Application expert / application manager

At Soleras, innovation happens where materials, hardware, software, and customer applications come together. To strengthen this link even further, we are looking for an Application Expert / Application Manager who thrives at the interface between customers, engineering, and commercial teams.

What to expect of the job?

This role sits at the heart of how Soleras translates customer needs into real, value-added solutions. It is not a purely research‑driven or sales‑driven position. Instead, it combines deep application understanding, hands‑on technical expertise, and strong customer interaction.

You will provide application-level expertise to guide engineering decisions during the design of coating components and complete coater systems and choosing development directions for rotary sputtering targets. By understanding how customers use our technology in practice, you will act as a key internal reference for application knowledge and help steer Soleras’ innovation roadmap toward developments that matter most to our customers.

At the same time, you will help Soleras strengthen its ability to speak the language of the customer. This means translating customer challenges, requirements, and ambitions into clear technical directions, development opportunities, and concrete engineering tasks.

• In this role, you will contribute across several dimensions:
  • Engineering and innovation support by representing customer applications and requirements during the design of coaters, components, targets, hardware, and software.
  • Sales enablement by supporting customer interactions from the earliest opportunity identification through concept development, testing, and final acceptance.
  • Application ownership across the full value creation process, including post‑sales technical support that often leads to new developments and long‑term customer partnerships.
  • Technology showcasing by actively contributing to customer projects, internal development, and demonstrations in the Soleras Application Center.
  • The Soleras Application Center
    • A central element of this role is close involvement with the Soleras Application Center, which plays a key role in keeping customers ahead.
    • The Application Center brings together:
      • State‑of‑the‑art sputter target technology
      • Advanced smart sputter hardware components
      • Innovative sputter software
      • Fully customized, state‑of‑the‑art coater lines
    • Its mission is to showcase Soleras’ latest capabilities, support customer-specific application development, enable proof‑of‑concept testing, and help customers make the right technical choices across materials, hardware, and software.
    • As Application Expert or Application Manager, you will actively work in and with the Application Center to support customer projects, internal innovation, and technology demonstrations. You will be one of the ambassadors of Soleras’ philosophy of being always on and focused on keeping customers ahead.
  • Global Customer Focus
    • This is an internationally oriented role. You will travel globally to visit customers, support application discussions on‑site, troubleshoot challenges, and demonstrate what Soleras technology can deliver. You will act as a trusted technical partner who understands both the customer’s process environment and Soleras’ technology stack.

Who are we looking for?

• a strong technical background in vacuum coating, sputtering, thin‑film processes, glass coating industry or a closely related field. Experience in an industrial setting working in those fields is a must, ideally with >10 years of experience.
• Experience in customer‑facing technical roles such as application engineering, process engineering, or advanced technical technical sales is highly relevant.
• You possess a masters degree in engineering or sciences, or equivalent through extensive experience
• You speak fluent English. A working knowledge of Chinese is an additional asset.
• You are comfortable working across disciplines, communicating complex technical topics clearly, and navigating between engineering depth and customer-facing pragmatism.
• Curiosity, ownership, value creation and the ability to connect technical detail to real application impact are essential. Formal training in those is an advantage. Demonstratable experience is better.
• You’re not afraid to get your hands dirty – supporting a process acceptance, tuning a process at a customer can be part of your task package.
• You are comfortable with global travelling for a significant amount of your time – across soleras sites and to customers. One of the Soleras sites (Belgium, USA or China) becomes your home base where you check-in several times a month.

Why Soleras?

At Soleras, you will work at the cutting edge of thin‑film and coating technology in a multidisciplinary environment where materials science, mechanical design, software, and process engineering come together. You will have a direct impact on product direction, customer success, and innovation strategy, while working closely with industry-leading customers worldwide.

Most importantly, you will help ensure that Soleras continues to deliver on its promise of being always on, and always keeping its customers ahead.

What do we offer?

• A dynamic and international work environment where innovation and collaboration are key.
• An extensive training program and personal guidance through a mentorship program.