Hydraulic Engineering Manager

Cindavi; Minneapolis (MN); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading engineering solutions provider in Minnesota is looking for an Application Engineering Manager to lead a team and manage technical customer projects. This role entails providing hands-on leadership for complex hydraulic and electro-hydraulic engineering tasks while ensuring customer requirements are met. The ideal candidate has at least 7 years of experience in application engineering and a strong background in hydraulic systems. The position offers opportunity for professional development in a dynamic environment.

Qualifications

• 7 or more years of experience in application engineering, hydraulic systems, or electro-hydraulic integration.
• Prior experience leading or mentoring engineers.
• Strong understanding of hydraulic systems, controls integration, and customer-specific applications.

Responsibilities

• Provide hands-on technical leadership and ensure customer requirements are clearly defined.
• Act as a primary technical interface for key customers throughout solution development.
• Lead, mentor, and develop a team of application engineers.

Skills

Application Engineering

Hydraulic Systems

Team Leadership

Technical Problem Solving

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering

Bachelor’s degree in Mechatronics

Bachelor’s degree in Fluid Power

Job description

Take the lead on advanced hydraulic and electro-hydraulic systems while building and developing a high-performing team.

About the Position:

The Application Engineering Manager provides hands‑on technical leadership and people management for a multidisciplinary application engineering team. This role leads customer‑facing engineering efforts from concept through production while remaining actively involved in the technical execution of complex hydraulic, electro‑hydraulic, and control system solutions.

Serving as both a working technical leader and a people manager, this position ensures customer requirements are clearly defined, technically sound, and translated into manufacturable, reliable solutions. The Application Engineering Manager works closely with customers, sales, design, controls, quality, and production teams to deliver systems that meet performance, reliability, and schedule expectations.

This role plays a key part in setting technical standards, strengthening engineering processes, and reinforcing the organization’s reputation as a trusted engineering partner.

Key Responsibilities:

Technical Leadership and Execution

• Remain actively engaged in application engineering work, including system architecture, design reviews, troubleshooting, and validation
• Serve as technical lead or co‑owner on complex, high‑risk, or high‑visibility customer projects
• Review and approve system concepts, component selections, schematics, drawings, and technical documentation
• Support prototype and production system development, including test planning, execution, and results review
• Provide hands‑on technical guidance during problem‑solving, root‑cause analysis, and performance optimization

Customer Engagement and Project Ownership

• Act as a primary technical interface for key customers throughout requirements definition, solution development, and validation
• Partner with sales and applications teams during customer meetings, proposals, and technical presentations
• Ensure customer requirements are clearly documented and translated into robust engineering solutions
• Lead technical escalation management for field issues and customer concerns
• Support system commissioning, startup, and troubleshooting activities at customer sites as needed

People Leadership and Team Development

• Lead, mentor, and develop a team of application engineers
• Balance workloads to support project execution and individual development
• Conduct regular one‑on‑one meetings, performance reviews, and development planning
• Set clear expectations for technical quality, documentation, and customer responsiveness
• Support onboarding and training of new engineers

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Mechatronics, Fluid Power, or a related discipline
• 7 or more years of experience in application engineering, hydraulic systems, or electro‑hydraulic integration
• Prior experience leading or mentoring engineers
• Strong understanding of hydraulic systems, controls integration, and customer‑specific applications