The Saft  America, Valdese, NC Manufacturing Facility is seeking a n experienced Applications Engineer.   This position will provides support to the Sales & Marketing Team and other teams. Supports the Saft World Class initiative as required.

Responsibilities:

This position will support the definition of value propositions answering to customer needs, will provide assistance to sales to promote Saft's solutions and to face competition, so as to ensure continued growth of the Connected Energy Division in targeted markets. It will also contribute to customer relationship management, and will help to show Saft as the Best supportive battery supplier for their needs. Through a widepsread collection of customer requirements and through direct contacts with customers, it will provide useful market data which can guide future product roadmaps. This role will also include Product Management of Li-Mno2 and Li-SO2 products form Valdese; the incumbent will manage these products through the complete life cycle of the products. 

 Technical proposals for Civil Electronics applications

-  Understand and formalize customers needs  / specifications. Help customers understanding critical aspects of battery performances.

-  Based on customer specifications, recommend the battery  general architecture  (technology, sizing, interfaces)  and work in cooperation with engineering teams to define the most competitive solution as regards performances, costs and lead-time.

- Perform performance predictions  using existing models.

- Write technical proposals evidencing the adequacy of Saft's proposed solution to customer need and pointing out the specific technical merits of Saft's  product.

- In coordination with engineering teams, make sure proposal packages  are in line with customer expectations and are delivered  in a reactive manner.

- Support the sales team to convince customers of the applicability of Saft's products versus competition through calls, customer meetings, specific reports.

- Make sure all proposals are correctly filled, filed and managed in the database system.

 Direct customer support

- Directly support Saft customers on an as-needed basis and represents the main point of contact as regards application or product questions from customers. Coordinate external communication with sales teams.

- Provide escalation of support where needed to factory engineering teams, quality teams or management.

 Sales support

- Assist sales teams in technical discussions with prospective or existing customers during customer meetings, exhibitions and conferences.

- When requested, propose and present technical papers during conferences.

 Education and training

- Contribute to the production and delivery of technical support documents (e.g. technical presentations, white papers, recommended test conditions) for the sales team, distributors and agents, customers. 

- Define and conduct product training sessions with sales teams, distributors and customers.

 Product management OF Li-Mno2 and Li-SO2

- Reviews adequacy of Saft's existing products  versus market needs and formulate recommendations for product adjustments / new products when appropriate.

- Lead Product management  for complete life time of products:& product specification, product definition, development, qualification, product launch, Life time models, Product literature and product positioning, Business cases as needed. Interface with factory teams related to MnO2 and SO2 product developments/ changes.

- Road Maps for these product ranges

 Contribute to competition intelligence

- Identify main  competitors and suggest product bench-marking

- Report useful information about local competitors (eg. product information, major issues, customer feed-back ...)

- Keep informed about strengths and weaknesses of main competitors

 Regulatory and standards environment

- Keep informed of the relevant standards effecting the products and the applications of Saft.

- Review and comment potential impact of new standards or revised standards. 

- When requested, provide support to Saft's people participating to local standard committees. 

Strong knowledge about UN transportation regulations. Be first stop in USA for Saft CE marketing for questions related  to transportation regulations

 Background and Educational Requirements: 

Bachelors degree in an engineering discipline (or equivalent). Preferred with a major in electronics or electrical engineering. 

5-year minimum experience in application engineering, design or development  of industrial products, preferably in a multinational or global company. Previous experience in sales, sales support , marketing or direct contact with customers preferred.

Skills in multi-disciplinary product design and development (electrical , mechanical , electronics design and a combination of these). 

Good customer relation skills. Active listening, ability to solicit and to understand needs from customers. Ability to effectively communicate technical information , including to non-battery experts, and ability to backup technical claims with convincing rationales. Excellent oral and written communication skills. Fully fluent in English. Product management skills.

Comfortable to work in multi-functional teams. Agile, problem-solving and creative thinking.

 Understanding of BtoB markets and of specialty products for industrial markets

Knowledge of North American commercial environments. US citizenship required.

Travel required within North America and occasional international travel.

This position will be a hybrid position with remote work available and occasional visitation to the Valdese facility.

If you meet the qualifications of the position, please submit your resume in confidence using the link provided.