Applications Engineer - Government

Are you ready to put your skills to work in a dynamic and growing company? Are you passionate about technology and want to see video, imagery, and data come to life on big electronic canvases? Are you ready to make a difference and assist us as we help shape the way people think about and use digital signage now and into the future?

We are seeking a Pre-Sales Applications Engineer - Government who is responsible for joining with Planar’s Sales team to assist customers with the development and implementation of industry leading display solutions. The Pre-Sales Engineer serves as the primary technical contact to our government customers for pre-sales technical support. The Pre-Sales Engineer will interact directly with our customers’ sales, engineering, and others to lead technical discussions about  Planar’s display systems to arrive at an optimal solution. S/he will be responsible for training and occasionally assisting with the installation of products and services at customer sites. Additionally, the Pre-Sales Engineer will be responsible for providing feedback and following up on technical issues with the Product Management team.

What You’ll Do:

• Conduct product trainings and presentations, and provide technical qualification of sales opportunities for Sales.
• Provide pre and post-sale integration and application development support to new and existing customer base. 
• Partner with Customer Service as necessary to resolve post-sale technical issues.
• Partner with Sales to initiate technical discussions with current and prospective customers.
• Make presentations and perform product demonstrations for the customer’s decision-makers and influencers.  Assist the Sales team on sales calls.
• Advocate customer needs to the Product Management team.
• Create technical documents and drawings in support of sales process.
• Assist Sales with proposal creation and technical order review.
• Provide on-site support to Planar partners and customers to perform training and installation as required.
• Prepare and coordinate hardware and software applications for use in both short- and long-term customer demonstrations.
• Ability to read, write, and understand English
• Ability to maintain acceptable standards of office conduct
• Ability to come to work demonstrating timely and regular attendance
• Ability to handle stress
• Have a valid driver’s license and automobile insurance coverage
• Provide technical feedback on enhancements and changes to existing and development products.
• Advise management on issues arising from product development problems identified through communications with the customer. 
• Support marketing activities including trade shows, technical articles, as required.
• Support engineering activities including, but not limited to, product roll-outs and technical publication review in support of business objectives.
• Assist Sales team to support Planar customers in the effort of customer support, product sustaining engineering and RMA process.
• Other duties as assigned by manager.

Who You’ll Work With:

• This role has both internal and external contacts. The internal contacts are within Sales, as well as Customer Service, Sales Operations, R&D, Product Marketing and Manufacturing Operations.  Contacts outside the organization are also crucial, and both types of interactions involve information exchange, problem solving, and some discussion about confidential/sensitive matters.  Has access to proprietary information.

What You’ll Need:

• A/V product knowledge
• Excellent interpersonal skills
• Strong negotiation and selling ability
• Mental ability to conduct on-going interpersonal interactions, analyze and solve problems essential.
• Ability to actively participate in team development and team-oriented processes.
• Physical ability to use computer hardware/software required.
• Valid driver’s license and vehicle availability
• Some higher education or vocational training, preferably in a technical field
• 2 to 4+ years in a technical sales role, preferably in a B2B technology company
• Must have experience working with federal, state and local government agencies

Other Requirements:

Ability and willingness to:

• travel occasionally
• work overtime or work on-call, nights, or weekends
• lift, pull, or carry up to 40 pounds and stand for long periods of time
• work with others in a team setting
• Ideal candidate will live in the DC Metro area, Southeastern US or Central US.

All benefits start on first day of employment!

• 75% employer-paid medical for employee. Family coverage also included. 
• 100% employer paid dental, and vision for employee and dependents
• 100% employer paid long-term, short-term disability, and life insurance policy
• 401k Match, if you’re contributing 5% we match 4%. 100% vested immediately.
• 10 paid holidays
• Starting at 15 days paid PTO (inclusive of sick and vacation time) annually
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Flexible Spending Account (FSA)

EEOC Statement:

• Planar is an equal opportunity employer, we believe in fostering a culture of equality, diversity, and inclusivity. Our commitment to this goal is clearly expressed in our zero-tolerance policy for discrimination and harassment of any kind, including on the basis of race, color, sex, age, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, genetic information, pregnancy, protected veteran status or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local laws. Our hiring practices ensure that decisions are based solely on qualifications, merit, and current business needs, while extending to all aspects of our operations - from recruitment and promotion to layoff and recall, to leave of absence, compensation, benefits, and training.  We are committed to remaining a drug free workplace