Principal Application Engineer - Physical Systems

About the role

Partner directly with sales teams to drive technical strategy throughout the sales cycle, translating complex customer engineering challenges into simulation-driven solutions that enable both a technical win and a business win.

Responsibilities

• Leverage strong mechanical engineering fundamentals (solid mechanics, fluid dynamics, heat transfer, materials science, and dynamics) to engage with customer design and analysis teams across industries such as automotive, aerospace, defense, and heavy equipment.
• Engage early with customers to understand product design and validation workflows, for multi-Body Dynamics including structural analysis (linear/nonlinear FEA, fatigue, durability, crash, NVH) and CFD applications (aerodynamics, thermal management, conjugate heat transfer, multiphase flow) and align simulation solutions to their development processes.
• Own the technical sales lifecycle, from requirements discovery through validation, ensuring alignment between customer product design challenges and the capabilities of CAE tools, solver technologies, and simulation workflows.
• Deliver high-impact technical presentations and demonstrations that reflect real-world engineering scenarios, such as structural integrity validation, lightweighting, thermal management, and aerodynamic performance, demonstrating solver accuracy, robustness, and workflow efficiency.
• Develop and execute advanced proof-of-concept (PoC) studies using customer-specific CAD geometry, material properties, boundary conditions, and load cases to validate simulation accuracy and demonstrate measurable engineering outcomes (e.g., weight reduction, improved stiffness, reduced drag, thermal efficiency).
• Architect end-to-end CAE solution workflows including geometry preparation, meshing strategies, solver setup, Multiphysics coupling, optimization, and post-processing—aligned with customer infrastructure (on-prem HPC, cloud, GPU acceleration).
• Provide technical leadership in deal strategy, positioning differentiators based on deep understanding of numerical methods, solver formulations, meshing techniques, and engineering accuracy requirements.
• Support RFIs/RFPs with highly technical responses, including simulation methodologies, verification & validation (V&V) approaches, correlation to physical testing, benchmarking data, and system architecture designs.
• Build trusted advisor relationships with customer engineering teams, providing guidance on best practices in simulation-driven design.
• Lead technical objection handling, addressing challenges related to solver fidelity, scalability, model complexity, numerical stability, and integration into CAD/PLM and digital engineering ecosystems.
• Conduct competitive technical benchmarking, comparing solver performance, accuracy, scalability, and workflow automation to clearly position advantages in real-world engineering applications.
• Collaborate with product management and R&D teams, communicating industry-specific needs such as electrification, lightweighting, advanced materials (e.g., composites), space applications, and digital twin initiatives.
• Enable internal sales teams and partners through training on simulation fundamentals, application workflows, and technical value messaging tailored to mechanical engineering audiences.
• Develop reusable technical assets, including validated models, application notes, and industry-specific demonstration cases.
• Support pre-sales deployment readiness, ensuring proposed solutions align with customer IT, HPC environments, and engineering workflows prior to purchase.
• Troubleshoot technical issues during evaluations and PoCs, including mesh generation, solver convergence, nonlinear instabilities, and performance tuning to ensure successful outcomes.
• Drive revenue growth through technical excellence, increasing win rates by demonstrating how simulation accelerates design cycles, reduces physical testing, and improves product performance.

Qualifications

• PhD or MS in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related field.
• Minimum 5 years of relevant experience in CAE simulation, preferably with experience in Adams, Adams-Car, Romax, or similar competitor solutions.
• Strong background in mechanical engineering fundamentals (solid mechanics, fluid dynamics, heat transfer, materials science, and dynamics).
• Experience in multi-body dynamics, structural analysis, CFD applications, and thermal management.
• Ability to engage with customer design and analysis teams across various industries.
• Experience in developing and executing proof-of-concept studies and validating simulation accuracy.
• Knowledge of CAE tool architectures, solver technologies, and simulation workflows.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills, with the ability to deliver high-impact technical presentations and demonstrations.
• Experience in building and leading technical teams and providing technical leadership in deal strategy.
• Experience in competitive benchmarking and positioning differentiators based on deep understanding of numerical methods, solver formulations, meshing techniques, and engineering accuracy requirements.
• Experience in collaborating with product management and R&D teams to communicate industry-specific needs.
• Experience in training internal sales teams and partners on simulation fundamentals, application workflows, and technical value messaging.
• Experience in troubleshooting technical issues during evaluations and PoCs, including mesh generation, solver convergence, nonlinear instabilities, and performance tuning.
• Experience in enabling pre-sales deployment readiness and supporting customer IT, HPC environments, and engineering workflows.
• Experience in driving revenue growth through technical excellence and increasing win rates by demonstrating how simulation accelerates design cycles, reduces physical testing, and improves product performance.

Skills

• Strong mechanical engineering fundamentals (solid mechanics, fluid dynamics, heat transfer, materials science, and dynamics).
• Experience in multi-body dynamics, structural analysis, CFD applications, and thermal management.
• Expertise in engineering design and simulation of complex systems.
• Experience in developing and executing proof-of-concept studies and validating simulation accuracy.
• Knowledge of CAE tool architectures, solver technologies, and simulation workflows.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills.
• Experience in building and leading technical teams and providing technical leadership in deal strategy.
• Experience in competitive benchmarking and positioning differentiators based on deep understanding of numerical methods, solver formulations, meshing techniques, and engineering accuracy requirements.
• Experience in collaborating with product management and R&D teams to communicate industry-specific needs.
• Experience in training internal sales teams and partners on simulation fundamentals, application workflows, and technical value messaging.
• Experience in troubleshooting technical issues during evaluations and PoCs, including mesh generation, solver convergence, nonlinear instabilities, and performance tuning.
• Experience in enabling pre-sales deployment readiness and supporting customer IT, HPC environments, and engineering workflows.
• Experience in driving revenue growth through technical excellence and increasing win rates by demonstrating how simulation accelerates design cycles, reduces physical testing, and improves product performance.

Benefits

• Competitive compensation package including base salary, bonus, and equity options.
• Flexible work schedule and remote work options.
• Professional development opportunities and access to cutting-edge technology.
• Collaborative and inclusive work environment.
• Health and wellness programs.

Pay

Salary range: $120,000 - $180,000 annually.

Schedule

Full-time position with up to 30% travel required.