Job Description:
Position Overview / Role Purpose
The Product Applications Engineer plays a critical role in validating the performance, manufacturability, and market readiness of Nextpower’s mechanical and electro-mechanical components. This role ensures new products, updated designs, and components from new vendors meet Nextpower’s stringent engineering, quality, and installation requirements.
By conducting Form-Fit-Function (FFF) testing, evaluating new design revisions, and executing vendor qualification testing, the Product Applications Engineer enables Nextpower to remain competitive, improve product reliability, and accelerate successful go-to-market (GTM) launches. This role partners closely with R&D Design Engineering, Quality, Supply Chain, and Field Applications teams to resolve design risks early and deliver customer-ready solutions.
Key Objectives
Validate New Products:
Ensure new product concepts and prototypes satisfy engineering requirements, customer needs, installation expectations, and safety standards.
Test and Approve Updated Designs of Existing Offerings:
Confirm revisions to existing components or assemblies maintain or improve system reliability, manufacturability, and compatibility with adjacent parts.
Qualify New Vendors and Manufacturing Sources:
Assess whether new suppliers can consistently meet Nextpower’s design specifications, quality requirements, and manufacturing standards.
Core Responsibilities
New Product Testing & Validation
Conduct Form-Fit-Function testing on new concepts, prototypes, and pre-production assemblies to confirm alignment with design intent.
Build representative test setups in the R&D yard to simulate installation and operational conditions.
Evaluate whether product notes, installation manuals, and engineering requirements are sufficient and accurate.
Identify design gaps or failure modes and partner with R&D engineering to resolve issues prior to GTM launch.
Perform safety evaluations on new designs, verifying compliance with internal and industry standards.
Document all test results through structured data collection, analysis, and professional test reports.
Testing of Updated / Revised Designs
Validate updated designs of existing products to ensure manufacturability, mechanical performance, and compatibility with system interfaces.
Review updated drawings, specifications, and product notes for completeness and ability to achieve design goals.
Test individual parts and full assemblies to confirm they meet functional requirements and installation procedures.
Provide recommendations for improving installation instructions, product notes, or design features based on test outcomes.
Replicate customer-reported issues in the R&D yard and develop data-driven, field-ready solutions.
Vendor Qualification & Supplier Assessment
Conduct Form-Fit-Function testing on first-article parts from new vendors to verify compliance with Nextpower specifications.
Verify adherence to drawings, product notes, and specifications for dimensional accuracy and compatibility with adjacent components.
Travel to vendor facilities for onsite inspections, test reviews, and pre-production validations as needed.
Provide structured test feedback to Supply Chain, Vendor Quality, and Engineering to support vendor qualification decisions.
Additional Responsibilities
Support R&D tracker installation sites by assisting with test setup, construction activities, and data gathering.
Lead or assist in building test fixtures or partial product assemblies for evaluation.
Coordinate testing priorities with cross-functional teams and communicate status updates clearly.
Review, update, and validate installation manuals to ensure accuracy and alignment with tested results.
Manage multiple projects concurrently, ensuring timely completion under tight schedules.
Maintain a strong commitment to safety during all testing, construction, and field activities.
Qualifications
5+ years of experience in product testing, NX product…