What does an application engineer do?

An application engineer is responsible for creating and re-designing system applications based on clients' specifications and sales demands. Application engineers run diagnostic tests on software programs, identify areas of improvement, install necessary updates, upgrade optimization, revise system codes, and provide technical support for customers' needs. They also generate ideas and locate other business opportunities by analyzing current trends in the technology market that would help build revenues and increase profitability for the company. An application engineer must have a strong command of programming languages, software application processes, and general technology disciplines.
Application engineer responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real application engineer resumes:
- Manage $10MM sales territory selling to large OEM's brake mfg.
- Manage multiple projects, resources, customers, and tasks and log activities in CRM.
- Manage a program to aid a customer to go from design, planning, prototyping, and to launch.
- Identify and develop supply chain management opportunities, coordinate and lead RFI, RFQ responses and develop proposal and pricing strategy.
- Manage and facilitate critical ASIC integration projects and processes.
- Lead research and development in touchscreen-interface Linux devices for low-cost HMI implementation.
- Survey & provide energy efficient solutions for retrofit projects by site inspection of existing HVAC systems.
- Customize existing website to meet customer's requirements using HTML, ASPX, CSS and XML languages.
- Conduct SolidWorks and additional product software and hardware presentations and technical support.
- Provide technical support to clinical staff customers resolving database, remote connectivity and image management issues.
- Work extensively with SolidWorks and AutoCAD making models of manufacture parts and creating novel solutions to customer problems.
- Programme Bluetooth application using BLE113 Bluegiga chip.
- Used CSS to style the appearance of various websites.
- Project coordination and implementation of complex voice, data and VOIP accounts.
- Quote material for job bids and RFQ's for upstream and midstream customers.
Application engineer skills and personality traits
We calculated that 8% of Application Engineers are proficient in Technical Support, Java, and C++. They’re also known for soft skills such as Interpersonal skills, Self-confidence, and Technological skills.
We break down the percentage of Application Engineers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Technical Support, 8%
Provided constant technical support for applications to ensure optimal durability and reliability Investigated and resolved technical operational issues of the applications.
- Java, 7%
Initiated and developed a framework to automate generation of test data for Java applications.
- C++, 6%
Designed operator interface with C++ modules for manufacturing sites, improving automation and reliability of tester set-ups.
- Customer Service, 5%
Lead product development for specialty industry equipment and computer programs in coordination with manufacturing, sales, and customer service departments.
- Troubleshoot, 4%
Deployed application WebSphere Application Server Network Deployment in QA, Staging and Production environments and troubleshoot various configuration and application issues.
- UL, 4%
Coordinated UL licensing process for new vertical bus configuration.
"technical support," "java," and "c++" are among the most common skills that application engineers use at work. You can find even more application engineer responsibilities below, including:
Interpersonal skills. The most essential soft skill for an application engineer to carry out their responsibilities is interpersonal skills. This skill is important for the role because "strong interpersonal skills are a valuable characteristic for sales engineers, both for building relationships with clients and effectively communicating with other members of the sales team." Additionally, an application engineer resume shows how their duties depend on interpersonal skills: "utilize phenomenal interpersonal, presentation and product knowledge skills to match the client's wants and needs to the appropriate product. "
Self-confidence. Another essential skill to perform application engineer duties is self-confidence. Application engineers responsibilities require that "sales engineers should be confident and persuasive when making sales presentations." Application engineers also use self-confidence in their role according to a real resume snippet: "implemented salience and confidence scoring modules of relationship and entity extraction tool (nlp) in java. "
Technological skills. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of application engineers is technological skills. This skill is critical to many everyday application engineer duties, as "sales engineers must have extensive knowledge of the technologically sophisticated products they sell in order to explain their advantages and answer questions." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "attended trade shows to present the technological benefits of gea equipment to customers as part of the sales process. "
Problem-solving skills. application engineer responsibilities often require "problem-solving skills." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "sales engineers must be able to listen to the customer’s desires and concerns, and then recommend solutions, such as customizing a product for the customer." This resume example shows what application engineers do with problem-solving skills on a typical day: "developed marketing tools in the form of animated banners in flash to provide visualization and user experience of solution design. "
The three companies that hire the most application engineers are:
- Arrow Electronics302 application engineers jobs
- Siemens244 application engineers jobs
- Discover228 application engineers jobs
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Application engineer vs. Senior project engineer
A senior project engineer is responsible for monitoring the project team's overall process and operations from conceptualization until completion, ensuring the adherence to the clients' specifications, within the budget's goals, and the required deadline. Senior project engineers regularly communicate with the client regarding updates or necessary adjustments. They develop strategic procedures to finish the project efficiently by running diagnostic tests and troubleshooting discrepancies. A senior project engineer must have excellent communication and leadership skills to handle the team's performance and provide assistance when necessary.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between application engineers and senior project engineer. For instance, application engineer responsibilities require skills such as "java," "customer service," "troubleshoot," and "linux." Whereas a senior project engineer is skilled in "construction management," "engineering design," "cost estimates," and "project scope." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Senior project engineers earn the highest salaries when working in the automotive industry, with an average yearly salary of $104,214. On the other hand, application engineers are paid more in the technology industry with an average salary of $100,321.On average, senior project engineers reach similar levels of education than application engineers. Senior project engineers are 0.1% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.3% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Application engineer vs. Manufacturing engineer
Manufacturing Engineers are responsible for handling and developing an efficient manufacturing system or procedure that will help a company produce up to standard products while in adherence to the policies, regulations, and expected cost and schedule. Furthermore, Manufacturing Engineers must also monitor quality control, identify or detect errors, provide and suggest improvements, oversee the procurement of materials involved in the production, and coordinate with various teams or departments within the company to ensure the effectiveness of innovations or new developments.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that application engineer responsibilities requires skills like "java," "c++," "c #," and "customer service." But a manufacturing engineer might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "lean manufacturing," "sigma," "corrective action," and "process improvement."
Manufacturing engineers may earn a lower salary than application engineers, but manufacturing engineers earn the most pay in the technology industry with an average salary of $81,429. On the other hand, application engineers receive higher pay in the technology industry, where they earn an average salary of $100,321.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Manufacturing engineers tend to reach similar levels of education than application engineers. In fact, they're 3.7% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.3% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for application engineers in the next 3-5 years?
Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, College of Engineering Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Villanova University
Application engineer vs. Senior sales engineer
A senior sales engineer is responsible for assisting the marketing and sales team on the technical aspect of operations. Senior sales engineers help the team to structure efficient deliverables and high-quality outputs using their technical expertise for requirements. They identify business opportunities by analyzing sales movements and conducting statistical data management that would generate more revenue resources and attract business partnerships. A senior sales engineer recommends process improvement techniques to meet client requirements and specifications within budget limitations and deadlines.
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, an application engineer is likely to be skilled in "c++," "c #," "customer service," and "troubleshoot," while a typical senior sales engineer is skilled in "cloud," "product management," "rfi," and "sql."
Senior sales engineers earn the best pay in the professional industry, where they command an average salary of $118,325. Application engineers earn the highest pay from the technology industry, with an average salary of $100,321.When it comes to education, senior sales engineers tend to earn similar degree levels compared to application engineers. In fact, they're 1.4% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.8% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Application engineer vs. Software engineer
A software engineer is a computer science professional who is responsible for the development of information systems, designing and building computer systems software and applications software. They often prefer to call themselves as a software developer or computer programmer. They have substantial knowledge of programming languages, software development, and computer operating systems, and other technologies. They use these to turn a plan into a final output. They can create a design, test, and develop software based on the needs of their clients.
Even though a few skill sets overlap between application engineers and software engineers, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, an application engineer might have more use for skills like "c #," "customer service," "troubleshoot," and "ul." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of software engineers require skills like "python," "software development," "database," and "git. "
Software engineers enjoy the best pay in the start-up industry, with an average salary of $122,617. For comparison, application engineers earn the highest salary in the technology industry.software engineers reach higher levels of education compared to application engineers, in general. The difference is that they're 7.1% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.1% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Types of application engineer
Updated January 8, 2025











