Additional Information
Senior Application Engineer
Why join Aptiv? You'll have the opportunity to work on cutting-edge applications, develop breakthrough technologies, and deliver innovative solutions to some of the world's leading automotive brands. See your work come to life on the road-helping make mobility safer, greener, and more connected. Ready to shape the future of mobility with us?
YOUR ROLE
As part of Aptiv's mission to expand into adjacent markets through the strength of our interconnect technologies, the Application Engineer (AE) plays a critical customer-facing role in the distribution channel. This position supports both technical sales enablement and engineering engagement with Aptiv's distribution partners and their end customers.
You will serve as the technical voice of Aptiv, while also being the Voice of the Customer (VoC) - identifying design-in opportunities, supporting cross-functional quoting processes, and helping win competitive displacement programs. This role demands both technical fluency and strong interpersonal and commercial awareness, with consistent engagement in the field.
Responsibilities and Duties
Distributor Support & Training Conduct regular virtual or in-person product training sessions with assigned TTI, Arrow, or other distributor branches.
Support lost business reviews and competitive displacement efforts by identifying high-runner parts or project gaps.
Partner with FSRs to identify target customers and connector-heavy applications within their territory.
Customer Engagement Engage with OEMs, harness makers, and industrial customers (often in partnership with distributor FSRs or Account Managers).
Provide technical guidance on how Aptiv connectors, terminals, and cable assemblies can be integrated into the customer's product design (e.g., packaging, sealing, pin count, current handling).
Facilitate early-stage design discussions and technical reviews, influencing product selection and BOM positioning.
Support evaluation, testing, and feedback collection for Aptiv components during the development lifecycle.
Opportunity Development Identify, document, and track new opportunities based on distributor pipeline, customer meetings, and quote reviews.
Submit and support Design Requests (DRs), cross-reference reviews, and quoting requests using Aptiv tools and templates.
Collaborate with sales and product teams to ensure technical data is aligned with commercial priorities.
Competitor Displacement Analyze customer BOMs and quote histories to identify usage of competitor products (e.g., TE, Molex, Amphenol).
Recommend Aptiv alternatives and communicate advantages in performance, sealing, or cost.
Feed insights back to sales and product teams to support targeted conversion efforts.
Cross-Functional Communication & Voice of Customer Act as the Voice of the Customer (VoC) by translating field feedback into actionable input for Aptiv quoting, product management, and engineering teams.
Lead cross-functional alignment around customer requirements, technical escalations, and opportunity-specific roadblocks.
Participate in internal quote reviews, DR meetings, and progress tracking to ensure customer needs remain at the center of solution delivery.
YOUR BACKGROUND
Key skills and competencies for succeeding in this role are:
Required Qualifications
Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Electrical, or related Engineering field
3+ years of experience in connector systems, cable assemblies, or vehicle electrical architecture
3+ years of experience automotive connection systems experience including Housings, Terminals and High Speed Cable Assemblies
Experience in technical customer engagement and distributor-facing support
Strong communication skills with ability to translate engineering language to customer-facing dialogue
Willingness and ability to travel up to 50% (primarily regional, including distributor branches and OEM customers).
Must be legally able to work in the United States on a permanent basis without requirement of any type of visa sponsorship or transfer now, or at any time in the future. Verification of employment eligibility will be required at the time of hire.
Aptiv · Troy, MI