Navitas Systems LLC, a leader in comprehensive energy storage solutions, was formed in 2011 with the merger of MicroSun Innovative Energy Storage Solutions and MicroSun Electronics, and the acquisition of lithium battery company A123 Systems’ Government Solutions Group. In 2019, East Penn Manufacturing, one of the world’s leading battery manufacturers, acquired majority interest in Navitas Systems. In SEVEN remarkable decades, East Penn has grown from a one-room shop with a product line of five automotive batteries to one of the world’s leading battery manufacturers with over 10,500 full-time employees, 515 product designs, operations around the world, and hundreds of awards for industry excellence.

At our Navitas facilities we engage in the research, design, development, and manufacture of advanced lithium cells and energy storage products and systems for both commercial customers and U.S. Government/military customers. We invest in our people, they are and always will be the heart of this company. Are you ready to join a family-owned enterprise committed to honoring the contributions of everyone? Then Navitas is the right place for you.

Navitas is ready to invest in you!  We are seeking an Application Engineer in Ann Arbor, Michigan that will be responsible for guiding proper application of Navitas Lithium-Ion battery products and accessories for sale into the material handling equipment market or other commercial product lines.

The Application Engineer I will be responsible for guiding proper application of Navitas Lithium-Ion battery products & accessories for sale into the material handling equipment market or other C&I product lines related to material handling e.g. Ground Support Equipment (GSE). The responsibilities of the position will include maintaining an accurate product application knowledge base, responding to application inquiries from sales agents, traveling to customer sites to understand application needs and issues, and initiating activities in engineering to resolve issues. This position will work as part of the engineering team to ensure closure of applications issues, track engineering changes, and support order entry system development. In addition, the role will work with customers on new applications or technologies to be designed and/or implemented to support the business.  This position requires travel as necessary to attain results.  This position requires the ability to read instructions represented in manuals and follow these instructions. This position exists in a temperature-controlled environment.

• Maintain knowledge of customer battery applications and use-case scenarios through direct interaction with the customer at the point of use.
• Assist Sales in capturing the voice of the customer with respect to product configuration, features, interfaces, and technical capabilities required for specific applications.
• Take customers input, existing and future, to translate opportunities to engineering to assess the business opportunities. Drive relationships between the customer and engineering to ensure alignment on the requirements to assess opportunities.
• Assist sales agents in understanding Navitas current product offerings and align demo requests with an appropriately configured product.
• Drive OEM approvals for products to be used within their vehicles
• Develop and maintain technical presentation material for the purpose of communicating product application information to the customer and sales agents.

• Act as liaison between Sales and Product Engineering to initiate technical concept proposal development
• Champion change requests through Product Engineering to create new product configurations for customer applications and/or to resolve customer issues with current product interfaces.
• Review preliminary 3D CAD packaging studies for initial customer concept development and for final configuration fit check prior to sale

• Support the development and upkeep of product databases used for configuration management.
• Work with sales, order entry, and engineering teams to optimize the process of product configuration selection for customer order fulfillment.
• Verify sales orders to be put into the system; Contact customers for details missing and ensure accuracy for sales order entry
  • Back-up verification of team to ensure accuracy
• Keep up to date on OEM approvals, product certifications, and UL listings for current product line.
• Provide backup support for product support and field service technicians in diagnosing customer issues with Navitas products
• Provides advisory support and assistance to the department manager as needed.
• Back up support for Product Support team on-site or in the field
• Owns the DEMO process supporting the sales team and customers.
  • Track and manage all assets
  • Assess capacity of batteries in the application for successful sales
  • Work with all chargers to support DEMOs
  • Track DEMO to sales rates
  • Track DEMO data to support engineering on truck profiles and usage
  • Develop weekly reports for asset location, days in field, past due, collection actions, other
• Responsible for meeting team targets and key performance indicators
• Participate in activities needed to support the management functions of the team.
• Follow all safety guidelines and operate in a safe manner
• Physical presence on the job is essential including weekends and holidays if deemed necessary
• Other duties as assigned by management

• Bachelor’s/associates degree in technology, or on-the -job training within the industry minimum 5 years
• 3+ years of experience in automotive or industrial battery design, installation, and/or service
• Basic studies for compartment mechanical compatibility with schematics with understanding of max/min analysis
• Customer facing skills and prior equivalent experience
• Basic electrical/electronic diagnostic capabilities
• Effective communicator, capable of concisely presenting highly technical proposals to internal and external customers

• Proficient in Microsoft Office suite of tools
• Able to travel up to 50% of time if necessary.
• Strong process and data management skills

Additional Preferred Qualifications:

• Capable of performing mechanical fit checks in CAD software, SolidWorks preferred
• Proficiency with CANalyzer software
• Experience with lithium-ion battery applications, manufacturing, and testing
• Direct experience with installation, service, or maintenance of material handling equipment

ITAR REQUIREMENTS: To conform to U.S. Government International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) the employee must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.

Navitas/East Penn offers excellent benefits:

• Competitive compensation
• Group health insurance that includes high quality medical, dental, vision and prescription coverage with a low employee premium
• Retirement Savings Plan with company match and a 3% employer contribution
• Paid company holidays and Paid Time Off (PTO)
• Employee assistance program
• Fitness Discounts
• Promotional opportunities

At Navitas/East Penn, our employees are our culture; our employees will always be the heart of the company. We are a private, family-owned enterprise committed to cultivating an atmosphere that honors the contributions of everyone.  We want our employees to have long-term careers, and many do. More than 38% of our workforce has over a decade of service. Our open-door management policy, comprehensive benefits package, employee appreciation and recognition events, and career advancement opportunities are just some of the ways we show our employees how incredibly valued they are.

EOE/VEVRAA