Senior Application Engineer
Locations: Burr Ridge, Illinois; Danvers, Massachusetts; Appleton, Wisconsin; Eagle, Wisconsin; Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin
Employment Type: Full-Time, Permanent
The Senior Application Engineer will serve as a technical subject matter expert, helping customers select, size, configure, and apply sanitary process equipment for food and beverage and industrial manufacturing operations.
This position combines process engineering expertise, customer-facing technical support, equipment sizing, vendor coordination, quotation preparation, and sales support. The engineer will work closely with customers, plant managers, project teams, engineering firms, consultants, vendors, and the Outside Sales Team to recommend reliable, cost-effective equipment solutions.
The ideal candidate will have strong technical knowledge of valves and positive displacement (PD) pumps, experience with sanitary process systems, and the ability to support equipment selection, pricing, and quotations throughout the project lifecycle.
Required Qualifications- Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Biological Systems Engineering, or a related engineering discipline.
- At least 10 years of process engineering experience in sanitary processing, pumps and valves, or related industries, as stated in the position description.
- Strong knowledge of process design, sanitary equipment, and fluid systems.
- Technical knowledge of valves, including the ability to explain relevant types and applications.
- Strong subject matter expertise in positive displacement (PD) pumps.
- Experience with equipment selection, sizing, pricing, and quotation preparation.
- Demonstrated ability to lead or support customer projects from concept through execution.
- Strong verbal and written communication skills.
- Ability to present technical recommendations clearly to customers and internal stakeholders.
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications.
- Ability to travel to customer locations approximately 20–30% of the time.
Preferred Qualifications- Extensive technical experience with valves used in the food and beverage industry.
- Strong hands-on experience with positive displacement pumps and sanitary fluid-handling systems.
- Experience sizing pumps and valves based on customer process requirements.
- Experience preparing equipment quotations and evaluating vendor pricing.
- Familiarity with P&IDs, engineering drawings, and process design documentation.
- Experience supporting food processing, dairy, beverage, or other sanitary manufacturing applications.
- Proficiency with AutoCAD or similar process design software.
- Experience working with engineering firms, system integrators, consultants, plant managers, or industrial customers.
- Ability to balance technical problem-solving with commercial and customer-service priorities.
The candidate should be comfortable discussing process requirements, interpreting engineering documentation, recommending equipment, sizing pumps and valves, evaluating vendor quotations, and preparing accurate pricing proposals.
The strongest candidates will demonstrate:- Extensive valve knowledge, preferably in food and beverage manufacturing.
- Subject matter expertise in positive displacement pumps.
- Equipment sizing and quotation experience.
- Strong customer-facing communication and presentation skills.
- The ability to manage multiple projects and competing priorities.