
Support development and validation of prototype and production systems, including test planning, execution, and results review.
Provide hands-on technical guidance to engineers during problem-solving, root-cause analysis, and performance optimization efforts.
Act as a primary technical interface for key customers, guiding requirements definition, solution development, and performance validation.
Partner with sales and applications teams to support customer meetings, proposals, and technical presentations.
Ensure customer requirements are clearly understood, documented, and translated into robust engineering solutions.
Address technical escalations, field issues, and customer concerns with urgency, professionalism, and sound engineering judgment.
Support system commissioning, startup, and troubleshooting activities at customer sites when required.
Lead, mentor, and develop a team of application engineers, fostering technical excellence, accountability, and continuous improvement.
Assign and balance workloads to ensure effective project execution and professional growth opportunities for team members.
Conduct regular one-on-one meetings, performance reviews, and development planning.
Establish clear expectations for technical quality, customer engagement, documentation, and responsiveness.
Support onboarding and training of new engineers to accelerate productivity and integration into the team.
Work closely with design, controls, manufacturing, quality, and operations teams to ensure alignment on project goals and execution.
Coordinate with production to ensure manufacturability and smooth product launches.
Participate in engineering change (ECO) processes and new product development (NPD) initiatives.
Collaborate with leadership to align application engineering priorities with business objectives.
Establish and maintain best practices for application engineering workflows, documentation, and customer engagement.
Identify opportunities to improve efficiency, quality, and consistency across application engineering activities.
Contribute to development of technical standards, design guidelines, and lessons learned.
Support continuous improvement initiatives related to engineering tools, testing capabilities, and project execution.