Senior Hydraulic Applications Engineer - Lead R&D

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

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.