Systems Application Engineer II (Vision & Digital Solutions) (Minneapolis, MN, US, 02021)

Mission of the Role

This position may be based in either our Minneapolis, MN or Canton, MA office.

As a Systems Application Engineer II, you will play a pivotal role in shaping intelligent automation solutions across North America. You’ll partner with sales, industry teams, integrators, and customers to design and deliver cutting‑edge vision, machine learning, and advanced analytics solutions that bring SICK’s Sensor Intelligence to life.

Key Responsibilities

Technical Solutions Development and Support

• Provide vision, machine learning, and digitalization application support to internal teams, distributors, integrators, and customers.

• Support sales pursuits by delivering expert technical guidance that helps drive opportunities to close.
• Develop new system concepts by combining SICK technologies with complementary third‑party solutions to create differentiated customer value.

Collaboration & Cross‑Functional Engagement

• Facilitate communication and cooperation between global SICK cross‑functional teams to leverage knowledge centers and collaboratively solve customer challenges.
• Participate in customer discovery sessions to uncover unmet needs and translate them into actionable solution requirements.

Customer & Project Support

• Support the creation and scoping of projects including acceptance criteria, inclusions, and exclusions, partnering with Customer Project Management (CPM) teams as needed.
• Test and validate system functionality and performance to ensure customer requirements are fully met.
• Deliver systems training to customers, integrators, distributors, and internal teams.
• Provide ongoing technical support and continuous improvement recommendations for deployed systems.

Marketing Insight & Strategic Contributions

• Capture recurring customer requirements to help define future market and product solutions that address common unmet needs.
• Contribute to competitive analysis and value‑proposition development for both technologies and services.

Perform other duties as may be assigned or required by management.

Key Qualifications

• Experience: 7+ years in industrial automation roles; 4+ years working with vision inspection systems and machine analytics.
• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Electrical or Mechanical Engineering is required.
• Certifications:  None is required
• Position-specific Qualifications:
  • Demonstrated ability to translate complex customer problems into structured technical solution architectures, especially involving multi‑sensor, vision, or machine‑learning‑based systems.
  • Strong diagnostic and troubleshooting skills with the ability to quickly assess root causes and establish corrective action paths in live customer environments.
  • Programming capabilities in PLC, MATLAB, C/C++, Helcon, Lua, Java is a plus.
  • Proven experience designing or supporting end‑to‑end vision inspection workflows, including lighting, optics, imaging algorithms, and environmental considerations.
  • Ability to interpret and analyze large datasets or machine analytics outputs to support system tuning, optimization, and predictive‑maintenance recommendations.
  • Skilled at leading technical discussions with cross‑functional stakeholders, including engineering, sales, project management, and external integrators.
  • Familiarity with system validation methodologies including FAT, SAT, proof‑of‑concept testing, and structured test documentation.
  • Strong ability to self‑start, learn quickly, and work independently in a field‑based environment.
• Computer/Technological: Professional competence with Microsoft Office, SAP, and general internet applications.
• Language: Professional written and spoken fluency in English required.
• Schedule: Generally Monday to Friday, full time; be on-call on some weekends (if required).
• General Working Conditions: Be able to usually work in an office environment; flexible (hybrid) work arrangements available.
• Travel: Be able to travel up to 50% of the time, including internationally; must have a valid passport.
• Work Status: Legally permitted to work in the country you are applying and willing to undergo an employment background check.

Compensation

The base salary is one part of our Total Rewards package and is determined within a range.  The starting base salary range for this position is listed below; the actual starting salary will be based on a variety of factors including experience, skill set, education, performance, licenses/certifications, business needs and other job-related factors, as permitted by law.

• Starting Base Annual Salary Range:  $83,640 - $126,500
• Bonus Eligibility: This role is eligible for an annual bonus based on a combination of company and individual performance.