“We Application Engineers are the technical champions for our customers.”

I myself take care of project management and system development for radar transceivers in automotive, industrial and consumer markets. Primarily I coordinate the design of demoboards for customers – for solutions that keep robots from colliding into obstacles in a factory setting, for example, or for creating an advanced human-machine interface (HMI) for connected devices like smart speakers. Another topic we’ve been addressing more and more here at Infineon is smart homes, such as presence detection to turn lights on or off when someone enters a room. But whatever the end solution may be, the job of an Application Engineer is to work closely with the customer to select the right ICs from our portfolio to help them realize their visions. We are technical champions for our customers because we have the know-how to advise them on the best solution.

Coming up with solutions for our customers requires that we coordinate with a large number of internal functions. We work with R&D in regard to requirements engineering; with Marketing and Sales to develop go-to-market strategies and to prepare online documentation for our chips; we do Partner Management with external design companies  and we give trainings to our local Application Engineers who are located near the big customers. The list could go on and on... It can be challenging to juggle all these tasks and to get everybody informed. So it helps to have a good feeling for prioritization and the ability to delegate. And you have to have a good flow of information and communications.

Another challenge is adjusting to the pace at which our markets and our customers’ requirements evolve. In automotive, the cycles are a bit longer - at around three years. In the consumer goods sector the pace is much faster. Just consider how quickly mobile phones are brought to the market. So you have to adapt quickly, which is where an agile working style helps.

For all the challenges it poses, the dynamic environment is something I love. I have the possibility to make a difference with our innovative system solutions. It’s exciting to see how a traditional technology like radar can be taken out into completely new application areas to drive expanding markets. I also value the international setting and the variety of projects. A further highlight is the many facets of a career as an Application Engineer. The function can evolve according to your know-how and focus. You could start, for example, with more internal tasks like prototyping and documentation. Along the way you could come into more and more contact with customers at fairs and eventually develop consulting skills. Or you become a technical expert in your field and grow in this direction. As I pointed out earlier, we have extensive contact with other functions, like R&D and Marketing, so switching into one of these areas down the road is also quite conceivable.