Product Application Engineer

Schneider Electric • Houston, TX

9d • Hybrid

About The Position

The Product Application Engineer (PAE) – Drives serves as the technical owner for motor control and variable frequency drive (VFD) solutions, supporting opportunities from pre-sales through early project execution. This role ensures Drive system architectures are safe, compliant, properly sized, and executable, acting as the technical bridge between Sales, Project Management, and Engineering. The PAE protects the customer, project execution, and Drives portfolio by ensuring only buildable, technically defensible solutions progress into execution.

Requirements

• LV and/or MV VFD systems and motor control applications
• Industrial applications and process understanding
• IEC / IEEE standards related to drives and power quality
• Strong technical communication and stakeholder management skills

Nice To Haves

• Detailed electrical schematics or CAD drafting
• Day-to-day project management
• Commercial negotiations, pricing, or margin ownership
• Factory expediting or order management

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end Drives system architecture, including: LV and MV VFDs, Transformers, line reactors, and filters, Bypass schemes and control architectures
• Validate application suitability based on process conditions, environment, and duty cycle
• Own technical assumptions, risks, exclusions, and deviations related to Drives scope
• Ensure compliance with: Customer specifications, IEC / IEEE standards (harmonics, EMC, insulation, etc.), Schneider Electric Drives application and portfolio rules
• Review customer technical specifications and process requirements
• Validate: Drive and motor compatibility, Constant/variable torque duty cycles, Environmental conditions (ambient temperature, altitude, enclosure type)
• Assess application-specific risks, including: Harmonics, Motor compatibility, Bypass, redundancy, and cooling requirements
• Support Sales during technical discussions with customers
• Define overall Drives solution architecture, including: Drive topology, Input/output filtering, Control philosophy and communication approach
• Ensure alignment with standard and approved Schneider Electric Drives offerings
• Review and approve concept-level documentation: Functional descriptions, Single-line and concept diagrams, Control and interlock philosophies
• Lead or support the technical handover for Drives scope
• Document and communicate: Application constraints, Technical assumptions and exclusions, Known risks (harmonics, motor stress, cooling, bypass design)
• Support early execution phases to prevent rework and late-stage changes
• Collaborate closely with Sales: Enable feasible, win-ready technical solutions
• Collaborate closely with Project Managers: Provide clear scope definition and risk visibility
• Collaborate closely with Engineering & Factories: Promote standard, repeatable Designs
• Challenge non-standard or high-risk Drive applications
• Capture and share lessons learned within the Drives community

Benefits

• We believe that our IMPACT values – Inclusion, Mastery, Purpose, Action, Curiosity, Teamwork – starts with us.
• IMPACT is also your invitation to join Schneider Electric where you can contribute to turning sustainability ambition into actions, no matter what role you play.
• It is a call to connect your career with the ambition of achieving a more resilient, efficient, and sustainable world.
• We celebrate IMPACT Makers and believe everyone has the potential to be one.
• Schneider Electric aspires to be the most inclusive and caring company in the world, by providing equitable opportunities to everyone, everywhere, and ensuring all employees feel uniquely valued and safe to contribute their best.
• We mirror the diversity of the communities in which we operate, and ‘inclusion’ is one of our core values.
• We believe our differences make us stronger as a company and as individuals and we are committed to championing inclusivity in everything we do.
• At Schneider Electric, we uphold the highest standards of ethics and compliance, and we believe that trust is a foundational value.
• Our Trust Charter is our Code of Conduct and demonstrates our commitment to ethics, safety, sustainability, quality and cybersecurity, underpinning every aspect of our business and our willingness to behave and respond respectfully and in good faith to our stakeholders.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: No Education Listed