Customer Application Support Engineer II

Watlow; San Jose (CA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Watlow in San Jose, California seeks a Customer Application Support Engineer II to act as the technical go-to for customers, distributors, and sales agents. You will advise on product selection, build quotes, and serve as a post-sale technical resource, linking factory experts with customers.

The role requires strong technical foundation, quoting experience, and clear communication; weekly customer-site presence and occasional domestic travel are expected.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in engineering or related technical field.
• 2+ years in a customer-facing technical role such as applications engineering, inside sales engineering, or technical sales support.
• Working knowledge of electrical and thermal fundamentals (wattage, voltage, heat transfer, temperature measurement).
• Ability to read and interpret customer specs, drawings, and requirements to select/configure products.

Responsibilities

• Quoting: prepare, present, and follow up on quotes for standard and modified products per pricing guidelines.
• Application support: advise customers, distributors, and sales agents on product selection and application, specify the right control products, handle basic troubleshooting.
• Post-sale support: serve as a post-sale technical resource and coordinate issue resolution with internal teams.
• Order support: assist orders for quotes generated and move opportunities through the management process.
• Product investigations: help evaluate/resolve returned material issues and product investigations.
• Relationship building: build strong relationships with customers, distributors, and internal partners across Sales, Engineering, and Operations.
• Sales planning: support territory sales playbooks, account activities, and prospecting research, share data with leadership.
• Channel training: train sales agents and distributors on product applications and Watlow tools such as Visual Designer and configurators.
• Voice of the customer: spot trends and share with process owners.
• Continuous improvement: identify ways to reduce waste and improve team processes using the Watlow Business System (WBS).

Skills

Customer-facing

Technical communication

Quoting experience

Sales support

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering

Tools

Salesforce

CPQ tools

Job description

At Watlow in San Jose, California, we help some of the most technically demanding semiconductor and high-tech customers in the world solve their toughest thermal challenges. Part of a global thermal solutions leader founded in 1922, our heaters, sensors, and controls power industries like semiconductor, aerospace, energy, and industrial equipment.

#PoweredByPossibility

We are hiring a: Customer Application Support Engineer II

San Jose, California

Watlow is seeking a Customer Application Support Engineer II who will be the technical go-to for customers, distributors, and sales agents looking for the right thermal solution. This individual will advise on product selection and application, build and follow up on quotes, and serve as a post-sale technical resource, acting as the link between our factory product experts and the customer.

The ideal candidate brings a strong technical foundation, solid quoting and customer support experience, and the communication skills to explain technical solutions clearly to any audience. This role includes being at the customer site weekly and occasional domestic travel.

What you'll do:

• Quoting: Prepare, present, and proactively follow up on quotes for standard and modified products and services, following established pricing guidelines.
• Application support: Advise customers, distributors, and sales agents on product selection and application, specify the right control products, and handle minor troubleshooting.
• Post-sale support: Serve as a post-sale technical resource and coordinate customer issue resolution with internal teams.
• Order support: Support orders for the quotes you generate and keep opportunities moving through the Opportunity Management Process.
• Product investigations: Help evaluate and resolve returned material issues and product investigations.
• Relationship building: Build strong relationships with customers, distributors, and internal partners across Sales, Engineering, and Operations.
• Sales planning: Support territory sales playbooks, account activities, and prospecting research, and share useful data with sales leadership.
• Channel training: Train sales agents and distributors on product applications and Watlow tools such as Visual Designer and our product configurators.
• Voice of the customer: Spot trends in customer feedback and product gaps, and share them with the right process owners.
• Continuous improvement: Identify ways to reduce waste and improve team processes using the Watlow Business System (WBS).

What you'll need to succeed?

• Bachelor's degree in engineering or a related technical discipline with relevant experience
• 2+ years of experience in a customer-facing technical role such as applications engineering, inside sales engineering, or technical sales support, ideally in an industrial or manufacturing environment
• Working knowledge of electrical and thermal fundamentals, including wattage, voltage, heat transfer, and temperature measurement
• Ability to read and interpret customer specifications, drawings, and application requirements to select and configure the right product
• Hands-on experience building quotes or proposals and working within pricing guidelines
• Experience using a CRM (Salesforce or similar) and an ERP system to manage quotes, opportunities, and orders
• Clear written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to explain technical concepts to non-technical audiences
• Desire and ability to travel occasionally within California and out of state

Preferred qualifications:

• Experience with industrial heaters, temperature sensors (thermocouples, RTDs), or temperature and power controllers
• Experience supporting semiconductor equipment manufacturers or other high-tech customers
• Familiarity with PID control and basic process control concepts
• Experience with product configurators or CPQ tools