Applications Engineer/ Manufacturing Estimator

Job Description

Job Description

Job Title: Application Engineer – Mechanical / Manufacturing

Job Description

This role offers the opportunity to act as the technical bridge between customers and a modern manufacturing operation that delivers high-quality components through additive manufacturing (3D printing), CNC machining, welding, sheet metal fabrication, powder coating, and assembly. As an Application Engineer, you will own the customer quoting process, lead production planning, and provide design for manufacturability (DFM) consultation, ensuring that complex, multi-process projects move smoothly from concept to production while balancing cost, quality, and lead time.

Responsibilities

• Review customer requirements, 3D models, and technical drawings to assess project feasibility across additive manufacturing, CNC machining, welding, sheet metal fabrication, powder coating, and assembly.
• Generate accurate and detailed quotes that include material costs, labor estimates, and lead times for single-process and complex multi-process projects.
• Provide design for manufacturability (DFM) and design for additive manufacturing (DfAM) feedback to optimize part geometry, tolerances, and features for 3D printing, CNC machining, welding, sheet metal fabrication, and assembly.
• Recommend optimal manufacturing processes based on part geometry, tolerances, materials, cost targets, and lead time requirements.
• Collaborate directly with customers to refine designs, clarify specifications, and align expectations around manufacturability, quality, and delivery.
• Support the Customer Success team with deep technical expertise during customer interactions, helping to resolve questions and guide technical decisions.
• Prepare manufacturing files and job packets, including 3D printing build preparation, coordination of CNC programming, and sheet metal nesting to ensure smooth handoff to production.
• Plan and schedule jobs across multiple manufacturing processes to optimize throughput, machine utilization, and on-time delivery performance.
• Conduct capacity planning to balance customer demand with available manufacturing resources, coordinating priorities across departments.
• Estimate labor requirements for machining, 3D printing, welding, fabrication, coating, post-processing, and assembly operations to support accurate quoting and planning.
• Coordinate with CNC programming teams to manage programming capacity, prioritize work, and align programming lead times with overall project schedules.
• Work closely with manufacturing leaders to set production priorities, allocate resources, and resolve capacity or scheduling conflicts.
• Analyze part geometry to determine the most suitable manufacturing approach, including additive versus subtractive methods or hybrid process combinations.
• Evaluate material selections across metals, plastics, and composites to ensure compatibility with manufacturing processes and performance requirements.
• Identify potential manufacturing challenges, risks, and bottlenecks and recommend design modifications or process changes to mitigate them.
• Assess trade-offs between cost, quality, lead time, and manufacturing complexity to guide both internal decisions and customer recommendations.
• Support continuous improvement initiatives aimed at reducing costs, shortening lead times, and improving overall manufacturing efficiency and quality.
• Partner with leaders in additive and subtractive manufacturing to ensure a seamless transition from quote and planning stages into production execution.
• Collaborate with quality engineers to define inspection requirements, support first article inspections, and ensure that quality standards are met.
• Coordinate multi-process workflows for hybrid projects that require combinations of 3D printing, machining, welding, coating, and assembly.
• Support business development efforts by providing technical assessments for new capabilities, processes, and manufacturing technologies.
• Collaborate with CNC programmers on manufacturability and programming feasibility to ensure that part designs can be efficiently and reliably produced.
• Demonstrate strong customer focus and service orientation in all interactions, maintaining high standards of accuracy in quoting and planning.
• Manage multiple concurrent projects in a fast-paced environment, using strong time management and organizational skills to meet competing deadlines.
• Work collaboratively across manufacturing teams, demonstrating a practical, cross-functional approach to technical problem solving.
• Proactively learn and adapt to new manufacturing technologies, tools, and processes to continuously expand technical capability.

Essential Skills

• At least 3 years of manufacturing experience with exposure to multiple manufacturing processes.
• Strong knowledge of at least two manufacturing modalities such as additive manufacturing (3D printing), CNC machining, welding, sheet metal fabrication, or assembly.
• Proficiency with 3D CAD software and manufacturing preparation tools used for build setup, nesting, and documentation.
• Demonstrated ability to read and interpret technical drawings, including geometric dimensioning and tolerancing (GD&T).
• Strong analytical skills for accurate cost estimation, labor forecasting, and capacity planning across multiple departments.
• Ability to generate detailed, accurate quotes that incorporate materials, labor, and lead time considerations.
• Solid understanding of design for manufacturability (DFM) concepts and the ability to provide practical feedback to customers.
• Effective verbal and written communication skills to interact with customers, engineers, and production teams.

Job Type & Location

This is a Contract position based out of Seattle, WA.

The pay range for this position is $40.00 - $43.00/hr.

Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to specific elections, plan, or program terms. If eligible, the benefits available for this temporary role may include the following:
• Medical, dental & vision
• Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital
• 401(k) Retirement Plan – Pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions available
• Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents)
• Short and long-term disability
• Health Spending Account (HSA)
• Transportation benefits
• Employee Assistance Program
• Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave)

This is a fully onsite position in Seattle,WA.

This position is anticipated to close on Jul 24, 2026.

About Actalent

Actalent is a global leader in engineering and sciences services and talent solutions. We help visionary companies advance their engineering and science initiatives through access to specialized experts who drive scale, innovation and speed to market. With a network of almost 20,000 consultants and 5,000 clients across the U.S., Canada, Asia and Europe, Actalent serves many of the Fortune 500. We are proud to be an Engineering News-Record (ENR) Top 500 Design Firm for our engineering design services and a ClearlyRated Best of Staffing® winner for both client and talent service.

The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications without regard to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protected by law.

If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation, such as the modification or adjustment of the job application process or interviewing process due to a disability, please email View email address on ziprecruiter.com for other accommodation options.

San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance: Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, for all positions located in the city and county of San Francisco, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Massachusetts Lie Detector: It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI): We may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support parts of our hiring process, including sourcing, screening, and evaluating candidates. AI helps assess applications and qualifications, but final decisions are made by our hiring team. By applying, you acknowledge and agree that your application may be reviewed using AI tools.