Location: Shin-Yokohama, Japan
Work Style: Hybrid
Salary: Up to ¥7 million JPY (depending on experience)
Overview
An international automotive supplier is seeking an experienced Application Engineer to support Japanese automotive customers from initial technical discussions through product development and production.
This is a customer-facing engineering role combining mechanical engineering, technical consultation, and project coordination. You will work directly with customers to understand their requirements, develop suitable product solutions, and coordinate with engineering, manufacturing, quality, and commercial teams throughout the development process.
The position offers broad responsibility across product specification, testing, validation, RFQ support, and production launch, making it an excellent opportunity for an engineer who enjoys both technical problem-solving and direct customer interaction.
Key Responsibilities
- Provide technical support and consultation to Japanese automotive customers
- Review customer requirements, specifications, drawings, and technical documentation
- Develop application-specific technical solutions based on customer requirements
- Define product specifications and support drawing development
- Coordinate projects between customers, engineering, manufacturing, quality, and other internal teams
- Support RFQs, technical cost analysis, and quotation activities
- Manage development schedules, project milestones, and technical risks
- Coordinate prototype, sampling, PPAP/ISIR, testing, and validation activities
- Review and implement customer engineering changes
- Support new product development and introduction through to mass production
- Investigate technical issues and support problem-solving activities
- Identify customer needs and potential opportunities for new applications and future business.
Requirements
- Five or more years of experience in the automotive industry
- Technical degree, preferably in Mechanical Engineering or a related field
- Experience in application engineering, product engineering, mechanical engineering, or a similar customer-facing technical role
- Ability to understand technical drawings and product specifications
- Experience coordinating projects across customers and internal engineering teams
- Strong communication and problem-solving skills
- Business-level Japanese
- Business-level English
Nice to Have
- Experience in solution engineering or technical customer support
- Knowledge of automotive mechanical components
- Experience with product testing, validation, PPAP, or ISIR
- Experience supporting RFQ and quotation activities
- Basic knowledge of SAP
- Experience working within an international automotive supplier
Why this role?
This position offers considerably broader responsibility than a traditional design engineering role. You will work directly with automotive customers, translating their requirements into practical technical solutions while coordinating projects from initial concept through testing and production.
You will also work closely with commercial, engineering, quality, and manufacturing teams, giving you exposure to both the technical and business sides of automotive product development.
For an experienced automotive engineer who enjoys customer interaction, hands-on problem-solving, and taking ownership of projects, this is an opportunity to develop beyond a purely technical engineering position while remaining closely involved with the product.
