THE NO-NONSENSE SUMMARY: This position is intended for technically strong engineering professionals who love to work with engineers from other high-tech companies to solve their manufacturing challenges. Reporting to the Sales Manager, you will enjoy this position if you like combining your engineering prowess with a commercial mindset. Be sure to read to the end of the description to be sure you don’t miss an important detail.
ROLE’S MISSION
To drive revenue growth and customer satisfaction by leveraging technical expertise and strong communication skills to manage sales projects, convert opportunities into sales, and ensure the successful application of CAPLINQ products in various industries.
DESIRED OUTCOMES (max 3):
- Increase Gross Profit (GP) of new product sales EXW by €60,000/year for the next 3 years
- Manage sales funnel projects to maintain at least €2,000,000 in new potential opportunities
- Convert minimum €500,000 worth of projects into customers per year
CANDIDATE COMPETENCIES | Candidate is able to (max 5):
- Understand technologies and can communicate technical requirements internally and to customers
- Organize & manage projects to clearly communicate status and next actions internally and to suppliers
- Formulate and communicate commercial proposition to all stakeholders
- Recognize, identify and proactively pursue opportunities with our products
- Represent the commercial and technical interests in a professional and educated manner in meetings & reports
THE ROLE
Yes, you read that right – we’re looking for a SUPERSTAR. If the title sounds unconventional, it’s because CAPLINQ is too. We’re looking for that special someone who has not one, but two complementary skills – the amazing ability to understand complex technical applications and requirements, as well as the commercial acumen to manage multiple projects simultaneously to drive sales and profitability.
Let me come right out and say that we welcome new engineering graduates that want to hone their commercial skills as well as more seasoned engineering professionals with 3-5 years of experience. Salary and benefits will be commensurate with experience and skill set.
Our customers don’t respond to old-fashioned sales pitches, and the term “Applications Engineer” better describes the work you’ll be doing than sales. Though the title will be “Sales Engineer”, this title refers more to your ability to close sales based on your technical knowledge and customer support. There will be little prospecting, and there will be no aggressive sales tactics or cold-calling involved. Your leads and projects will mostly all come to you and it will be your responsibility to service, support, and coordinate a very diverse range of activities and requests.
You will be successful in this position if you love diving into the technical details of our many products and helping customers understand how to select and use the right products for their applications. If you consider yourself more someone who wants to help the customer than a pushy salesman – keep reading,
As a fast-growing multinational, our products and services have found a sweet-spot in the market. Our marketing and development teams have created products and content that attract new multinational customers and now we’re looking for that special rockstar that is able to sell and support them in the region.
Do you describe yourself as a proactive, super-organized, enthusiastic, multitasking rockstar that likes to work with engineers on the technologies that will shape the next 20 years? Our customers are mainly American and European multinational manufacturers in the Semiconductor, eMobility, Renewable Energy and Electronics Assembly industries, looking to define the next generation 5G chips, electric vehicles, batteries, fuel cells, and major infrastructure redesigns. Our customers will rely on you to recommend and support projects with epoxies, alloys, adhesives, thermal interface materials, conductive plastics, and ion-exchange membranes. Cool, right?
Does this type of work inspire and motivate you? Then I encourage you to read on. If on the other hand, you’re already exhausted reading this, I recommend you take a nap and check out another job post.
So, what will you be doing?
You will be working closely with our applications engineering and sales teams to manage and drive multiple projects simultaneously. This includes supporting customers with their technical queries, recommending the right products for their applications, and ensuring smooth project execution.
1. Develop/maintain accounts in Europe, Middle East, India, and Africa (EMEIA): (33% of your time)
Manage EMEIA accounts, overseeing supplier communication, project records, technical analysis, business opportunities, and customer visits.
Examples of activities:
- Send monthly reports and coordinate a monthly meeting with all suppliers for the EMEIA region.
- Update and maintain all projects in the CRM with relevant updates and status.
- Create Application Profile Analyses (APAs) for new and existing projects that capture the technical elements of the project.
- Plan your time and activities effectively using your “Bucket List”
- Plan and arrange in-person customer visits for key and potential customers, including presentations, plans, and call reports.
2. Move projects forward both technically and commercially: (33% of your time)
Develop and manage sales presentations, quotes, and lead progression from initial inquiry to qualified opportunity.
Examples of activities:
- Answer, manage, and actively engage in business opportunities from the Ticket system.
- Create, prepare, present & file customer presentations
- Create and justify Quote Worksheets with chosen GM% and put into CRM
- Convert Leads to Prospects (Potential customer requests/receives Samples)
- Convert Prospects to Opportunity (Potential customer proceeds with qualifying samples)
3. Increase technical knowledge about CAPLINQ products and applications (33% of your time)
Engage in continuous learning by reviewing internal resources, participating in technical training sessions, and studying customer presentations to enhance understanding of CAPLINQ products and applications.
Examples of activities:
- Read Blog Articles & Application Pages produced by the AE team.
- Read Product Pages and Product categories to understand which products CAPLINQ offers
- Have 1:1 technical training from applications engineers
- Do self-study usign the the CAPLINQ Library on product categories and applications
- Review customer presentations to learn about similar projects
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 rarely satisfied with the first answer. If you find something that doesn’t agree with what you already think, then we want someone who wants to know why.
- Attention to Detail – We want a person who is organized, manages their time well and has good observation skills. Hint! Don’t forget to read the last paragraph 😉
- 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.
- 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 skills or experience we do NOT require:
- Product knowledge: You do not need to know anything about any of the products CAPLINQ sells, nor any of the services we provide. All will be taught on the job.
- Lots of work experience: We are open to accepting entry-level candidates with the right mindset and can learn on the job. On the other hand, if you have a lot of experience, you are also encouraged to apply. Salary will be commensurate with skills and experience.
What skills do you require?
There are very few hard skills that are required, but the ideal candidate would be one who:
- Is organized. Projects need to be organized & activities prioritized with the tools we have
- Has a technical degree or equivalent experience in Engineering, or Bachelor of Science
- Has a professional level of written and spoken English – especially when replying by email
- Asks questions, then asks more questions, then asks even more questions
- Is a strong planner and organizer and thrives in getting things done
- Is a Google power-user, forever asking Google questions for answers he/she doesn’t know
- 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 does not require these skills, but they are welcome extras, be sure to mention them.
- 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.
- Presentation skills: You will be presenting all the time, be it internally or to customers or suppliers. If you are comfortable in front of a public audience you will be able to use those skills here.
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.
