Applications Engineer

Job Title:
Applications Engineer

As an Applications Engineer, you will serve as the primary contact between our organization and our valued customers. Your role will involve understanding customer requests, assessing how these requests align with our capabilities, creating quotes, offering ideas to meet customer needs, and conducting design reviews. You will be responsible for managing projects from the initial customer request through to launch. Your work will support the furniture industry, primarily dealing with foam, fiberglass, and polyester parts.

While delivery of finished products to customers is occasionally required, it is not a predominant part of your duties. You will provide expert advice on material knowledge, review tolerances, and ensure that customer requests are manufacturable.

• Collaborate with customer engineers, procurement teams, and other contacts to review requests and support quote creation using Excel.
• Provide technical updates to customers regarding engineering changes, ship dates, and project progress.
• Review engineering drawings, provide feedback on tolerancing, manufacturability, and feasibility of customer requests, and conduct design reviews with customers.
• Build prototypes using CNC equipment and potentially program equipment if experienced in G-Code.
• Manage the engineering request process by creating drawings, documentation, and performing quality checks.
• Maintain and update CAD drawings throughout the product design and quoting process, including updating drawings through redlines and engineering changes.

• Ability to read engineering drawings and work instructions.
• Experience in an engineering role with customer interaction for quotes and design reviews.
• Strong examples of building customer relationships.
• CNC programming experience, particularly in G-Code.
• Bachelor's degree in Engineering.

• Experience in furniture manufacturing.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and AutoCAD.

This role offers flexible work hours, typically from 7 am to 4 pm, with flexibility in lunch scheduling. The work environment is primarily office-based with a standard 40-hour work week. Occasionally, additional hours may be required for prototyping work. The team is small, with about 15-20 people in the office, and you'll be part of the Product Development and Business Development team.

There is potential for growth into management roles in the future. Benefits include 8 holidays and 1 to 2 weeks of negotiable PTO.

This is a Contract to Hire position based out of Grand Rapids, MI.

The pay range for this position is $38.46 - $48.08/hr.

Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to specific elections, plan, or program terms. If eligible, the benefits available for this temporary role may include the following:

• Medical, dental & vision
• Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital
• 401(k) Retirement Plan – Pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions available
• Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents)
• Short and long-term disability
• Health Spending Account (HSA)
• Transportation benefits
• Employee Assistance Program
• Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave)

Workplace Type This is a fully onsite position in Grand Rapids, MI.

Final date to receive applications This position is anticipated to close on Jan 30, 2026.

Actalent is a global leader in engineering and sciences services and talent solutions. We help visionary companies advance their engineering and science initiatives through access to specialized experts who drive scale, innovation and speed to market. With a network of almost 30,000 consultants and more than 4,500 clients across the U.S., Canada, Asia and Europe, Actalent serves many of the Fortune 500.

The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications without regard to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protected by law.

If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation, such as the modification or adjustment of the job application process or interviewing due to a disability, please email actalentaccom for other accommodation options.