Day-in-the-life: R&D Solutions Sales Engineer at HI-LEX

You start the day scanning your CRM pipeline, prioritizing outreach to prospective and existing customers. Your goal: spark conversations around HI-LEX’s latest R&D developments and uncover where our technology can remove friction in their designs.

Morning

• Proactively connect with engineering teams and purchasing stakeholders at target accounts to introduce current R&D product capabilities.
• Prepare demos and visuals, including annotated 3D model views, to discuss technical concepts clearly with mixed technical and non-technical audiences.

Midday

• Host customer discovery calls to map requirements, pain points, and success criteria.
• Review 3D models and technical drawings, applying DFM, FMEA, and GD&T principles to spot improvement and new design opportunities.
• Document findings in the CRM (e.g., Salesforce) and translate them into structured, actionable inputs.

Afternoon

• Partner with HI-LEX engineers to convert customer insights into design concepts and modifications.
• Support RFQ/quotation efforts by ensuring proposals precisely reflect technical requirements and constraints.
• Maintain up-to-date expertise on HI-LEX manufacturing methods and material specs—such as ultrasonic welding capabilities and material compatibility—to guide feasible solutions.

Always-on

• Benchmark competitors and track industry trends to shape R&D strategy and the long-term product roadmap.
• Build and sustain strong relationships across customer engineering and purchasing functions.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Engineering Technology, or a related technical discipline.
• 3–5 years in product engineering, technical sales, or business development—ideally in automotive or manufacturing.
• Fluency in core engineering practices: DFM, FMEA, GD&T; proficient reading and interpreting 3D models and technical drawings; ability to open, manipulate, and section models.
• Excellent written and verbal communication; able to convey complex topics to non-technical stakeholders.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office; CRM experience (e.g., Salesforce) highly preferred.

Core Competencies

• Product development and design thinking.
• 3D modeling literacy for review and collaboration.

Work Environment & Travel

• Open seating office with flexibility to change desk location as needed.
• Periodic travel by air, car, or train to HI-LEX sites, customer locations, and supplier facilities.

Physical Requirements

• Ability to lift up to 20 pounds.
• Typical office noise (mobile phones, group conversations, virtual meetings).

If you’re energized by turning customer challenges into manufacturable innovations, you’ll thrive in this bridge role between the market and HI-LEX engineering.