Application Engineer

Working closely with our clients key Account Management and Sales, this role will provide technical support throughout the customer lifecycle, from pre-sales activities and product development through installation, training, and post-sales support. Support the hiring, development, and training of Application Engineers supporting the U.S. Maintain close communication with Japan-based sales, engineering, and global teams regarding product applications, performance, and customer issues.

Application Engineer 

Location - Billerica, MA area

Reason for the opening:
The person in this role now will be going back to Japan in January of 2027 and the plan is to have as much knowledge transfer to take place as possible before he leaves.  

Summary

The Application Engineer will serve as the primary technical interface between our client in Tokyo and key customers in Massachusetts.

Working closely with our clients key Account Management and Sales, this role will provide technical support throughout the customer lifecycle, from pre-sales activities and product development through installation, training, and post-sales support.

Key Responsibilities

• Serve as the technical expert for key OEM customers and develop strong relationships with their engineering and technical teams.
• Gather, analyze, and translate customer requirements into technical specifications for new products and features.
• Collaborate with the Tokyo-based engineering and development teams to ensure products meet customer requirements.
• Collect and communicate Voice of the Customer (VOC) feedback to support product and business development.
• Provide technical support for customer evaluations, system integration, and initial product installations.
• Develop and deliver technical training for customer engineering, operations, and service teams.
• Develop, revise, and distribute customer-facing technical documentation in collaboration with the Tokyo development team.
• Lead root-cause analysis and resolution of product performance and reliability issues.
• Provide timely and accurate responses to customer technical inquiries and action requests.
• Collect, analyze, and track product performance data from field applications.
• Monitor competitive products, including features, specifications, performance, and relevant supply-chain information.
• Support the hiring, development, and training of Application Engineers supporting the U.S. 
• Maintain close communication with Japan-based sales, engineering, and global teams regarding product applications, performance, and customer issues.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Physics, Mechanical Engineering, or a related technical field.
• 5+ years of professional engineering experience; customer-facing experience preferred.
• Experience with cryopumps and/or ion implantation equipment.
• Experience with high-vacuum technology preferred.
• Semiconductor industry experience preferred.
• Master’s degree in Physics, Mechanical Engineering, or a related field is a plus.

Key Competencies

• Excellent technical, communication, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
• Strong customer-service orientation with a high sense of urgency and responsiveness.
• Self-motivated with the ability to proactively coordinate across internal and external teams.
• Strong project-management and relationship-building skills.
• High level of integrity, professionalism, flexibility, and teamwork.
• Willingness to take ownership and go above and beyond to meet customer and business needs.

Travel Requirements

This position requires frequent travel to customer sites throughout Massachusetts, including Edwards Vacuum, Applied Materials, ASML, and Axcelis Technologies. Occasional international travel to Japan is expected, approximately 1–2 times per year.

During the initial training period, the selected candidate may be required to spend up to two weeks at a time in Japan for technical and product training.
Salary range, $110k to $125k

It is the policy of GCR to provide equal opportunity to all qualified applicants and employees without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, protected veteran or disabled status, or genetic information. GCR is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer and embraces diversity in our employee population.