Application Engineering Manager

FlaktGroup SEMCO; United States; On-site; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

FläktGroup SEMCO is seeking an Application Engineering Manager to lead the U.S. Application Engineering team for the Data Center Cooling portfolio, including CDUs, CRAHs, and FWU systems.

You will provide technical leadership, develop equipment configurations, and support pricing and customer solutions to balance customer needs with engineering standards and manufacturing capabilities. The role requires strong HVAC knowledge, proven leadership, project management, and the ability to drive

Qualifications

• Minimum 10 years of HVAC application engineering experience.
• Minimum 3–5 years leading engineering or technical teams preferred.
• Experience with CDUs, CRAHs, Fan Wall Units, or similar HVAC equipment.
• Experience supporting mission-critical or data center applications strongly preferred.
• Experience working with consulting engineers, contractors, and hyperscale customers is highly desirable.

Responsibilities

• Lead, coach, and develop the U.S. Application Engineering team.
• Establish departmental goals and individual performance objectives.
• Conduct regular performance reviews and career development discussions.
• Identify training needs and ensure continuous technical development.
• Foster a culture of collaboration, accountability, innovation, and customer focus.
• Support recruiting, interviewing, onboarding, and retention of Application Engineering personnel.
• Oversee customer specification reviews and equipment selections.
• Ensure equipment configurations comply with customer requirements and FläktGroup standards.
• Drive standardization of product configurations whenever possible.
• Support Product Management in developing standardized product offerings.
• Ensure technical proposals are accurate, complete, and delivered on schedule.
• Review complex submittals prior to customer release.
• Coordinate pricing activities with Manufacturing, Supply Chain, and Product Management.
• Improve proposal templates, documentation, and standard processes.
• Develop and implement standardized application engineering processes.
• Improve quotation accuracy, consistency, and response times.
• Standardize engineering tools, templates, calculation methods, and documentation.
• Identify automation opportunities through CPQ and engineering software.
• Monitor KPIs and implement corrective actions to improve departmental performance.
• Collaborate with Product Management on new product development and product standardization.
• Support Supply Chain regarding preferred suppliers and component availability.
• Partner with Project Management and Key Account Coordinators during project execution.
• Serve as the technical escalation point for complex customer issues.
• Support Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT) when required.
• Build long-term relationships with consulting engineers, contractors, and key customers.
• Support strategic product initiatives and technology roadmaps.
• Assist in developing application standards for new products.
• Participate in competitive benchmarking activities.
• Identify opportunities to simplify products while improving customer value.

Skills

HVAC systems

Chilled water

Engineering drawings

Equipment selection

Controls integration

Data center cooling

Manufacturing costing

Leadership

Project management

Cross-functional collaboration

Communication skills

Organizational skills

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Mechanical Engineering

MBA or Master's Degree preferred

Tools

Engineering software

Job description

Reports To: Director of Product Management - US

Role Overview

The Application Engineering Manager is responsible for leading the U.S. Application Engineering team supporting FläktGroup's Data Center Cooling product portfolio, including Coolant Distribution Units (CDUs), Computer Room Air Handlers (CRAHs), and Fan Wall Units (FWUs).

This position provides technical leadership while managing a team of Application Engineers responsible for developing equipment selections, technical proposals, pricing support, and customer solutions. The manager ensures consistent, high-quality application engineering support across all sales opportunities while balancing customer requirements, engineering standards, manufacturing capabilities, and commercial objectives.

The Application Engineering Manager works closely with Sales, Product Management, Engineering, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, and Key Account Coordinators to improve execution, standardize processes, develop technical talent, and continuously enhance the customer experience.

The successful candidate combines strong technical knowledge of HVAC systems with proven leadership, project management, and organizational skills.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead, coach, mentor, and develop the U.S. Application Engineering team.
• Establish departmental goals and individual performance objectives.
• Conduct regular performance reviews and career development discussions.
• Identify training needs and ensure continuous technical development.
• Foster a culture of collaboration, accountability, innovation, and customer focus.
• Support recruiting, interviewing, onboarding, and retention of Application Engineering personnel.

Resource Planning

• Manage workload distribution across the Application Engineering team.
• Prioritize engineering resources based on project schedules and business priorities.
• Monitor quotation turnaround times and workload capacity.
• Coordinate support for major strategic projects and customer opportunities.
• Ensure adequate engineering coverage during vacations, travel, and peak workload periods
• Provide technical leadership throughout the quotation process.
• Support Sales during customer meetings and technical presentations.
• Review complex equipment selections and non-standard applications.
• Assist with technical negotiations and customer clarifications.
• Participate in strategic customer visits and executive presentations when required.

Application Engineering

• Oversee customer specification reviews and equipment selections.
• Ensure equipment configurations comply with customer requirements and FläktGroup standards.
• Drive standardization of product configurations whenever possible.
• Support Product Management in developing standardized product offerings.

Proposal Development

• Ensure technical proposals are accurate, complete, and delivered on schedule.
• Review complex submittals prior to customer release.
• Coordinate pricing activities with Manufacturing, Supply Chain, and Product Management.
• Improve proposal templates, documentation, and standard processes.

Process Improvement

• Develop and implement standardized application engineering processes.
• Improve quotation accuracy, consistency, and response times.
• Standardize engineering tools, templates, calculation methods, and documentation.
• Identify automation opportunities through CPQ and engineering software.
• Monitor KPIs and implement corrective actions to improve departmental performance.

Cross-Functional Leadership

• Collaborate with Product Management on new product development and product standardization.
• Support Supply Chain regarding preferred suppliers and component availability.
• Partner with Project Management and Key Account Coordinators during project execution.

Customer Support

• Serve as the technical escalation point for complex customer issues.
• Support Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT) when required.
• Build long-term relationships with consulting engineers, contractors, and key customers.

Strategic Initiatives

• Support strategic product initiatives and technology roadmaps.
• Assist in developing application standards for new products.
• Participate in competitive benchmarking activities.
• Identify opportunities to simplify products while improving customer value.

Qualifications

Education

• Bachelor's Degree in Mechanical Engineering required.
• MBA or Master's Degree preferred.

Experience

• Minimum 10 years of HVAC application engineering experience.
• Minimum 3-5 years leading engineering or technical teams preferred.
• Experience with CDUs, CRAHs, Fan Wall Units, or similar HVAC equipment.
• Experience supporting mission-critical or data center applications strongly preferred.
• Experience working with consulting engineers, contractors, and hyperscale customers is highly desirable.

Technical Skills

• Strong knowledge of chilled water systems and HVAC applications.
• Ability to interpret engineering drawings and customer specifications.
• Experience with equipment selection software.
• Understanding of controls integration and data center cooling architectures.
• Knowledge of manufacturing processes and product costing is desirable.
• Leadership and coaching
• Strategic thinking
• Decision making
• Resource planning
• Communication and presentation skills
• Cross-functional collaboration
• Project management
• Organizational skills

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

• Quotation turnaround time
• Proposal accuracy
• On-time completion of quotations
• Employee engagement and development
• Achievement of departmental goals

Travel Requirements

• Approximately 20-30% travel, including customer visits, factory support, industry events, team meetings, and strategic project reviews