Performance Engineering Manager Jobs in Detroit, MI

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Job Summary
The Manager, Application Engineering is a mid-level management role that leads a team of Application Engineers who provide technical solutions, product applications support, and customer-focused engineering expertise. This role ensures effective translation of customer requirements into engineered solutions that support sales, product adoption, and customer success. The Manager, Application Engineering balances people leadership, technical oversight, and cross-functional collaboration to drive solution quality, responsiveness, and commercial impact.
Job Description
Role Overview
The Manager, Application Engineering oversees the delivery of application-level engineering support across products, systems, or solutions. The role ensures alignment between engineering capability, customer needs, and commercial strategy. Responsibilities include managing technical resources, setting application standards, resolving escalated technical issues, and partnering with Sales, Product Management, Manufacturing, and R&D.
This position plays a critical role in enabling revenue growth, ensuring solution feasibility, and maintaining strong customer relationships through high-quality technical engagement.
The role typically reports to a Director of Engineering, Director of Technical Services, Vice President of Engineering, or Commercial Engineering Leader, depending on organizational structure.
Key Responsibilities
People Leadership & Talent Development
Lead, coach, and develop a team of Application Engineers
Set clear performance expectations and conduct regular feedback and performance reviews
Support hiring, onboarding, training, and succession planning
Foster a culture of technical excellence, accountability, and customer focus
Application Engineering & Technical Oversight
Oversee development of customer-specific application solutions and technical proposals
Ensure accurate interpretation of customer requirements and operating conditions
Review and approve technical designs, calculations, and application recommendations
Serve as escalation point for complex or high-risk technical issues
Customer & Sales Enablement
Partner with Sales and Commercial teams to support pre-sales and post-sales technical engagement
Support customer meetings, technical reviews, and solution alignment discussions
Balance responsiveness with technical rigor to meet customer timelines
Ensure application solutions support contractual, performance, and safety requirements
Product & Cross-Functional Collaboration
Collaborate with Product Management and R&D to provide application feedback and requirements
Support product launches and application-readiness activities
Partner with Manufacturing, Quality, and Supply Chain to ensure solution feasibility
Align application standards with product capabilities and lifecycle considerations
Process & Standards Development
Establish and maintain application engineering standards, tools, and best practices
Ensure consistency, quality, and documentation discipline across application work
Support automation, configuration tools, or digital solution development
Identify opportunities to improve efficiency and scalability of application support
Risk, Compliance & Safety
Ensure application solutions comply with engineering standards, regulations, and internal policies
Review and mitigate technical, operational, or safety risks
Support resolution of field issues and root-cause analysis as needed
Ensure proper documentation and knowledge capture for future reference
Scope & Impact
Manages a team of Application Engineers across products, customers, or regions
Impact is at the functional and commercial-support level
Decisions influence revenue enablement, customer satisfaction, and technical risk
Errors may result in solution failure, customer dissatisfaction, or financial exposure
Qualifications
Education & Experience
Bachelor's degree in Engineering (Mechanical, Electrical, Industrial, or related field) required
Advanced degree preferred depending on industry complexity
Prior experience in application engineering, sales engineering, or solutions engineering required
Previous people-management experience preferred
Knowledge, Skills & Abilities
Strong technical foundation in product applications and systems engineering
Proven people-leadership and coaching skills
Ability to translate complex technical concepts into practical solutions
Strong customer-facing communication and stakeholder-management skills
Sound engineering judgment and problem-solving capability
Ability to balance technical, commercial, and operational priorities
Additional Job Details
Management - M2
Organizational Impact
• Works to achieve operational, functional, and/or business targets within team with direct impact on departmental or job family results
• Delivers operational results that have impact on the immediate or short-term results (e.g., less than 1 year) for the department and/or job family group
• Plans and establishes goals and objectives for a team typically comprising of intermediate-level professionals and entry level professionals
Communication & Influence
• Communicates with parties within and occasionally outside of own department or job family, which may include external clients or partners depending upon the job area
• Requires ability to influence others outside of own job area on policies, practices and procedures
Innovation & Complexity
• Responsible for making moderate improvements of processes, systems, or products to enhance performance of the job area
• Problems are difficult and moderately complex and typically impact multiple departments or job family
• Problems are typically solved through drawing from prior experience and analysis of issues
Leadership & Talent Management
• Manages a team typically comprising of intermediate-level professionals and entry level professionals
• Leads, directs and reviews the work of team members in order to accomplish operational plans and results
• Typically has hiring, firing, promotion, and reward authority within own area, in accordance with manager review and approval
Knowledge & Experience
• Requires practical knowledge in leading and managing the execution of processes, projects and tactics within one job area
• Typically has advanced knowledge and skills within a specific technical or professional discipline with understanding of the impact of work on other areas of the organization
• Typically has a bachelor's degree or equivalent professional certification and 5 years of prior relevant experience
Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action at Nidec
Nidec is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) and Affirmative Action Employer encouraging diversity in the workplace. All qualified applicants receive consideration for employment without regard to their age, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, color, genetic information, religious creed, national origin, physical or mental disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. For more information regarding your (EEO) rights as an applicant, please visit the following website: http://www1.eeoc.gov/employers/upload/eeoc_self_print_poster.pdf
Work Shift Schedule
No Soliciting
Nidec will not accept unsolicited resumes from individual recruiters or third party recruiting agencies in response to Nidec job postings. No fee will be paid to third parties who submit unsolicited candidates directly to our hiring managers. Pre-approval from the Nidec Talent Acquisition team is required before any external candidate can be submitted and such candidate must be submitted to the Nidec Talent Acquisition team.