Application Lab Engineer

Graco•North Canton, OH

2d•$75,000 - $131,200•Onsite

About The Position

The Application Engineer, Intermediate plays a pivotal role in collaborating with material manufacturers to drive application development and ensure seamless material validation. This position is focused on bridging technical expertise with customer and market needs, providing hands-on support to sales, channel, material manufacturers and contractors to optimize product integration and enhance solution adoption. By fostering strong partnerships with manufacturers, sales teams, and distributors, the Application Engineer ensures the successful alignment of technical strategies with business objectives, driving innovation and market growth.

Requirements

Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering, Paint Chemistry, or a related field.
3+ years of experience in customer-facing technical roles, particularly within industrial applications.
Strong expertise in application development, material validation, and technical troubleshooting.
Problem-solving and diagnostic skills to address complex technical issues.
Ability to work independently in a highly technical capacity across diverse industrial environments.
Excellent communication and presentation skills, with the ability to explain complex technical concepts to diverse audiences.
Willingness to travel up to 25% within the EMEA region to engage with customers, distributors, and stakeholders.
Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States. This role is not eligible for immigration sponsorship now or in the future (e.g., H-1B, TN, F-1 OPT).

Nice To Haves

Global industrial manufacturing experience and knowledge.
MBA or Master’s degree preferred.
Familiarity with PLC communication and troubleshooting is a plus.
FROSIO and AMPP (formerly NACE).

Responsibilities

Build and maintain strong relationships with customers, distributors, and material manufacturers to support application development and material validation efforts.
Provide hands-on technical support to address customer challenges and optimize product integration into their operations.
Coordinate joint initiatives such as training sessions, product demonstrations, and co-marketing activities to enhance solution adoption.
Act as the primary technical consultant for material manufacturers, sales and distributors, ensuring alignment on product offerings and application strategies.
Advise sales strategies that leverage validated applications and materials to capture new market opportunities.
Collaborate with sales teams to integrate validated solutions into annual sales plans, ensuring alignment with customer needs and business goals.
Identify and capitalize on opportunities to cross-sell or upsell products to contractors and end-users.
Participate in industry events and trade shows to showcase validated solutions and strengthen market presence.
Facilitate the start-up of new equipment for contractors, providing training to ensure proper operation and seamless integration into their workflows.
Partner with internal teams such as marketing, engineering and sales to align technical solutions with customer requirements.
Collaborate with material manufacturers to validate their material and ensure product compatibility with customer needs.
Share insights from customer engagements with internal teams to inform product improvements and innovation strategies.
Support the commercialization of new products by providing technical training and documentation.
Document and analyze application development activities, validation results, and customer feedback to refine strategies.
Generate detailed technical reports on validation outcomes and share them with internal stakeholders and leadership.
Monitor the adoption and performance of validated solutions at distributor and sales team level, providing insights to guide future efforts.
Track and report on key metrics to ensure alignment with business objectives and customer satisfaction goals.