DFOS Application Engineer (Greater Chicago Area)

Position Summary:  The Applications Engineer is responsible for supporting the development, testing, deployment, and ongoing support of our new fiber optic leak detection product and data acquisition product lines. This role encompasses a broad range of engineering activities, including product testing, technical documentation, data collection and analysis, project coordination, field support, and customer assistance.

The Fiber Optic Applications Engineer serves as a technical subject matter expert for PermAlert's fiber optic products. As an SME, this position provides advanced technical support for field testing of new products, product installations, project drawings, troubleshooting, and customer-specific applications. The position also works closely with engineering and software development resources to coordinate development activities and support the timely release of high-quality products and software.

The successful candidate will possess strong curiosity, attention to detail, a willingness to learn, and an interest in developing deep technical expertise across the product lifecycle. The ideal candidate will be comfortable working across engineering, manufacturing, sales, field service, and customer-facing activities.

Essential Job Functions:

· Plan and execute Initial product performance testing and documentation to develop an expert-level understanding of PermAlert’s fiber optic product line

· Develop project objectives and timelines for tracking and reporting progress to relevant stakeholders

· Coordinate resources between multiple disparate parties internally and externally to accomplish objectives

· Develop and maintain user documentation, instruction manuals, application notes, quick references, datasheets and other product support documents.

· Create and maintain sales and production documentation including bills of materials (BOMs), Assembly instructions, testing procedures, and setup guides for fiber optic product lines

· Create project specific documents such as ‘as-built’ drawings, electronic mapping files, and any other required to complete a project drawing package.

· Provide on-site engineering support during the release of new product lines including data collect, troubleshooting, and engineering feedback

· Train Field technicians on new products including installation procedures, troubleshooting, and best practices

· Manage advanced technical activities on-site and remotely for complicated or customer unique challenges beyond field technician abilities.

· Collaborate with the sales organization to develop technical materials, including white papers, technical briefs, application documentation, and customer-specific technical information

· Develop procedures for validating and testing new applications

· Maintain communications and coordinate activities with regulatory and product testing agencies as required by the market and applicable product requirements

• Collect, organize, and maintain MTF, FMEA, functional analysis, and other product development data.
• Support continuous improvement activities related to product performance, manufacturing, installation, testing, and customer suppor
• Performs other duties / projects as assigned or as required by the position.

Reporting: 

Reports to the Electronics Product Manager.

Job Requirements:

Education: Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering or a related engineering discipline preferred. Equivalent combination of education, training, and relevant engineering experience may be considered.

Experience: Minimum 5 years of engineering experience, preferably in product development, applications engineering, field engineering, or a related discipline.

Qualification / Requirements:

• Strong attention to detail and a demonstrated desire to learn new technologies
• Previous project management or design experience are a must
• Previous experience with new product deployment
• Knowledge of fiber optic systems, instrumentation, data acquisition, networking, or industrial monitoring systems is preferred.
• Experience with customer focused engineering, technical support, or applications engineering
• Working knowledge of engineering drawing tools such as AutoCAD, Revit, Bluebeam, or equivalent
• Ability to organize and prioritize tasks for multiple projects with limited supervision
• Experience in software or firmware development and best practices a plus.
• Experience with product development process including the development design qualification requirements, design stage gating, design testing, and validation.
• Willingness to learn new skills and investigate new tools and technologies to improve products and processes.
• Ability and willingness to work collaboratively in a cross-functional team environment.
• Strong interpersonal, written and verbal communication skills
• Proficiency with computers and standard office software.