Applications Engineer

Functional area: Marketing

Country: United States

City: California

Company name: Edwards Vacuum, LLC

Date of posting: Nov 4, 2024

Our solutions are a key part of most industries - electronics, medical research, renewable energy, food production, infrastructure, and many more. Working with us means working with the latest technologies and groundbreaking, sustainable innovations.

Join us on our journey for a better tomorrow.

Drive your Career, Explore Opportunities, Realize your Passion . . .

We at Edwards Vacuum believe that there is always a better way. This spirit drives us to provide leading edge technology, innovative and sustainable products, as well as best in class service to our customers around the globe.

That's where you come in - we believe our people make it happen. We provide a collaborative, inclusive and flexible work environment along with competitive compensation and comprehensive wellness & benefits programs.

The Role: The applications engineer is responsible for providing pre-sales and technical product marketing support to the OEM sales team through technical engagements with customers. The role requires knowledge of advanced semiconductor manufacturing technology and engineering-based problem-solving techniques, with duties that include making equipment recommendations, creating and delivering customer presentations, managing field evaluations, influencing product development to support the customer's future process requirements, and investigating complex equipment and process problems.

Main Responsibilities:

• Work with regional product managers and account team as appropriate to develop product value propositions, including cost of ownership modelling for individual products.
• Translate customer requirements into appropriate product recommendations using applications expertise and internal tools (e.g. PumpCalc, TransCalc, TDR, AIBs).
• Prepare and communicate knowledge and understanding of customer technical needs internally.
• Prepare and deliver high quality, persuasive customer and internal communications in a clear, concise and structured manner.
• Maintain up-to-date knowledge of product portfolio and development roadmaps.
• Clearly communicate locally derived and validated knowledge and learning collaboratively with Division and global applications team through internal presentations / meetings, Applications Information Bulletins (AIBs), and providing feedback for Tool Data Resource (TDR).
• Actively acquire knowledge to solve customer problems and create technical solutions. Become familiar with customer processes, equipment, and installed base and how Edwards solutions provide unique value when solving customer problems.
• Collect and share internally market and competitor information, such as market share, new technologies, customer roadmap, competitor intelligence.
• Recommend continual improvement programs (CIPs) and customer corrective action requests (CARs): Investigate and implement solutions.
• Participate with Technical Support colleagues in equipment failure investigations to identify root cause and drive improvements, using methodical analysis techniques (e.g. FMEA, 8D) and applications knowledge.
• Actively engage in knowledge documentation and collaborative sharing using formal and informal tools, including developing best known methods (BKMs) and applications information bulletins (AIBs), and use such knowledge to deliver best known methods to customers.
• Collaborate with internal partners and colleagues to support cross-functional activities.
• Ensure that all areas under direct control are conducted and work in a safe, effective, and environmentally responsible manner in compliance with the Company's Health, Safety and Environment policy and ensure that the requirements local Health and Safety legislation are met.

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily with or without reasonable accommodation and without posing a direct threat to safety or health of employee or others. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential duties.

Education: A 4-year engineering or physical sciences degree or higher is preferred. Bachelor or Master of Science or equivalent work experience in multiple science disciplines is a plus.

Skills: The position requires an employee who can successfully:

• Be a self-motivated learner and proactive knowledge seeker.
• Identify customer needs and collaborate with internal partners to develop and implement solutions.
• Analyze complex problems with intertwined technical and commercial challenges.
• Convey highly technical issues in a succinct and effective manner.
• Manage multiple projects and effectively prioritize tasks based on the evolving needs of the Account Team.
• Identify and influence decision makers within Edwards and the customer's organization.
• Understand the commercial drivers behind the customer's and Edwards' technical initiatives and how they fit within the Account Team's business strategy.
• Evaluate commercial impacts of a technical solution (return on investment, cost of ownership, benefits, share gains, etc.).
• Develop trusted technically credible customer relationships becoming indispensable to the customer being perceived at the go-to technical expert for vacuum pump and exhaust management solutions.

Relevant Previous Experience: Prior semiconductor sub-fab experience a plus. Strong chemical and mechanical background preferable.

Physical Demands and Work Environment: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential duties of this job. The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential duties of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential duties.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit, stand, walk, use stairways to climb to multiple floors within office building, and talk or hear. The employee is occasionally required to use hands and fingers to type or dial, climb or balance, stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl, and reach with hands and arms. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. This position requires frequent computer use. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, color vision, distance vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus.

The employee may occasionally visit customer and Edwards' facilities and be exposed to environments where hazardous material is used. The employee is expected to follow the safety protocols and use required PPE at such facilities but will only be required to do upon completion of the appropriate safety training.

This position requires occasional travel; ~25% and will depend on the needs of the business. Business travel is expected to include overnight or multiple days. The position may occasionally require international travel.

About Edwards: Edwards is a leading developer and manufacturer of sophisticated vacuum products, exhaust management systems, and related value-added services. Edwards solutions are integral to manufacturing processes for semiconductors, flat panel displays, LEDs, and solar cells. They are also used within an increasingly diverse range of industrial processes including power, glass and other coating applications; steel and other metallurgy; pharmaceutical and chemical; and for scientific instruments in a wide range of R&D applications.

Edwards has over 4,000 employees worldwide engaged in the design, manufacture, and support of high technology vacuum and exhaust management equipment. Edwards has state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities in Europe, Asia, and North America.

Diverse by nature and inclusive by choice: Bright ideas come from all of us. The more unique perspectives we embrace, the more innovative we are. Together we build a culture where difference is valued and we share a deep sense of purpose and belonging.