Application Engineering Specialist - Merlo Energy

Galloup • Grand Rapids, MI

7d

About The Position

The Application Engineering Specialist is a key member of the Merlo Energy sales team and reports to the Inside Sales & Service Manager. The role collaborates with Customer Specialists (Outside Sales Representatives) to support customer interactions and sales. It involves preparing quotes, entering orders, and engaging pre-identified leads to understand their requirements and recommend suitable products and solutions. Through proactive follow-up, a consultative approach, technical knowledge, and customer focus, the specialist helps align customer needs with company offerings and contribute to profitable business growth.

The role includes reviewing applications for product sizing and selection, assessing project requirements and documents, recommending materials and equipment, and supporting customers and stakeholders throughout project development. It also involves customer visits as needed, participation in sales and product training, managing project data, and staying current with product offerings and engineering platforms.

Requirements

• 5 years of industrial sales experience or 7 years of technical experience.
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience.
• Critical thinking and attention to detail.
• Competence with MS Office and Excel.
• Ability to read, analyze, and interpret technical documents and bid specifications.
• Strong organization and attention to detail, with the ability to multitask and shift priorities as needed.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, continuously evolving, and sometimes ambiguous environment.
• Strong communication and negotiating skills.
• Relationship-building skills.
• Ability to see, talk, and hear, and ability to sit for 8 hours a day; reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.
• Ability to travel for customer visits and offsite work activities; travel is listed as 20% with minimal overnight travel.
• Possess and maintain a valid driver’s license.

Nice To Haves

• Background in industrial and institutional sales and/or B2B sales.
• Experience with a prospecting system such as ZoomInfo or LinkedIn.

Responsibilities

• Actively engage with pre-identified leads.
• Review applications, including product sizing and selection.
• Clarify customers’ understanding of products and services by answering questions and providing relevant information.
• Communicate project development to customers, outside sales representatives, manufacturers, and the location manager; recommend and/or analyze materials and equipment required for projects.
• Generate and process bids and orders tailored to customer needs.
• Initiate and maintain proactive communication with customers and stakeholders to provide project support and updates.
• Identify and understand project needs and review bid documents, specifications, and drawings.
• Conduct customer field visits as needed to improve the quoting and ordering process.
• Explain product features and applications.
• Communicate with customers and vendors through various channels.
• Participate in sales and product training sessions.
• Manage project data in the system as required.
• Stay current on new and evolving product offerings and use that knowledge in sales activities.
• Maintain a positive, empathetic, and professional attitude toward customers.
• Understand and use engineering platforms within the system.
• Perform other duties and projects as assigned.

Benefits

• Employee ownership.

What This Job Offers

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