Senior Application Engineer

Kensington360; United States; On-site; USD 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Kensington360 is seeking a Senior Applications Engineer to bridge customer requirements with internal teams across lab, quality, production, and sales, focusing on metal powder specifications, oxygen content, PSD, and CoA interpretation.

You will support aerospace and defense customers, qualify materials, respond to RFQs, and communicate technical data clearly while maintaining a collaborative, sales-support mindset in a fast-paced environment.

Qualifications

• MS in Metallurgical Engineering, Materials Science Engineering, or a closely related field.
• Experience with nickel-based superalloys and/or titanium alloys, and their powder production/handling considerations.
• Familiarity with powder characterization methods: PSD, morphology, flowability, density, and oxygen/nitrogen content.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary technical point of contact supporting the sales team during customer calls, site visits and trade shows.
• Respond to technical questions in RFQs and quotes, including powder specification, process compatibility, and certification needs.
• Explain and defend CoA data (PSD, morphology, flow, density, oxygen/nitrogen, satellites) to customers.
• Translate lot-specific deviations into plain risk/benefit language for procurement and program managers.
• Support qualification and certification activities tied to aerospace/defense customers (AMS, NADCAP).
• Assist with audit prep and respond to customer complaints regarding lot-to-lot variability.
• Help customers compare recycled/atomized feedstock to virgin feedstock in terms of quality and consistency.
• Collaborate with R&D, Quality, and Production to stay current on product data for nickel-based superalloys and titanium alloys.
• Respond promptly under deadline pressure for RFQ questions, audit prep, and complaint escalations.

Skills

Technical communication

Customer-facing engagement

Education

MS in Metallurgical Engineering, Materials Science Engineering, or closely related field

PhD in Metallurgical Engineering or Materials Science Engineering (preferred)

Job description

The Senior Applications Engineer is our client's metallurgical expert, serving as a bridge between customer requirements and internal stakeholders such as lab activities, quality topics, production team, and the sales team. This is a technical sales support role, critical to the sales cycle when conversations move from price and delivery into technical details pertaining to metal powder including particle size distributions, oxygen content, and spec conformance.

Key Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary technical point of contact supporting the sales team during customer calls, site visits, and trade shows.
• Respond to technical questions embedded in RFQs and quotes, including powder specification requirements, process compatibility, and certification needs.
• Explain and defend certificate of analysis (CoA) data - PSD, morphology/sphericity, flowability (Hall flow, Carney flow), apparent/tap density, oxygen and nitrogen content, and satellite formation - to customer engineering and quality contacts.
• Translate lot‑specific deviations or shifts (e.g., an oxygen content or PSD question on a specific lot) into plain risk/benefit language that purchasing and program managers can act on.
• Support qualification and certification activities tied to aerospace and defense customers, including AMS specification conformance, NADCAP‑related documentation, and customer‑specific quality system requirements.
• Assist with audit preparation and respond to customer complaints regarding lot‑to‑lot variability, working closely with Quality and Production to identify root cause and corrective action.
• Help customers and prospects - particularly in conservative, qualification-heavy industries like aerospace - understand how the company's recycled/atomized feedstock compares to virgin feedstock in terms of quality and consistency.
• Partner with R&D, Quality, and Production to stay current on product data for the company's powder portfolio, including nickel‑based superalloys (e.g., Inconel 718, MarM247) and titanium alloys (e.g., Ti‑6Al‑4V).
• Respond promptly and accurately under deadline pressure, particularly for time‑sensitive RFQ technical questions, audit prep, and customer complaint escalations.

Qualifications

Required

• MS in Metallurgical Engineering, Materials Science Engineering, or a closely related field.
• Working knowledge of nickel‑based superalloys and/or titanium alloys, and an understanding of how their powder production, handling, and application considerations differ.
• Familiarity with standard powder characterization methods: particle size distribution (PSD), morphology/sphericity, flowability testing (Hall flow, Carney flow), apparent and tap density, oxygen/nitrogen content, and satellite formation.
• Understanding how powder feedstock characteristics affect additive manufacturing process outcomes - laser powder bed fusion (L‑PBF), EBM, MIM, Binderjetting, and/or DED - including part porosity, mechanical properties, and repeatability.
• Experience presenting technical data to engineering audiences and defending spec conformance under scrutiny, not simply reading a CoA or PSD report aloud.
• Prior experience at an additive manufacturing powder producer, OEM materials lab, or aerospace/energy manufacturer performing incoming material qualification.
• Comfortable in a customer‑facing, sales‑support capacity - collaborative and non‑territorial about the commercial relationship.

Preferred

• PhD in Metallurgical Engineering or Materials Science Engineering; adds credibility with PhD‑level customer contacts at OEMs and prime contractors.
• Coursework or thesis work in powder metallurgy, solidification, or the physical metallurgy of superalloys or titanium.
• Direct familiarity with AMS specifications, NADCAP requirements, and other customer‑specific quality systems common among aerospace and defense buyers.
• Prior exposure to how recycled/atomized feedstock is perceived, evaluated, or qualified in conservative industries such as aerospace.

Candidate Qualities

• Trusted Advisor, who pairs metallurgical depth with the temperament of a trusted advisor. Equally comfortable defending a certificate of analysis to a PhD‑level OEM engineer and translating a lot deviation into plain‑language risk guidance for a purchasing manager.
• Technically credible, based on experience qualifying incoming material, defending spec conformance, standing behind test data.
• Collaborative and motivated by making the sales team and the customer successful.
• Resilient and adaptable; able to operate with urgency and in high‑pressure environments.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

What Success in the Role Looks Like

• Members of the Sales team treat you as the trusted technical resource on powder characterization and metallurgy - you are brought in early on technical questions, not just when things go wrong.
• Customers experience clear, credible answers to technical questions (e.g., a powder lot's oxygen content or PSD shift) in real time, without unnecessary escalation.
• Qualification, audit, and complaint‑response cycles move faster because documentation and technical framing are handled proactively.

Work Environment and Physical Requirements of the Role

• The position is largely based in an office environment, with periodic interaction in the manufacturing facility (loud noises, moving mechanical parts and exposure to metal powders).
• Strict adherence to safety protocols is required when in the manufacturing facility.

Travel

• Regular domestic travel will be required - other work locations, customers, trade shows, vendor sites, etc.

About the Company

• Our client is a leading producer of fully atomized AM‑grade metal powders, transforming industrial metal feedstock into high‑performance powders used in aerospace, defense, medical, and energy applications. They are committed to quality, sustainability, and building a skilled, safety‑first workforce.
• Candidates must be eligible to live and work in the U.S. in order to be considered for the position.
• Our client is an equal opportunity employer. They evaluate all applicants for employment without regard to race, religion, sex, age, sexual orientation, or veteran status.