Principal Application Engineer - Physical Systems

Cadence; Livonia (MI); On-site; USD 100,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

Cadence is seeking an Application Engineer – Presales of CAE Simulation software with a focus on multi-Body Dynamics in Livonia, MI. You will partner with sales teams to translate complex engineering challenges into simulation-driven solutions across automotive, aerospace, defense, and heavy equipment industries.

You will engage customers early to understand workflows, design robust PoCs, and demonstrate CAE capabilities, solver accuracy, and workflow efficiency in real-world scenarios.

Qualifications

• Strong background in multibody dynamics and CAE simulation methods.
• Experience translating engineering challenges into simulation-driven solutions.
• Ability to develop PoCs and present technical results to customers.

Responsibilities

• Partner with sales teams to drive technical strategy through the sales cycle.
• Engage with customers on product design and validation workflows for MBD, FEA, CFD.
• Deliver high-impact technical presentations and demonstrations.
• Develop and execute PoCs using customer CAD geometry and material properties.
• Architect end-to-end CAE workflows aligned with customer IT and HPC environments.
• Support RFIs/RFPs with technical methodologies and V&V approaches.
• Travel up to 30% to support engagements.

Skills

Multibody Dynamics

CAE Simulation

PoC Development

Technical Presentations

RFIs/RFPs responses

Sales Collaboration

Tools

Adams

Adams-Car

Romax

Job description

Application Engineer – Presales of CAE Simulation software with focus on multi-Body Dynamics

At Cadence, we hire and develop leaders and innovators who want to make an impact on the world of technology.

Skillset required for products like Adams, Adams-Car, Romax or similar competitor solutions.

• Partner directly with sales teams to drive technical strategy throughout the sales cycle, translating complex customer engineering challenges into simulation-driven solutions that enable both a technical win and a business win.
• Leverage strong mechanical engineering fundamentals (solid mechanics, fluid dynamics, heat transfer, materials science, and dynamics) to engage with customer design and analysis teams across industries such as automotive, aerospace, defense, and heavy equipment.
• Engage early with customers to understand product design and validation workflows, for multi-Body Dynamics including structural analysis (linear/nonlinear FEA, fatigue, durability, crash, NVH) and CFD applications (aerodynamics, thermal management, conjugate heat transfer, multiphase flow) and align simulation solutions to their development processes.
• Apply expertise in engineering design and simulation of complex systems—including vehicle structures, aircraft components, satellite assemblies, and general mechanical structures—to position CAE tools as a core enabler of digital product development and design optimization.
• Own the technical sales lifecycle, from requirements discovery through validation, ensuring alignment between customer product design challenges and the capabilities of CAE tools, solver technologies, and simulation workflows.
• Deliver high-impact technical presentations and demonstrations that reflect real-world engineering scenarios, such as structural integrity validation, lightweighting, thermal management, and aerodynamic performance, demonstrating solver accuracy, robustness, and workflow efficiency.
• Develop and execute advanced proof-of-concept (PoC) studies using customer-specific CAD geometry, material properties, boundary conditions, and load cases to validate simulation accuracy and demonstrate measurable engineering outcomes (e.g., weight reduction, improved stiffness, reduced drag, thermal efficiency).
• Architect end-to-end CAE solution workflows including geometry preparation, meshing strategies, solver setup, Multiphysics coupling, optimization, and post-processing—aligned with customer infrastructure (on-prem HPC, cloud, GPU acceleration).
• Provide technical leadership in deal strategy, positioning differentiators based on deep understanding of numerical methods, solver formulations, meshing techniques, and engineering accuracy requirements.
• Support RFIs/RFPs with highly technical responses, including simulation methodologies, verification & validation (V&V) approaches, correlation to physical testing, benchmarking data, and system architecture designs.
• Build trusted advisor relationships with customer engineering teams, providing guidance on best practices in simulation-driven design.
• Lead technical objection handling, addressing challenges related to solver fidelity, scalability, model complexity, numerical stability, and integration into CAD/PLM and digital engineering ecosystems.
• Conduct competitive technical benchmarking, comparing solver performance, accuracy, scalability, and workflow automation to clearly position advantages in real-world engineering applications.
• Collaborate with product management and R&D teams, communicating industry-specific needs such as electrification, lightweighting, advanced materials (e.g., composites), space applications, and digital twin initiatives.
• Enable internal sales teams and partners through training on simulation fundamentals, application workflows, and technical value messaging tailored to mechanical engineering audiences.
• Develop reusable technical assets, including validated models, application notes, and industry-specific demonstration cases.
• Support pre-sales deployment readiness, ensuring proposed solutions align with customer IT, HPC environments, and engineering workflows prior to purchase.
• Troubleshoot technical issues during evaluations and PoCs, including mesh generation, solver convergence, nonlinear instabilities, and performance tuning to ensure successful outcomes.
• Drive revenue growth through technical excellence, increasing win rates by demonstrating how simulation accelerates design cycles, reduces physical testing, and improves product performance.
• Travel as required (up-to 30% of the time) to support customer engagements, technical workshops, and onsite evaluations across domestic and international locations.

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