Applications Project Manager

Blue Bridge People; Auburn (MA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Blue Bridge People seeks an Applications Project Manager to drive technical and commercial execution in a paper-industry product category. You will support customers and sales teams, define suitable equipment solutions, craft high-value quotations, and oversee capital projects through acceptance.

The role blends engineering problem-solving with customer interaction and strategic decision-making, with travel around 25–50% to mills and facilities.

Qualifications

• Bachelor-level degree in a technical discipline (mechanical/chemical/pulp and paper)
• 5+ years of relevant professional experience; ~10 years preferred for quick full-scope
• Experience in paper mills, paper-machine systems, or suppliers to the pulp and paper industry preferred
• Knowledge of doctoring, cleaning, conditioning, filtration, forming in paper-machine applications preferred
• Experience in applications engineering, technical sales support, or complex project leadership considered
• Ability to translate customer applications into equipment configurations and communicate recommendations clearly
• Experience developing technical quotations with cost and margin awareness
• Strong presentation, relationship-building, and cross-functional communication skills
• Willingness to travel roughly 25–50% depending on business needs

Responsibilities

• Serve as a primary technical resource for an assigned product category, including configuration and troubleshooting.
• Respond to technical questions from customers, sales, service, and manufacturing teams.
• Partner with sales during visits, trials, start-ups, and technical presentations to define solutions.
• Qualify opportunities by ensuring proposed equipment matches customer needs.
• Prepare quotations with scope, costing, pricing, margin, and documentation.
• Guide quotes and projects through handoff while addressing technical risks and commitments.
• Lead or support capital projects through installation, start-up, and acceptance.
• Own resolution of complex field issues by coordinating engineering, manufacturing, quality, and service.
• Support consumables and aftermarket opportunities with guidance and margin improvement.
• Capture feedback to support product development and cost reduction.
• Serve as SME for quoting tools and configuration logic to streamline sales processes.
• Develop training materials, case studies, ROI analyses, technical papers, and sales resources.
• Maintain knowledge of installed base, competing products, and market developments

Skills

Mechanical engineering

Chemical engineering

Pulp & paper

Applications engineering

Project leadership

Quotations & costing

Cross-functional communication

Travel readiness

Education

Bachelor's degree in mechanical/chemical/pulp & paper engineering or related technical discipline

Tools

Quoting tools

Product configuration logic

Job description

Massachusetts | Applications and Product Leadership | 25 to 50 Percent Travel

About the Opportunity

We are seeking an Applications Project Manager to support the technical and commercial execution of a paper-industry product category. This person will support customers and sales teams in the field, define the right equipment solution for each application, develop high-value quotations, and stay closely involved in important capital projects through customer acceptance.

This is a highly visible role for someone who enjoys combining technical problem-solving, customer interaction, commercial decision-making, and project execution. The ideal candidate brings paper-industry experience, but strong applications engineers, product engineers, or technical project leaders from custom capital equipment environments will also be considered if they have the technical aptitude, curiosity, and energy to learn the product line.

What You Will Do

• Serve as a primary technical resource for an assigned product category, including product configuration, application fit, troubleshooting, and continuous improvement.
• Respond to technical questions from customers, sales, service, manufacturing, quality, and customer support teams.
• Partner with salespeople during customer visits, trials, start-ups, and technical presentations to identify opportunities and define the correct solution.
• Qualify opportunities before quotation by confirming that the proposed capital equipment matches the customer's application and operating needs.
• Prepare critical and high-value quotations, including scope, costing, pricing, margin, technical documentation, and proposal review.
• Guide routine quotes and projects through a clear handoff to applications and project management resources while remaining engaged on technical risks and customer commitments.
• Lead or closely support important capital projects through installation, start-up, and customer acceptance.
• Own the resolution of complex field issues and trouble jobs by coordinating engineering, manufacturing, quality, service, and other internal teams.
• Support consumables and aftermarket opportunities, including application guidance, supplier qualification, margin improvement, and customer lifecycle needs.
• Capture customer and field feedback to support new product development, design standardization, cost reduction, and product improvement.
• Serve as the subject-matter expert for quoting tools and product configuration logic, helping make the quoting process faster, more accurate, and easier for the sales team to use in the field.
• Develop training materials, case studies, ROI and total-cost-of-ownership analyses, technical papers, and other sales or marketing resources.
• Maintain strong knowledge of the installed base, competing products, market developments, and adjacent product categories.

How the Role Typically Breaks Down - Typical Monthly %

Quoting and commercial support

• 25 to 50 percent

In-person technical and customer support

• 10 to 50 percent

Project execution and oversight

• 20 to 30 percent

Remote technical support

• 10 to 20 percent

These ranges reflect a typical month and may overlap. Travel and workload will vary based on customer activity, project needs, and the assigned product category.

What We Are Looking For

• Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering, chemical engineering, pulp and paper engineering, or a related technical discipline.
• At least 5 years of relevant professional experience; approximately 10 years is preferred for candidates expected to step into the full scope quickly.
• Ideal background includes paper mills, paper-machine systems, or suppliers to the pulp and paper industry.
• Knowledge of doctoring, cleaning, conditioning, filtration, forming, or related paper-machine applications is strongly preferred.
• Candidates from adjacent custom capital equipment environments may be considered, particularly those with applications engineering, product engineering, technical sales support, or complex project leadership experience.
• Ability to understand customer applications, translate technical needs into equipment configurations, and communicate recommendations clearly.
• Experience developing technical quotations, reviewing cost and margin, and managing customer expectations is preferred.
• Strong presentation, relationship-building, and cross-functional communication skills.
• Sound judgment, a bias for action, and the ability to balance urgent technical support with quoting, travel, and project priorities.
• Willingness and ability to travel approximately 25 to 50 percent, depending on business and customer needs.

What Success Looks Like

The successful Applications Project Manager becomes a trusted technical resource for the assigned category. They respond quickly when customers or internal teams need support, improve the speed and quality of quotations, help sales recognize and qualify the right opportunities, and keep critical projects aligned from initial application review through acceptance. Over time, this person will also strengthen the product line through better documentation, training, standardized solutions, improved margins, and lessons learned from the field.

The position includes travel to operating paper mills and industrial facilities. Candidates must be comfortable working in active production environments, following site safety requirements, wearing required personal protective equipment, and moving throughout customer facilities. Travel varies based on customer and project activity.