Applications Engineering Manager

Caron Engineering is a small but growing company working in the global CNC machine industry. We develop and produce accessories that allow CNC machines to work smarter and more efficiently for some of the largest and most advanced companies in the world.

ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

POSITION SUMMARY The Applications Engineering Manager leads the team responsible for configuring, programming, deploying, and supporting CEI products at customer sites — with primary focus on MiConnect and AutoComp. This person owns the people side, including hiring, training, coaching, and developing the applications engineering team and the Project Manager, and the technical quality side, ensuring work delivered to customers is correct, consistent, well documented, and repeatable. Scheduling and timeline ownership sit with the Project Manager, who reports to this role. The Applications Engineering Manager supports that function by keeping the Project Manager supplied with accurate information on team capability, capacity, and technical effort, but does not build or own the schedule. This is a hands-on leadership role. The manager is expected to remain technically capable enough to run an installation, troubleshoot a difficult application, and act as the final escalation point when an engineer is stuck on site. All employees with disabilities should be able to perform the essential job functions with or without reasonable accommodation. Employee should be comfortable independently arranging travel – hotels, flights and use of personal vehicle – and reporting time and expense accurately.

TEAM LEADERSHIP AND DEVELOPMENT

o Directly supervise the Applications Engineers and the Project Manager, including goal setting, development, and performance management.

o Recruit, onboard, and train new applications engineers; build and maintain a structured ramp-up path covering system components, system options, and the graphical programming environment.

o Conduct regular one-on-ones and formal performance reviews; set individual development goals and identify training needs. o Build depth on the team so that no single customer, product, or application depends on one person.

o Approve time, expense reports, and PTO for direct reports. SUPPORTING THE PROJECT MANAGER The Project Manager owns scheduling and timeline management outright. This role's job is to make sure that function has what it needs and that the team delivers against it.

o Manage the Project Manager as a direct report: set expectations, remove obstacles, and provide the authority and backing needed to hold schedules.

o Supply the Project Manager with accurate technical input — scope of work, expected effort, skill requirements, and which engineers are qualified for a given system or customer.

o Maintain current visibility into team capacity, including headcount, skill coverage, training commitments, and approved time off, communicated to the Project Manager in advance rather than after the fact.

o Flag technical risk early — application complexity, unfamiliar controls, product gaps, or unresolved defects — so it can be reflected in the plan before it becomes a slipped date.

o Hold the applications engineers accountable for meeting the commitments the Project Manager has scheduled, and address performance issues when they don't.

o Verify technical readiness ahead of a job: configuration complete, hardware and materials specified, documentation prepared.

o Monitor labor, travel, and expense costs for customer visits and shop work against expectations. TECHNICAL OVERSIGHT

o Serve as the senior technical escalation point for applications issues — on-site, by phone, or by email.

o Review process flow charts, application programming, and feature documentation produced by the team for accuracy, consistency, and quality before delivery.

o Develop and maintain standards, templates, and reusable configurations that reduce the time to deploy a new system.

o Partner with Software Engineering on defect reports, feature requests, and product testing; represent the realities of the field in product planning discussions.

o Support the integrator channel on MiConnect and AutoComp, and grow the team's ability to do the same. CUSTOMER ENGAGEMENT

o Maintain relationships with key customer contacts and act as the point of contact when an installation or support issue needs a manager.

o Set the tone for professional, responsive, and pleasant customer interaction across the team. o Travel to customer sites for critical installations, escalations, and relationship-building. PROCESS, DOCUMENTATION, AND REPORTING

o Own the documentation standard for applications work — flow charts, configuration records, and application notes — and enforce it consistently.

o Capture recurring field issues and feed them back into training material, product improvements, and knowledge-base content. o Report team performance, capability gaps, capacity constraints, recurring technical problems, and customer escalations to the Engineering Manager and senior management.

QUALIFICATIONS

Internal -

o Direct experience with industrial protocols (i.e. Modbus TCP, Ethernet / IP)

o Experience managing a distributed or frequently traveling team.

o Familiarity with CNC controls (Fanuc, Siemens, Okuma, Mazak, Haas) and industrial networking.

o Experience building training programs or technical documentation from scratch.

o Prior experience with MiConnect, AutoComp, or comparable CEI products.

External –

o Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Software Engineering, Computer Science, or equivalent hands-on experience.

o 2 years leading a team, formally or informally (supervisor, team lead, or project lead).

o Familiarity with CNC controls (Fanuc, Siemens, Okuma, Mazak, Haas) and industrial networking.

o Active driver's license and a presentable, registered, insured, secure automobile for remote work assignments.

o Active passport and immunizations for international travel

o Working knowledge of core programming concepts – Variables, control flow, logic structures – and comfort in a graphical programming environment.

o Proficiency with flow chart design software (Visio or equivalent).

o Excellent analytical and problem solving skills, with strong written and verbal communication.

o Demonstrated ability to prioritize completing technical demand across multiple active customers

Salary & Benefits

· Starting salary of $80,000 to $110,000 dependent on experience and education

· Medical and Dental Insurance

· Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA)

· 401(k)

· Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) in which each year of service allows you to share in company growth

· Paid disability & life insurance

· Paid time-off starting: vacation days (5), Personal days (13), and holidays (11-12 days)

· Personal days increase to 18 after 2 years, 23 days after 3 years

For more information, please visit our website at: https://www.caroneng.com/

Job Type: Full-time

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• Dental insurance
• Health insurance
• Health savings account
• Life insurance
• Paid time off

Ability to Commute:

• Wells, ME 04090 (Required)

Pay: $80,000.00 - $110,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• Cell phone reimbursement
• Dental insurance
• Health insurance
• Health savings account
• Life insurance
• Paid time off

Work Location: In person

Salary : $80,000 - $110,000