Lead Applications Engineer

Eaton Corporation•Lathrup Village, MI

4d•$97,000 - $143,000•Hybrid

About The Position

Eaton’s IS VEH VGNA division is currently seeking a Lead Applications Engineer. This role is based at our Southfield, MI facility and offers a hybrid working schedule. Eaton's New Spaces team develops power connection solutions for emerging high-growth markets including AI data centers, electrification infrastructure, energy storage, and industrial power applications. Working closely with key customers and internal design engineering teams, the Lead Product Sales Engineer helps define next-generation power distribution architectures through innovative connector, contact system, and busbar solutions.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Systems Engineering, or a related engineering discipline from an accredited institution.
Minimum five (5) years of engineering experience in electrical systems, power distribution, application engineering, product engineering, systems engineering, or related technical disciplines.
Minimum three (3) years of experience in customer-facing engineering roles, including application engineering, product engineering, systems engineering, resident engineering, sales engineering, or similar technical positions.
Proven experience working directly with customers throughout product development, validation, qualification, or launch activities.
Strong ability to communicate technical concepts and recommendations to engineering, commercial, and leadership stakeholders.
Must be able to work in the United States without corporate sponsorship now and within the future.
No relocation assistance is offered for this position. Only candidates currently residing within a 50-mile radius of the work location (Southfield, MI) will be considered. Active-Duty Military are exempt from this geographical limitation.
Proficiency reviewing and interpreting engineering drawings, 3D models, specifications, validation reports, and technical documentation.
Familiarity with CAD platforms such as Creo, SolidWorks, CATIA, NX, or equivalent engineering tools.
Strong analytical and technical problem-solving capabilities.
Ability to evaluate electrical, thermal, mechanical, and reliability performance data to support engineering decisions and customer applications.
Strong project leadership and organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple technical activities simultaneously.
Demonstrated ability to collaborate cross-functionally and influence decisions without direct authority.
Strong verbal, written, and presentation skills with the ability to communicate effectively with technical and non-technical audiences.
Working knowledge of Microsoft Excel and related tools for technical analysis, customer requirements management, and project coordination.

Nice To Haves

Prior experience working in automotive electrical power distribution, data center power infrastructure, or other high-power electrical infrastructure.
Experience with connectors, busbars, contact systems, power interconnects, or related electrical distribution products.
Experience supporting customer design reviews, product qualification, validation, and design-in activities.
Demonstrated ability to translate customer requirements into product recommendations and development opportunities.
Experience supporting new product introductions, new market development, or strategic growth initiatives.

Responsibilities

Report to the Global Product Line Director and be responsible for providing technical leadership of Power Connections products and solutions for New Spaces.
Work with entire Power Connections sales, strategy, and engineering teams to drive maximum penetration of Power Connections products.
Serve as the primary technical liaison between customer engineering organizations and Eaton Power Connections engineering, product management, manufacturing, quality, and commercial teams for New Spaces applications, including AI data centers, energy storage, electrification infrastructure, and industrial power systems.
Lead customer-facing engineering activities from concept development through product launch, ensuring customer requirements are translated into robust, manufacturable, and cost-effective connector, contact system, and busbar solutions.
Analyze customer specifications, electrical architectures, standards, and application requirements to develop optimized technical solutions for high-current and high-voltage power distribution systems.
Collaborate with customer engineers and Eaton product development teams to define requirements, evaluate design concepts, support design reviews, and guide product validation and qualification activities.
Support customer integration activities by providing technical guidance related to installation, performance, qualification, and application of Eaton power connection solutions.
Lead technical investigations and support customer issue resolution through root cause analysis, corrective actions, testing, and validation activities.
Support technical aspects of customer pursuits, RFQs, and design-in opportunities by evaluating requirements, assessing feasibility, and developing application-specific solutions.
Coordinate cross-functional engineering activities to support product releases, engineering changes, technical documentation, and successful customer launches.
Monitor emerging data center, power distribution, electrification, and connectivity technologies to identify customer needs, application trends, and future growth opportunities.
Provide technical market insights, customer feedback, and application learnings to support product improvements, technology development, and roadmap planning.
Travel to customer locations, technical reviews, validation events, and industry conferences to support customer engagement and business growth.