Senior Application Engineer

The opportunity
This is a senior technical pre-sales role with a well-established manufacturer of inspection and detection equipment. Based at the Head Office in South Melbourne, you'll be the person who validates every solution before it goes to quote — meaning every deal in this business unit passes through you. It's a high-trust, largely autonomous position with real line-of-sight to broader commercial responsibility over time.

About the company
A specialist manufacturer supplying check-weighing, X-ray inspection and metal detection equipment to food & beverage, FMCG, logistics and home goods operations across Australia and New Zealand. Equipment is configured to the application (not sold off the shelf) with deal values typically range from $50K to $1M.

What you'll be doing

• Partnering with the sales team (approx. 70% of the role) to design, validate and cost technical solutions — primarily via Teams, with site visits for complex applications
• Reviewing and signing off on proposed solutions across the business — from quick sanity checks to deep technical involvement
• Engaging directly with end users and OEM partners (approx. 30% of your time) including plant managers, engineering managers and senior stakeholders
• Supporting the commissioning team on complex post-sale issues as needed — this role is approximately 90% pre-sales
• Liaising with European operations, which means occasional early starts or later finishes during peak periods

What we're looking for

• Mechanical engineering qualification — this is non-negotiable
• Hands-on exposure to production or process-line environments involving conveying, packaging or palletising — food & beverage, FMCG, logistics and materials handling all suit well
• Ability to operate with genuine autonomy from day one
• Comfortable in a senior technical/commercial seat without needing heavy oversight

Backgrounds that fit well: design engineer, project engineer, sales application engineer, senior field service engineer with commercial acumen, or a senior site/plant engineer from food & beverage or FMCG.

What's in it for you

• Base salary $120,000–$130,000 (with flexibility for the right person)
• Car allowance ~$18,000 p.a. plus fuel card and tolls (or company vehicle if preferred)
• Bonus/commission scheme
• Approx. 80% office-based — not a heavy travel role
• A senior seat with real influence on how deals are structured and won
• Genuine pathway to broader business responsibility for those who want it