Senior Account Sales Engineer

Cognex•Minneapolis, MN

About The Position

The Senior Account Sales Engineer drives sales of Cognex’s ID and Vision product portfolio within an assigned territory, targeting end-users and machine builders. The role is focused on meeting sales quotas, building a pipeline of complex business opportunities, and collaborating with Territory Sales Engineers to deliver strong customer experiences. The Sr. ASE also partners with OEM Sales Engineers, Global Account Managers, and integration partners to provide strategic account coverage. The role executes territory and account sales strategies, develops a 12–24-month pipeline, negotiates contracts, and captures account potential. It includes customer-facing product demonstrations and application assessments, on-site solutions, and hands-on post-sale system programming and configuration support. The Sr. ASE coordinates application evaluations and works with internal teams and integration partners to support strategic opportunities. The position also manages forecasts, uses CRM and Service Cloud tools to track execution and market insights, and engages the End-User Sales Readiness team for technical guidance, application evaluations, and training. It is a field sales role requiring regular customer-site visits; overnight travel may be required depending on geography.

Requirements

5–8 years of experience in technical sales within factory automation or a related industry.
At least 3 years of experience with machine vision or similar fields.
Proven ability to manage complex sales cycles in direct and partner sales environments.
Demonstrated success in solution-based selling and managing long-term, intricate projects.
Experience using CRMs such as Salesforce or equivalent systems.
Ability to sell technical products across organizational levels and build long-term relationships with accounts and partners.
Expertise in demonstrating products and selling Cognex products against competition and account requirements.
Action-oriented and self-motivated, with strong communication and listening skills.
Ability to meet with multiple accounts at their sites weekly; overnight travel may be required depending on geography.
Ability to work independently in a field sales environment.
Valid driver’s license and ability to visit multiple customer sites within a day or week.
Ability to lift up to 25 pounds and demonstrate Cognex products.
Non-STEM candidates may need to pass a technical aptitude test.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution, preferably in a STEM or Business field.

Responsibilities

Drive territory bookings by executing Cognex sales strategies and best practices in territory and account management, serving current and prospective customers.
Build and maintain a 12–24-month pipeline of qualified business opportunities, with a focus on large, complex projects.
Lead contract negotiations and ensure compliance with agreements.
Capture and maintain account potential for current and future opportunities.
Conduct product demonstrations, assess applications, and deliver on-site solutions to address customer needs.
Provide post-sale hands-on support for system programming and configuration.
Collaborate with integration partners and apply the best sales channel approach to secure strategic opportunities.
Partner with Territory Sales Engineers, OEM Sales Engineers, and Global Account Managers to support effective coverage of key end-user accounts.
Coordinate application evaluations, leveraging the Applications Engineering team for technical assessments.
Manage weekly forecasts accurately and ensure timely, clear information flow within the team.
Use CRM and Service Cloud tools to track sales execution, monitor key metrics, and capture market insights.
Understand and apply Cognex sales strategies and processes.
Engage with the End-User Sales Readiness team to provide and receive pre- and post-sales support, technical guidance, application evaluations, and training.