Sales Engineer – Industrial Automation

Koester Corporation

Napoleon (OH)

On-site

USD 90,000 - 120,000

Full time

14 days+

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Benefits offered by this job

Dental, Health, and Vision insurance

Life insurance

Paid time off

Paid vacations

401(k)

Job summary

Koester Corporation, based in Napoleon, OH, is seeking a technically strong Senior Sales Engineer to lead our engineering sales within the Electrical Engineering department. You will walk the plant floor, scope systems, layout panels, and price jobs to ensure success from day one.

Responsibilities include growing customer relationships, defining project scope, developing BOMs and system architectures, and leading the proposal engineering function as the team expands.

Qualifications

Eight years of experience in controls engineering, systems integration, or technical sales in industrial automation.
Four-year Engineering Degree (Electrical, Mechanical, or Electrical Engineering Technology) or equivalent experience.
Strong understanding of control panel design, including UL 508A requirements.
Proficiency with Rockwell or Siemens controls equipment and PLCs.
Familiarity with HMI/SCADA software.
Proven ability to scope and estimate controls projects accurately.
Strong communication and presentation skills with engineers, maintenance, and management.
Proficiency with Microsoft Excel and Word.
Highly organized and detail-oriented, with ability to manage multiple quotes and deadlines.

Responsibilities

Serve as the primary technical sales contact for existing customers.
Build long-term relationships with plant engineers, maintenance managers, and purchasing.
Identify and pursue new customers and markets as the sales team grows.
Maintain an accurate sales pipeline, quote log, and forecast.
Conduct site walks and meetings to define project scope and panel requirements.
Develop preliminary panel layouts, BOMs, and system architectures.
Build quotations using standard building blocks: panel design, PLC programming, HMI/SCADA, startup/commissioning.
Set pricing, prepare proposals, and present to customers.
Negotiate scope, terms, and change orders; follow up on quotes to close new work.
Hand off won projects with scope, budget, and schedule to engineering.
Support project engineers as the customer’s point of contact for scope changes.
Review quoted vs actual hours to improve estimating accuracy.
Help develop and refine quoting standards, templates, and sales processes.
Travel to customer sites regionally and nationally.

Skills

Controls engineering

Technical sales

Estimating/proposals

Communication/presentation

MS Office (Excel/Word)

Project coordination

Travel readiness

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Electrical/Mechanical/Engineering Technology

Tools

Rockwell PLCs

Siemens PLCs

HMI/SCADA software

Job description

Koester Corporation – Napoleon, OH 43545

Pay:

$90,000 to $120,000/Year plus annual bonus, depending on experience and capabilities

Job Type:

Full-time

Work Location:

On-site/In Person (Napoleon, OH)

About Us:

Koester Corporation, located in Napoleon, OH, has been around for over 50 years, providing engineering services and industry solutions to a wide variety of customers. What started in 1970 building control panels for the foundry industry has grown into a full-service partner with in-house controls engineering, panel building, machining, and fabrication. We are actively seeking an experienced, technically strong Senior Sales Engineer to join our Electrical Engineering department and lead our engineering sales.

At Koester, we take pride in being a solutions provider. Our customers span material handling, water and wastewater, aerospace, and automotive, along with many other industries. With projects across the U.S., no two jobs look the same. In this role, you won’t just pass along leads. You will be the technical face of Koester to our customers: walking the plant floor, scoping the system, laying out the panel, and pricing the job so it is set up to succeed from day one. As our team grows, this position will lead our proposal engineering function.

Essential Skills and Duties:

Grow and Manage Customer Relationships:

Serve as the primary technical sales contact for our existing customers, who drive the majority of our business.
Build long-term relationships with plant engineers, maintenance managers, and purchasing to identify upcoming projects early.
Identify and pursue new customers and markets as our sales team grows.
Maintain an accurate sales pipeline, quote log, and forecast.

Scope and Engineer Solutions:

Conduct site walks and customer meetings to define project scope, I/O, control architecture, and panel requirements.
Develop preliminary panel layouts, bills of material, and system architectures detailed enough to quote accurately.

Estimate, Price, and Close Projects:

Build complete quotations using Koester’s standard building blocks: panel design, PLC programming, HMI/SCADA development, and startup/commissioning.
Set pricing and margins, prepare proposals, and present them to customers.
Negotiate scope, terms, and change orders.
Follow up on open quotes and close new work.

Hand Off and Support Project Execution:

Hand off won projects to engineering with a clear scope, budget, and schedule.
Support project engineers as the customer’s point of contact for scope questions and change orders.
Review quoted versus actual hours on completed jobs to continuously improve estimating accuracy.

Lead and Mentor:

Help develop and refine our quoting standards, templates, and sales processes.

Travel to Customer Sites:

Regular regional travel in northwest Ohio and surrounding areas for site walks and customer meetings.
Occasional overnight travel to customers across the U.S.

Minimum Qualifications:

Minimum of eight years of experience in controls engineering, systems integration, or technical sales in industrial automation.
Four-year Engineering Degree (Electrical, Mechanical, or Electrical Engineering Technology), or equivalent experience.
Strong understanding of control panel design, including UL 508A requirements.
Proficiency with Rockwell or Siemens controls equipment and PLCs.
Familiarity with HMI/SCADA software.
Proven ability to scope and estimate controls projects accurately.
Strong communication and presentation skills with engineers, maintenance, and management.
Strong proficiency with Microsoft Excel and Word.
Highly organized and detail-oriented, with the ability to manage multiple quotes and deadlines.

Bonus Qualifications: