Principal Application Engineer

Cindavi; Fort Snelling Unorganized Territory (MN); On-site; USD 100,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

PTO 24-28 days

Relocation assistance

Job summary

Cindavi in the Minneapolis-Saint Paul metropolitan area (Orono onsite) seeks a Principal Application Engineer to lead complex hydraulic applications for off-highway equipment. You will guide component selection, support customers, and mentor peers, focusing on technical depth and clear decision rationale.

You will own manifold design, contribute to R&D projects, and collaborate across design engineering, sales, purchasing, production, and service teams.

Qualifications

• B.S. in Mechanical Engineering is required.
• At least eight years of relevant experience in hydraulic systems, component design, or applications engineering.
• Deep, hands-on hydraulics knowledge, including cartridge valves, spool valves, filters, and complex circuits beyond basic plumbing.
• Strong customer-facing communication and presentation skills, including the ability to explain technical concepts and handle questions confidently.
• Off-highway equipment experience, such as agricultural, construction, lawn and turf, forestry, mining, or similar machinery applications, is a strong fit.
• Manifold design and R&D/new-product development experience are preferred.
• Familiarity with CAD, hydraulic schematics, 2D drafting tools, and Automation Studio or comparable hydraulic modeling software is a plus.
• Willingness to work fully onsite and travel up to 20%.

Responsibilities

• Evaluate new RFQs involving complex hydraulic circuits and specify cartridge valves, spool valves, filters, and related components for OEM/off-highway applications.
• Contribute to manifold design and lead R&D projects for new products, taking ownership of the technical development work.
• Mentor junior and application-level engineers, providing technical guidance on hydraulic systems, design approaches, and engineering practices.
• Support customers through technical presentations, clear explanations of design decisions, and responses to application and component questions.
• Collaborate with design engineering, sales, purchasing, production, and customer service to address technical needs across the business.

Skills

Customer-facing communication

Presentation skills

Mentorship

Education

B.S. in Mechanical Engineering

Tools

CAD

Hydraulic schematics

2D drafting tools

Automation Studio

Job description

A complex hydraulic circuit. A customer with tough questions. A junior engineer looking for direction. Ready to be the technical expert they all turn to? Join our team and put your hydraulics experience at the center of the work.

Job Summary

We're hiring a Principal Application Engineer in the Minneapolis-Saint Paul metropolitan area, with fully onsite work in Orono, Minnesota. You'll take on complex hydraulic applications for off-highway equipment, guide component selection, support customers, and help less-experienced engineers strengthen their technical judgment.

You'll lead through technical expertise and mentorship rather than people management. You'll contribute to manifold design, own new-product R&D projects, and collaborate with design engineering, sales, purchasing, and production. We need deep system and component expertise paired with the ability to explain design decisions clearly.

What You'll Do

• Evaluate new RFQs involving complex hydraulic circuits and specify cartridge valves, spool valves, filters, and related components for OEM/off-highway applications.
• Contribute to manifold design and lead R&D projects for new products, taking ownership of the technical development work.
• Mentor junior and application-level engineers, providing technical guidance on hydraulic systems, design approaches, and engineering practices.
• Support customers through technical presentations, clear explanations of design decisions, and responses to application and component questions.
• Collaborate with design engineering, sales, purchasing, production, and customer service to address technical needs across the business.

What You'll Bring

• B.S. in Mechanical Engineering is required
• At least eight years of relevant experience in hydraulic systems, component design, or applications engineering.
• Deep, hands-on hydraulics knowledge, including cartridge valves, spool valves, filters, and complex circuits beyond basic plumbing.
• Strong customer-facing communication and presentation skills, including the ability to explain technical concepts and handle questions confidently.
• Off-highway equipment experience, such as agricultural, construction, lawn and turf, forestry, mining, or similar machinery applications, is a strong fit.
• Manifold design and R&D/new-product development experience are preferred.
• Familiarity with CAD, hydraulic schematics, 2D drafting tools, and Automation Studio or comparable hydraulic modeling software is a plus.
• Willingness to work fully onsite and travel up to 20%.

We offer an annual base salary of $100,000-$120,000 and 24-28 days of PTO. Relocation assistance may be considered depending on your location. If you're ready to solve demanding hydraulic challenges and help others build better solutions,