Sales Application Engineer

Hillenbrand•Kansas City, MO

About The Position

The Applications Engineer is the primary technical liaison among customers, sales, engineering, manufacturing, product management, and external partners. The role evaluates customer requirements; develops engineered solutions; selects and specifies equipment; prepares technical proposals and quotations; and provides application expertise throughout the sales and project lifecycle. Working with sales teams, representatives, customers, and engineering partners, the Applications Engineer develops material handling, feeding, weighing, process, and automation solutions that meet customer specifications and business objectives. The position supports revenue growth, customer satisfaction, successful project execution, and continuous improvement through technical leadership and application expertise. The role involves customer and internal technical support, proposal development, equipment selection and configuration, project coordination, customer-site visits, technical presentations, and training. Typical travel is 10–25%, depending on business and project needs. The position may be performed in office, manufacturing, laboratory, warehouse, and customer-site environments.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Process Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, or a related technical field.
Alternatively, an associate degree in Engineering Technology or a related field with 2–4 years of relevant engineering, applications engineering, technical sales, or capital equipment experience.
2–4+ years of experience in applications engineering, technical sales, systems engineering, process engineering, capital equipment sales support, or industrial equipment applications.
Experience developing engineered proposals and customer solutions.
Experience working directly with customers and sales organizations.
Ability to work in office, manufacturing, laboratory, warehouse, and customer-site environments.
Ability to read technical drawings, specifications, and digital displays.
Ability to stand, walk, climb, and safely access industrial environments.
Ability to occasionally lift materials or equipment weighing up to 75 pounds.
Ability to use required personal protective equipment, including safety glasses, hearing protection, and safety footwear.
Willingness to travel to customer, supplier, representative, and company locations as required; typical travel is 10–25%, depending on business and project needs.

Nice To Haves

Experience supporting material handling, bulk solids processing, feeding, weighing, conveying, mixing, automation, or related industrial systems.

Responsibilities

Evaluate customer processes, specifications, and operational requirements to develop technically sound and commercially viable solutions.
Select, specify, configure, and cost company and third-party equipment to meet project requirements.
Develop material handling, feeding, weighing, and process system solutions based on customer needs.
Review customer specifications, drawings, and process requirements to determine optimal equipment configurations.
Ensure proposed solutions align with company capabilities, business objectives, and customer expectations.
Participate in material testing and help validate proposed solutions.
Support customer qualification, validation, and commercialization activities.
Serve as a technical advisor to sales teams, representatives, distributors, engineering contractors, and customers.
Provide technical support throughout the sales process, from initial inquiry through project award.
Assist Regional Sales Managers and sales representatives with customer presentations, application discussions, and proposal reviews.
Support bookings, revenue, and profitability objectives.
Ensure the accuracy of equipment quotations, pricing, and system configurations.
Assist in developing and maintaining sales reports, metrics, and business statistics.
Help identify new business opportunities and application areas for existing and new products.
Prepare and review engineered proposals, quotations, technical documentation, and equipment specifications.
Develop complete technical solution packages for customer projects.
Coordinate proposal activities with Engineering, Manufacturing, Purchasing, Customer Service, and external suppliers.
Track proposal and project activities to support timely execution and customer responsiveness.
Maintain consistency and best practices in application engineering and equipment selection.
Use engineering and customer documentation tools such as AutoCAD, AutoCAD LT, Visio, or similar tools.
Use CRM systems such as Salesforce, Oracle CRM, or comparable systems.
Interpret and review mechanical drawings, electrical schematics, process diagrams, manufacturing drawings, and engineering specifications.
Serve as a technical expert for assigned products and solutions and maintain working relationships with customers, sales representatives, distributors, suppliers, and engineering firms.
Conduct equipment demonstrations, product evaluations, inspections, and technical reviews.
Travel to customer sites to evaluate applications, support installations, conduct training, review specifications, and troubleshoot performance issues.
Present technical solutions to customer management, engineering, operations, and procurement teams.
Develop and deliver technical training for customers, sales personnel, representatives, and distributors.
Participate in customer seminars, sales meetings, trade shows, and technical workshops.
Create and maintain application guides, technical presentations, and success stories.
Support technical competency development across commercial and technical teams.
Maintain current knowledge of products, technologies, markets, and industry trends.
Contribute to continuous improvement initiatives and maintain a safe work environment while complying with environmental, health, and safety requirements.