THE NO-NONSENSE SUMMARY: This position is intended for technical professionals who love to both be very organized and learn about new technologies and how our materials can be used in their applications. Reporting to the Business Development Director, this position will require that you work closely with vendors, customers, and a technical staff of applications engineers.
ROLE’S MISSION
The product and applications engineer supports new technical sales opportunities that increase CAPLINQ’s sales revenue of products supplied by our suppliers.
DESIRED OUTCOMES
- Create & maintain a technical training library for materials-related products and services to train and develop new hires, technical staff, sales, and customers.
- Centralize technical information from suppliers and vendors to facilitate effective use and dissemination.
- Train and manage Applications Engineers to use technical information and training material to support the sales team in providing technical solutions to customers.
CANDIDATE COMPETENCIES | Candidate can/has/is:
- Develop technical expertise in all the applications and product categories offered by the sales team.
- Skilled at analyzing technical information to identify trends, patterns, and areas for improvement in order to continuously improve the technical service function.
- Attention to detail; ensure technical information is accurately consolidated, managed, & disseminated.
- Strong communication skills to effectively train and manage Applications Engineers, as well as to communicate technical information to internal and external stakeholders.
- Effective leadership skills to guide technical service teams, set & manage OKRs and manage projects
- Compile technical training documents and train sales & marketing on our products
THE ROLE
Yes, you read that right – we’re looking for a SUPERSTAR. We’re seeking an organized and technically skilled individual that can both create and maintain a technical library as well as train and manage a team of Applications Engineers. We welcome both experienced technical managers as well as technical individuals who have not yet led a team to apply. The compensation package will be commensurate with the applicant’s experience and skill set.
Our customers require technical information presented to them in a manner that they can comprehend and apply, and we are seeking someone who can both collect, produce and organize this type of information as well as teach and train others to provide this type of support.
You will collaborate closely with the sales team to recommend new products and application methods as well as to comprehend the technical difficulties that our customers encounter while using our products. You will also work closely with our marketing team to understand the products we make and offer and they will work with you to publish much of that technical information online. You will also be responsible for managing a team of application engineers who will field a diverse range of activities and requests related to customer support, service, and coordination of leads and projects.
Your success in this position will hinge on your passion for immersing yourself in the technical details of our products and assisting your team to support sales and customers in selecting and utilizing the appropriate products for their applications. If you are someone who prefers to focus on the technical rather than the commercial side of applications, this may be the ideal position for you.
As a fast-growing multinational, our products and services cater to a variety of industries, including automotive, fuel cell, semiconductor, 5G, hydrogen- & eMobility, and we are seeking a Technical Service Manager to provide the required technical support to drive sales. We are searching for a proactive, super-organized, enthusiastic multitasker who enjoys collaborating with engineers on technologies that will shape the future.
If you are interested in this position, please read on. However, if you find this job post to be exhausting, we recommend taking a nap and exploring other job opportunities.
So, what will you be doing?
The position and responsibility will grow along with you. As a small, but fast-growing company, the role will be exciting for you if you like working in a small team and having a lot of freedom to define your roles and responsibilities. No two days will likely be the same.
Broadly speaking, your work will revolve around the following three activities:
1. Creating and maintaining technical documents of product information (about 40% of your time)
You will receive technical information from everywhere; customers, vendors, and your own technical team. You and your team will be responsible for understanding what it is, and translating it into a format that will help sales support customers’ applications.
Examples of activities:
- Collecting and interpreting test results on our products from sales, customers & vendors
- Interacting with suppliers and customers to get and give the latest data and test results
- Designing, conducting, and leading experiments to generate customer-relevant data
- Creating TDS, Product Selector guides & Presentations to showcase existing and roadmap products
- Answering customer technical inquiries about our products
2. Training and managing a team of Applications Engineers (about 40% of your time)
You will manage a team of application engineers that will be responsible for providing technical support to our customers. You will be responsible for them collecting and using all the information you have created as well as managing them in a way that supports your objectives.
Examples of activities:
- Set Objectives & Key Results (OKRs) for the applications engineers
- Teach and train the applications engineers on all the company’s products and applications
- Teach, train, and lead by example to teach the engineers how to support customers’ projects
- Develop and conduct weekly technical training sessions with engineers, sales staff, and new hires
- Develop the applications engineers also to be able to create and lead technical sessions
3. Centralize and disseminate a technical library (about 20% of your time)
We want to use all this valuable technical information being created. The best way is to centralize and organize it in a way that new hires, technical staff, sales, engineers, and customers know where to find it and how to use it.
Examples of activities:
- Create a library of technical documentation
- Develop a system to onboard new technical hires and sales engineers to learn the technical material
- Regularly teach sales engineers and other colleagues where to find specific technical information
DESIRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE
What mindset do you require?
Skills can be learned. Mindsets, though they can be learned too, are more often a part of who you are. We value the mindset at least, if not more, than either experience or hard skills.
- Curiosity – We want a person who is curious and hungry. Google is your best friend, and you might be secretly addicted to getting as much information as you can. Sometimes you Google too much 😉
- Data-driven – Our culture is a meritocracy. It encourages and rewards decisions that are made with data as opposed to seniority, intuition, or personal experience.
- Continuous Improvement – People and processes can always get better. We’re looking for someone who questions every process to see if there’s no room for improvement. Likewise, if you want to improve yourself, we offer money to support your continuous learning journey.
- Courage – Bosses make mistakes and colleagues aren’t always fair. That’s life. We’re looking for someone who may be afraid to confront these issues, but does it anyway.
What skills do you NOT need?
Before we list the skills you do need, it is important that you know what we skills or experience we do NOT require:
- Complete Product Knowledge – You do not need to be a technical master with all the products we currently offer. If you want to learn, that is more important.
- Experienced Manager – You do not need to have years of experience managing people. Many of us were first-time managers and learned through our system how to become great managers.
What skills do you require?
We don’t even have any hard skills that are required. The ideal candidate would be one who:
-
- Has a technical degree or equivalent experience in Engineering, or Bachelor of Science
- Asks questions, then asks more questions, then asks even more questions
- Is very organized, and likes to have a place for everything and everything in its place
- Is a strong planner and organizer and thrives in getting things done
- Is very computer literate, and knows their way around Google Docs, Sheets & Slides (or Microsoft)
- Is a Google (and ChatGPT) power-user, forever asking Google questions to get new answers
- Has a professional level of written and spoken English (at least 8/10)
- Is optimistic, energetic, and loves to smile
- Pays attention to detail. The very last paragraph of this job vacancy has very important information. Be sure you read it twice before applying.
Skills not required, but that get bonus points (any of them count):
The job we have in mind may not require these skills, but they sure come in handy around here.
- An Engineering Degree: You do not need to be an engineer, but our products are by nature technical, so you will need to be able to grasp the concepts. If you want to learn, we’re able to teach.
- Project management experience: You will need to manage multiple projects simultaneously. This means reporting internally as well as externally to both customers and suppliers. Strong project management skills will help you enormously.
- Love market research: There is always so much to learn in our industry. If you love to dig into the details and then can summarize what you’ve learned in PowerPoint or similar, we can use that too
WHY WORK FOR CAPLINQ?
- Collaborate with outstanding people: We hire only the best. Our standards are high and our employees enjoy working alongside other high achievers.
- Make an immediate impact: New employees can expect to be given real responsibility for the growth of the company. You are empowered to perform as soon as you join the team!
- Gain well-rounded experience: CAPLINQ offers a diverse and dynamic environment where you will get the chance to work directly with executives and develop expertise across multiple areas of the business.
- A work hard, play hard mentality: CAPLINQ places high value on work hard and play hard. We have beer o’clock on Fridays, a summer BBQ, Christmas dinner, and Social Committee events to celebrate the hard work ethic the team has for the company.
There is no need to send your CV unless it looks awesome and you want to impress us with how it looks. Otherwise, we will use your LinkedIn profile (better make sure it is complete!).
Instead, candidates wishing to apply are requested to send an email to hr@caplinq.com that includes:
- A link to your LinkedIn profile (not a CV)
- A one-page, personal cover letter
Let me repeat that last part in a different way… We are looking for people who stand out from the crowd with a well-written, enthusiastic one-page letter telling us why this position speaks to you and what you could bring to the team.
If all you do is send a CV (we told you not to), and no cover letter your application will be discarded without even being read.
