Sales Engineer I

Sales Engineer — Aerospace & Defense 

A Sales Engineer owns the technical side of quoting and winning aerospace/defense work across precision machining, wire harnesses, and electromechanical assembly. You’ll turn complex RFQs into clear, manufacturable solutions and accurate proposals, coordinating closely with Engineering, Production, Quality, and Purchasing to balance risk, lead time, and margin.

Key responsibilities

• Manage RFQs from OEMs/primes and tier suppliers: review drawings, specs, BOMs, SOW, and flow-down requirements
• Lead technical discovery (fit/function, environment, materials, tolerances, testing, traceability, certification needs, volumes)
• Build detailed quotes: labor content, operations/routings, outside processing, tooling/NRE, inspection/test, lead times, and assumptions
• Provide DFM feedback to improve manufacturability (GD&T risk areas, finish/plating, cable routing, strain relief, serviceability)
• Define manufacturing and quality approach: work instructions, inspection plans/FAI packages, test plans, packaging/documentation
• Support prototypes and NPI through FAI/first articles, revision changes, and ECOs; communicate impacts to cost/schedule
• Coordinate internal reviews (engineering, quality, supply chain) to de-risk schedule and compliance before committing
• Own customer communication: clarifications, technical tradeoffs, change impacts, and program status
• Maintain CRM pipeline, account plans, and identify cross-sell opportunities (machining ↔ harness ↔ assembly)

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related field (or equivalent experience)
• Experience in a customer-facing technical role in manufacturing (sales engineering, estimating, applications, program/ops support)
• Strong ability to read and interpret drawings and specs (GD&T fundamentals, BOMs, wiring diagrams, harness prints)
• Working knowledge of machining and/or harness & assembly processes (connectors, crimping, soldering, potting, labeling, test)
• Clear communicator with strong organization—comfortable managing many parallel, short-run opportunities
• Proficient with quoting/ERP tools and Excel; able to build structured, defensible estimates
• Must be a U.S. Citizen due to contractual requirements

Preferred 

• Familiarity with common A&D quality/documentation expectations (traceability, CoC, FAI/AS9102 concepts, controlled revisions)
• Exposure to IPC/WHMA-A-620 and/or J-STD workmanship standards (as applicable)
• Experience with ITAR/flow-downs and supplier compliance practices

Success measures: quote turnaround time, win rate, margin discipline, schedule commitments met, and customer satisfaction on prototypes/first builds.