Principal Application Engineer - Physical Systems

Cadence Design Systems; Livonia (MI); On-site; USD 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Cadence Design Systems is seeking an Application Engineer specialized in Presales for CAE simulation with a focus on multi-Body Dynamics. You will partner with sales teams to translate customer engineering needs into simulation-driven solutions, spanning FEA, CFD, and lifecycle management across automotive, aerospace, and defense sectors.

You will own technical engagements from discovery to PoC, delivering compelling demonstrations and aligning CAE workflows with customer designs and validation

Responsibilities

• Partner directly with sales teams to drive technical strategy throughout the sales cycle, translating customer challenges into simulation-driven solutions.
• Engage with customer design teams on multi-Body Dynamics, including FEA, CFD, and related workflows.
• Position CAE tools as a core enabler of digital product development and design optimization.
• Own the technical sales lifecycle from requirements discovery through validation and workflow alignment.
• Deliver high-impact technical presentations and demonstrations reflecting real-world engineering scenarios.
• Develop and execute advanced PoC studies using customer CAD geometry and load cases.
• Architect end-to-end CAE solution workflows, including geometry prep, meshing, solver setup, and post-processing.

Skills

Solid mechanics

Fluid dynamics

Heat transfer

Materials science

Dynamics

Finite element analysis

CFD applications

Tools

Adams

Adams-Car

Romax

Job description

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

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