Position: Application Development Engineer/Cable Development EngineerLocation: Santa Clara, CA or Seattle, WAThe Application Development Engineer will participate in the design and development of unique and/or proprietary high-speed custom cable assemblies which will integrate into the customer's system. These products are developed in response to specific customer application needs.
Role & Responsibilities- Customer Engagement & Product Selection:
- Work closely with customers to ensure they select the best cable solutions from our portfolio for their application.
- Provide technical guidance on product selection, system architecture, and integration best practices.
- Push back on customer design decisions when necessary to maintain optimal cable performance.
- Share lessons learned, highlighting potential problem areas and best practices.
- Custom Design & Engineering Documentation:
- Design custom cable configurations if needed and document designs with detailed engineering drawings.
- Develop and validate mockup systems with mock cables to demonstrate the best architecture.
- System Architecture & Cable Management:
- Help customers architect their compute trays for optimal hardware layout and cable routing.
- Design cable management systems to ensure proper routing and performance.
- Develop tools for cable installation and removal.
- Technical Support & Knowledge Sharing:
- Provide onsite support at customer and ODM locations during early build phases.
- Conduct technical presentations and training sessions to coach customers on correct product usage.
- Provide technical support to Sales and marketing personnel including technical training, presentations and customer visits.
- Stay abreast of technological developments in the connector and interconnection industries.
- Apply patent request when applicable in order to protect intellectual property.
- Project Management & Collaboration:
- Participate in multiple weekly conference calls with customers, ODMs, and internal teams throughout the development process (typically lasting a few months per project).
- Manage 10-12 concurrent projects, ensuring timely support and execution.
- Draw on the global engineering capabilities of other Divisions for collaborative interconnect product development initiatives to serve a total interconnect solution to the customer.
- Report regular project updates.
Required Skills & Qualifications- Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering (preferred) or 5+ years of relevant experience.
- 2-5 years of experience in product development/design minimum
- Preferred experience designing and developing high speed connectors, cable assemblies and cable assembly systems using SolidWorks or other CAD system.
- Strong technical problem-solving skills and ability to initiate discussions in highly technical environments.
- Analytical reasoning and problem solving.
- Experience with mechanical design and engineering documentation.
- Ability to create and deliver compelling technical presentations.
- Strong organizational skills to handle multiple projects simultaneously.
- Excellent communication skills and ability to push back on suboptimal design choices while maintaining strong customer relationships.
- Willingness to travel to customer and ODM sites as needed, travel will vary with customer program schedules, but expect travel of 2 - 3 weeks per quarter.
