Applications Engineering Manager

Role Summary

Application Engineering Manager
Location: Goleta, CA (#LI-Onsite)

Work Arrangement & Travel
This position is fully onsite in Goleta, CA and requires the ability to travel approximately 20–30% for customer support, pilot trials, installations, troubleshooting, and technical presentations.

Position Summary
The Application Engineering Manager is responsible for leading application engineering activities to support customer acquisition, project execution, and commercial growth, with a strong focus on water membrane and filtration solutions. This role serves as a technical leader and people manager, partnering closely with Sales and Commercial teams to deliver customer-specific solutions, oversee pilot trials, manage technical projects, and ensure consistent global engineering standards. The position provides leadership across the full project lifecycle—from tendering and design through commissioning and after-sales support—while developing a high-performing applications engineering team.

Key Responsibilities

• Define and maintain technical standards, design guidelines, and best practices for assigned product groups

• Approve product releases for customer projects and support complex technical requests

• Ensure technical documentation, manuals, and installation guides are accurate and current

• Authorize product changes related to technical specifications and applications

• Provide advanced technical support to Sales during customer engagements and negotiations

• Lead technical project activities including scope, scheduling, budgeting, and execution

• Assign and manage project resources, including internal teams and external partners

• Support customer trials, pilot installations, troubleshooting, and onsite commissioning

• Lead, coach, and develop application engineering team members

• Manage departmental budgets and initiate corrective actions as needed

• Prepare and oversee 8D reports and manage technical complaints

• Coordinate technical activities with Sales, Operations, Quality, and R and D

Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelors or Masters degree in Engineering (Mechanical, Chemical, Industrial, or related)

• Minimum of 5 years of relevant application or engineering experience

• Experience supporting customer facing technical solutions

• Proven experience working with water treatment and membrane systems (RO, UF, or similar) is required.

Skills and Competencies

• Strong technical and analytical problem solving skills

• Excellent communication and customer facing presentation abilities

• Demonstrated leadership, collaboration, and team development skills

• Ability to manage multiple projects and priorities in a fast paced environment

• Willingness to travel approximately 20 to 30 percent