The Applications Engineer I assists the Sales team with technical expertise throughout the sales process. They define equipment configurations and specifications together with customers and internal resources based on process requirements. They provide strategic guidance to the product development teams within the organization on future product development.
To perform this job successfully, the individual must be able to perform each of the primary duties satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill and/or ability required.
- Presents company technology to prospective customers during visits, phone conversations and online meetings.
- Seeks to understand customer requirements (process capability, performance, cost of ownership, etc.) as thoroughly as possible.
- Develops equipment configurations with the customer and the sales management team.
- Validates technical equipment performance specifications (acceptance criteria) with customers.
- Conducts equipment and process demonstrations with process engineer.
- Provides technical application support to customers (remotely and onsite), sales and service staff.
- Attends trade shows and technical conferences.
- Creates technical reports and authors technical papers.
- Analyzes the scope of work for process demonstrations and contract services.
- Researches, collects and reports information on the ability and capacity of company products and competing equipment.
- Aids in the design and development of equipment and systems, and redesign of existing systems to fulfill the needs of customers.
- Responsibilities also include providing equipment functionality and capability reports to the Sales team and acting as technical liaison to the Sales team.
- Develop understanding of product line.
- Must be able to travel domestically and internationally overnight, as needed, up to 70% of the time. Must possess a valid passport.
- This position requires the use of company hired vehicles on company business. Individuals must be physically capable of operating the vehicles safely, possess a valid driver’s license and have acceptable driving privileges.
- Other duties, as assigned.
Additional Duties and Responsibilities:
- Makes necessary engineering calculations to support product selection/recommendation.
- Assumes the primary technical relationship with the customer.
- Identifies customer requirements by establishing personal rapport with potential and current clients.
- Provides input to product feature enhancements and process improvements.
- Promotes company products and provides appropriate technical solutions to customers to help solve their design challenges.
- Acts as a technical bridge between the customer and factory to help solve complex technical problems or develop competitive, high-performance working proposals for customers.
- Supports the customer’s technical seminars and distributor training sessions.
Qualifications/Education/Skills and Experience:
- Individual must have a four-year Engineering degree, with a minimum of seven (7) years of working experience in semiconductor processing or an advanced degree and five (5) years of working experience in semiconductor processing.
- Preferable to have experience with relevant technology.
- Excellent oral and written communication skills.
- Must be able to effectively present information to all levels within a customer organization.
- Must be fully competent on MS Office software.
- Proficiency with JMP is required.
- Experienced in the area of capital equipment for the semiconductor industry.
- Preferable to have experience in semiconductor processing for MEMS, IC, LED or Semiconductor applications.
- Project Management skills for small projects.
- Preferred to have Kepner-Tregoe Problem Solving Decision Management training.