Senior Application Engineer

Searchworks; City of Melbourne; On-site; AUD 120,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Car allowance

Fuel card

Bonus/commission scheme

Job summary

Searchworks, based in Melbourne, seeks a senior technical pre-sales professional to validate every solution before it goes to quote. You will partner with sales, sign off on technical proposals, and liaise with end users and OEM partners. The role offers autonomy with broad commercial exposure over time.

Ideal candidates have a mechanical engineering background, hands-on production exposure, and the confidence to work independently. Office-based with limited travel expectations.

Qualifications

• Mechanical engineering qualification required.
• Experience in production or process-line environments with conveying/packaging.
• Ability to operate with autonomy from day one.
• Senior technical/commercial role with minimal oversight.

Responsibilities

• Design, validate and cost technical solutions in collaboration with sales, primarily via Teams and site visits for complex applications.
• Review and sign off on proposed solutions across the business.
• Engage directly with end users and OEM partners, including plant and engineering managers.
• Support the commissioning team on post-sale issues; this role is predominantly pre-sales.
• Coordinate with European operations during peak periods.

Education

Mechanical engineering qualification

Job description

The opportunity

This is a senior technical pre-sales role with a well-established manufacturer of inspection and detection equipment. Based at the Head Office in South Melbourne, you'll be the person who validates every solution before it goes to quote — meaning every deal in this business unit passes through you. It's a high-trust, largely autonomous position with real line-of-sight to broader commercial responsibility over time.

About the company

A specialist manufacturer supplying check-weighing, X-ray inspection and metal detection equipment to food & beverage, FMCG, logistics and home goods operations across Australia and New Zealand. Equipment is configured to the application (not sold off the shelf) with deal values typically range from $50K to $1M.

What you'll be doing

• Partnering with the sales team (approx. 70% of the role) to design, validate and cost technical solutions — primarily via Teams, with site visits for complex applications
• Reviewing and signing off on proposed solutions across the business — from quick sanity checks to deep technical involvement
• Engaging directly with end users and OEM partners (approx. 30% of your time) including plant managers, engineering managers and senior stakeholders
• Supporting the commissioning team on complex post-sale issues as needed — this role is approximately 90% pre-sales
• Liaising with European operations, which means occasional early starts or later finishes during peak periods

What we're looking for

• Mechanical engineering qualification — this is non-negotiable
• Hands-on exposure to production or process-line environments involving conveying, packaging or palletising — food & beverage, FMCG, logistics and materials handling all suit well
• Ability to operate with genuine autonomy from day one
• Comfortable in a senior technical/commercial seat without needing heavy oversight

Backgrounds that fit well: design engineer, project engineer, sales application engineer, senior field service engineer with commercial acumen, or a senior site/plant engineer from food & beverage or FMCG.

What's in it for you

• Base salary $120,000–$130,000 (with flexibility for the right person)
• Car allowance ~$18,000 p.a. plus fuel card and tolls (or company vehicle if preferred)
• Bonus/commission scheme
• Approx. 80% office-based — not a heavy travel role
• A senior seat with real influence on how deals are structured and won
• Genuine pathway to broader business responsibility for those who want it