Lead Application Engineer, Bonding and Gasketing

Henkel; Madison Heights (MI); On-site; USD 85,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health Insurance

Work-Life Balance

401k matching

Family support

Career growth

Job summary

Henkel in the United States is seeking a senior technical role within Adhesive Technologies to lead product recommendations, conduct demonstrations, and troubleshoot for automotive customers. You will supervise lab work, mentor interns and technicians, and document results in Henkel's systems.

The role emphasizes hands-on testing, cross-functional collaboration with Sales, PD, Marketing and Innovation, and ensuring SHE standards are followed on site.

Qualifications

• Chemical/mechanical engineering background; Master’s or Ph.D. preferred.
• 5-10 years of experience in automotive adhesives, tapes and other materials.
• Lead adhesive testing, process validation, troubleshooting, and technical problem-solving.
• Strong communication skills for customer-facing roles.
• Experience working cross-functionally within Sales, BDM, PD, Marketing.
• Mentorship of engineers, technicians and interns.
• Onsite role – office 5 days per week.

Responsibilities

• Lead product recommendations, customized product applications, demonstrations and troubleshooting for customers.
• Supervise laboratory work for samples from customers.
• Lead and mentor interns and technicians.
• Conduct hands-on testing and application work to identify solutions for customers.
• Quantify, document and report technical results to customers.
• Document all engineering activities in Henkel's internal systems.
• Perform and document customer technical visits (meetings, audits, demos, etc.).
• Identify new business opportunities and improve service delivery.

Skills

Chemical engineering

Mechanical engineering

Automotive adhesives

Communication skills

Mentorship skills

Cross-functional work

Leadership ability

Education

Master’s or Ph.D. preferred

Job description

At Henkel, you’ll be part of an organization that’s shaping the future through innovation, sustainability and collaboration. With our trusted brands like Persil®, ‘all®, Loctite®, Snuggle®, and Schwarzkopf® and our cutting-edge technologies, you’ll have countless opportunities to explore new paths and grow. This position is with our Adhesive Technologies business unit – where we empower our people to transform industries and provide our customers with a competitive advantage through adhesives, sealants and functional coatings.

Dare to learn new skills, advance in your career and make an impact at Henkel.

What you´ll do

• Lead product recommendations, customized products applications, new product demonstrations and troubleshooting for customers
• Supervise laboratory work for samples coming from customers,
• Lead and mentor interns and technicians
• Conducts hands-on testing and application work to identify and deliver solutions for customers
• Quantifies, documents and reports technical results to customer
• Documents all engineering activities in Henkel's internal systems
• Perform and document customer technical visits (meetings, audits, demonstrations, troubleshooting, etc.)
• Identifies new business opportunities, enhances the customer experience, and leverages customer feedback to improve service delivery
• Provide product applicationand technical training for field sales teams and customers while serving as akey liaison with Sales, Marketing, Product Development, Innovation, and othercross-functional partners
• Promotes internal innovations and best learnings across accounts
• Adhere to and promote SHEstandards while ensuring quality issues and customer claims are reported andescalated appropriately

What makes you a good fit

• Chemical/mechanicalengineering background required; Master’s or Ph.D. preferred
• 5-10 years of experience in automotives adhesive, tapes and other materials
• Demonstrated ability to lead adhesive testing, process validation, troubleshooting, and technical problem-solving
• Strong communication skills, ability to function in customer facing roles
• Entrepreneurship skills, especially agility to act in a timely manner to meet customer requests
• Experience working cross-functionally within an organization (Sales, BDM, PD, Marketing)
• Ability to act as a leader and ability to influence, organize, coordinate and guide others
• Demonstrated mentorship skills in guiding, training, and teaching application engineers, technicians and interns
• This role is an onsite role - selected candidate will work in the office 5 days per week unless traveling for business.

Some benefits of joining Henkel

• Health Insurance: affordable plans for medical, dental, vision and wellbeing starting on day 1
• Work-Life Balance: Paid time off including sick, vacation, holiday and volunteer time, flexible & hybrid work policies (depending on role), and vacation buy / sell program
• Financial: 401k matching, employee share plan with voluntary investment and Henkel matching shares, annual performance bonus, service awards and student loan reimbursement
• Family Support: 12-week gender neutral parental leave (up to 20 weeks for parents giving birth), fertility support, adoption & surrogacy reimbursement, discounted child and elderly care, and scholarships
• Career Growth: diverse national and international growth opportunities, access to thousands of skills development courses, and tuition reimbursement

The salary range for this role is $85,000.00 and $120,000.00. This range represents the good‑faith minimum and maximum wages the Company reasonably expects to offer for this role at the time of posting. In addition to base salary, this position may be eligible for incentive pay or other forms of compensation, as applicable. The Company also offers a comprehensive benefits package as described above. Actual compensation will be based on factors such as the candidate’s skills, experience, education, training, and work location. This posting is intended to comply with all applicable state and local pay transparency laws. Henkel does not accept unsolicited resumes from search firms or employment agencies. Unsolicited referrals and resumes are considered Henkel property and therefore, Henkel will not pay a fee for any placement resulting from the receipt of an unsolicited referral. At Henkel, we come from a broad range of backgrounds, perspectives, and life experiences. We believe the uniqueness of all our employees is the power in us. Henkel is an equal opportunity employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, disability, veteran status, genetic information, and other legally protected categories.