The Asia Pacific (AP) Team is delivering innovative energy solutions to the world and seeking a motivated Principal Applications Engineer (PAE) to join our exciting Oil and Gas Business Development team.
As a PAE, you are responsible for directing the Company's internal activities associated with supporting the sale of new turbo-machinery packages for the Oil and Gas market across the Asia Pacific region.
You collaborate closely with Field Sales and a wide cross section of other departments to plan, develop, and execute technical and commercial strategies necessary to successfully compete for new equipment business.
Specific responsibilities include the review of customer specifications, selection and optimization of Solar's turbo-machinery equipment offering, pricing custom features, coordination of Construction Services and Customer Services scope, and proposal preparation.
We are looking for a passionate contributor who can move the needle to win business with the Sales team and a strong desire to advance into an international field sales position in the future.
Nature and Scope:
- Provide product and application expertise to the global field sales teams and customers.
- Develop solutions to technical problems involving other Solar organizations such as Engineering, Project Management, and Quality as well as external suppliers and customers in the resolution of specific issues.
- Apply state-of-the-art tools for producing data that describes the selected equipment.
- Consult with Sales on Solar’s solution capabilities to improve the competitiveness of Solar’s offering.
- May assist Sales in difficult or complex customer negotiations as well as in the implementation of complex projects.
- Identify creative solutions to manage Solar’s risks associated with projects.
- Is responsible for not only identifying and managing critical issues but also for bringing them to an agreeable conclusion.
- Participate in the discussion of the philosophy, design, and application of package features and alternatives.
- Continually increase product and process knowledge in order to perform duties more effectively.
- Improve knowledge of the performance capabilities and limitations of Solar’s entire product line, as well as knowledge of sales strategy, economics, competitor capabilities, and customers.
Principal Accountabilities:
- Provide timely and accurate support to Field Sales personnel to assist in the capture of new equipment sales.
- Assist in the preparation of proposals by reviewing customer specifications, developing corresponding technical comments/exceptions and developing Applications Check-sheets (ACS) with accurate custom feature pricing.
- Select the optimum equipment configuration to competitively satisfy the customer’s needs.
- Devise alternative innovative approaches to customer applications when standard equipment cannot be utilized.
- Ensure commercial and technical risks are effectively managed during proposal preparation and specification reviews.
- Defend Solar’s standard product design in customer negotiations. Using your relationship-building skills, influence customers decisions towards Solar’s solution.
- Upon a successful order, hand the project over to Business Management, and Project Engineering, with complete technical and commercial definition but also critical commercial and technical issues so that it can be executed efficiently.
- Coordinate and assign tasks to other company departments and groups as part of the response coordination in support of customer inquiry activity.
- Define projects accurately to ensure margin erosion is minimized through shipment.
- Continue to expand product knowledge. Utilize PAE tools to generate proposals, custom features and ACS’s.
- Responsible for several relatively difficult inquiries. Spend considerable time in customer meetings and negotiations.
Environment:
- Occasionally collaborate with teams in the USA requiring a flexible work schedule.
- Travel is required within the Asia Pacific region.
- Function in multicultural environments, collaborating with other professionals to prepare technical and commercial proposals and coordinate contract details as well as to respond to unique project conditions/demands.
- Deal with dynamic, fast paced, ever shifting conditions and challenges against competition and demanding customers.
Minimum Qualifications:
- Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical, Electrical Engineering or equivalent, and at least three years of experience in related engineering assignments, preferably with turbomachinery applications.
- Must demonstrate general knowledge of turbomachinery principles and theory, mechanical and electrical engineering and applications related to our business.
- Knowledge of Solar’s policies, products and processes, and a familiarity with Solar’s markets and industry standards.
- Moderate Solar and/or marketplace experience is required, including the engineering and operation of the equipment along with potential impact to customers.
- Demonstrated cross functional leadership; in order to identify and secure resources necessary to prepare proposals, deliver on commitments
- Strong negotiation and influencing skills; Able to effectively influence a variety of business partners, peers and customers.
- Must demonstrate the ability to interface cross culturally as well as cross functionally.
- Self-driven, motivated, ability to work independently.
- High level of emotional intelligence
- Candidates must have a desire to move into a field sales position and demonstrate the basic capability to execute this career progression in the future.
