Applications Project Manager
Massachusetts | Applications and Product Leadership | 25 to 50 Percent Travel
About the Opportunity
We are seeking an Applications Project Manager to support the technical and commercial execution of a paper-industry product category. This person will support customers and sales teams in the field, define the right equipment solution for each application, develop high-value quotations, and stay closely involved in important capital projects through customer acceptance.
This is a highly visible role for someone who enjoys combining technical problem-solving, customer interaction, commercial decision-making, and project execution. The ideal candidate brings paper-industry experience, but strong applications engineers, product engineers, or technical project leaders from custom capital equipment environments will also be considered if they have the technical aptitude, curiosity, and energy to learn the product line.
What You Will Do
Serve as a primary technical resource for an assigned product category, including product configuration, application fit, troubleshooting, and continuous improvement.
Respond to technical questions from customers, sales, service, manufacturing, quality, and customer support teams.
Partner with salespeople during customer visits, trials, start-ups, and technical presentations to identify opportunities and define the correct solution.
Qualify opportunities before quotation by confirming that the proposed capital equipment matches the customer's application and operating needs.
Prepare critical and high-value quotations, including scope, costing, pricing, margin, technical documentation, and proposal review.
Guide routine quotes and projects through a clear handoff to applications and project management resources while remaining engaged on technical risks and customer commitments.
Lead or closely support important capital projects through installation, start-up, and customer acceptance.
Own the resolution of complex field issues and trouble jobs by coordinating engineering, manufacturing, quality, service, and other internal teams.
Support consumables and aftermarket opportunities, including application guidance, supplier qualification, margin improvement, and customer lifecycle needs.
Capture customer and field feedback to support new product development, design standardization, cost reduction, and product improvement.
Serve as the subject-matter expert for quoting tools and product configuration logic, helping make the quoting process faster, more accurate, and easier for the sales team to use in the field.
Develop training materials, case studies, ROI and total-cost-of-ownership analyses, technical papers, and other sales or marketing resources.
Maintain strong knowledge of the installed base, competing products, market developments, and adjacent product categories.
How the Role Typically Breaks Down
Area of Responsibility
Typical Monthly Range
Quoting and commercial support
25 to 50 percent
In-person technical and customer support
10 to 50 percent
Project execution and oversight
20 to 30 percent
Remote technical support
10 to 20 percent
These ranges reflect a typical month and may overlap. Travel and workload will vary based on customer activity, project needs, and the assigned product category.
What We Are Looking For
Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering, chemical engineering, pulp and paper engineering, or a related technical discipline.
At least 5 years of relevant professional experience; approximately 10 years is preferred for candidates expected to step into the full scope quickly.
Ideal background includes paper mills, paper-machine systems, or suppliers to the pulp and paper industry.
Knowledge of doctoring, cleaning, conditioning, filtration, forming, or related paper-machine applications is strongly preferred.
Candidates from adjacent custom capital equipment environments may be considered, particularly those with applications engineering, product engineering, technical sales support, or complex project leadership experience.
Ability to understand customer applications, translate technical needs into equipment configurations, and communicate recommendations clearly.
Experience developing technical quotations, reviewing cost and margin, and managing customer expectations is preferred.
Strong presentation, relationship-building, and cross-functional communication skills.
Sound judgment, a bias for action, and the ability to balance urgent technical support with quoting, travel, and project priorities.
Willingness and ability to travel approximately 25 to 50 percent, depending on business and customer needs.
What Success Looks Like
The successful Applications Project Manager becomes a trusted technical resource for the assigned category. They respond quickly when customers or internal teams need support, improve the speed and quality of quotations, help sales recognize and qualify the right opportunities, and keep critical projects aligned from initial application review through acceptance. Over time, this person will also strengthen the product line through better documentation, training, standardized solutions, improved margins, and lessons learned from the field.
Work Environment
The position includes travel to operating paper mills and industrial facilities. Candidates must be comfortable working in active production environments, following site safety requirements, wearing required personal protective equipment, and moving throughout customer facilities. Travel varies based on customer and project activity.