Technical Sales Engineer, Flexible Packaging

About APPLIED Adhesives:

Nobody knows more about adhesives than APPLIED Adhesives. We are passionate about solving complex challenges with innovative adhesive products and offerings. APPLIED is the industry leader in helping manage costs, reduce waste, and make entire operations run more efficiently. From adhesives, equipment, parts, and service, we have you covered.

With world-class adhesive products, equipment, and parts along with visionary leadership, unparalleled expertise, and an agile, responsive service team, we’re not happy simply staying put. Every day, we leverage our technical expertise and passion for problem solving for the benefit of our customers and the future of our company.

We have countless victories that we could celebrate, but we’re more interested in looking forward than back. We’ve collected the talent and skills to continue innovating new product solutions and applications in emerging industries. We have the fortitude to not only accept challenges, but to seek them out. And we have the confidence and determination to become the most sought-after adhesive solutions partner.

Come join us!

The Role:

We are seeking an experienced Technical Sales Engineer who will drive commercial growth in the Flexible Packaging market by combining deep application expertise with a technical consultative selling process. This role focuses on supporting and expanding businesses with converters across laminating, coating, pouching, and film applications by promoting a full solutions portfolio including laminating adhesives, functional coatings, and equipment/parts/service.

The ideal candidate will collaborate closely with Sales, Adhesive Operations, Finance, Business Development, and Marketing to determine the critical activities and actions needed to win with suppliers and grow targeted sub-segments. This position will be intensely interesting to an individual who wants to be a part of a transformative and high-performing team tasked to drive significant market share growth.

This is a remote role, but you must live in the Northeast to be considered, and this role requires up to 60% travel.

Key Responsibilities:

• Map and identify decision makers across the target supplier organization.
• Manage and grow a portfolio of converter accounts by promoting high‑performance adhesives and coatings.
• Identify, pursue, and convert new business opportunities.
• Develop and execute an annual territory plan aligning with revenue, margin, and volume goals.
• Utilize Salesforce.com CRM tools for pipeline management, forecasting, and logging activity tracking.
• Lead customer technical trials for solventless PU laminating adhesives, water‑based laminations, solvent‑based coatings, primers, and related technologies.
• Diagnose and resolve application issues and collaborate with technical teams.
• Collaborate with Marketing to drive strategic initiatives, pricing actions, and new product introductions.
• Build relationships and gain internal coaches across multilevel customer organizations to drive influence.
• Gaining thorough knowledge of APPLIED’s internal processes and functions of internal teams, IT applications, products, value-added services and industries served is key to success.
• Works closely with Marketing to make sure the deal being developed is acceptable as it reaches fruition.
• Support and adhere to all safety procedures and complete all required safety training.
• Identify and support improvement opportunities for processes in order to support company objectives and customer expectations.

You Are Ideal For This Role If You:

• Have a passion for Sales and Business Development.
• Are a self-starter with a hunter mentality.
• Have strong planning and organization skills.
• Are a team-player.
• Have the willingness to learn and are personally driven to succeed.

Physical Requirements:

• Must be able to remain in a stationary position.
• Constantly operates a computer and other office productivity machinery.
• Able to communicate information and ideas so others will understand.

Experience And Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Materials/Polymer Science, Chemistry, or related field required.
• 5–10+ years of technical sales of adhesives and coatings selling into flexible packaging converters required.
• Hands‑on experience with flexible packaging processes with proven success in managing complex accounts and driving technical qualifications required.
• Strong business acumen, understanding of market trends, financial data, and customer insights.
• Prior experience working directly with converters, experience with food‑contact specifications and regulatory requirements, and familiarity with related equipment and systems highly preferred.
• Collaborative and strategic thinker, consultative, solution oriented, quick learner and self-starter with a sense of urgency.
• Experience navigating complex multi-stakeholder opportunities, knowledge of pricing and marketing strategies, and proper short- and long-term execution.
• Must be highly organized with strong planning, facilitation, collaboration, and execution skills.
• Six-Sigma experience preferred.
• Ability to influence at all levels, experience in a distributed, matrixed environment, influencing decision makers with data, and building strong coaches to navigate mutually beneficial deals.
• Entrepreneurial acumen and proven ability to work independently and in a team environment.
• Must possess strong presentation skills as well as, excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Proficient in MS Office suite and Windows O/S. Power BI and Salesforce.com CRM platform experience required.

Why Work For Us:

• Medical, Dental and Vision Benefits
• 401k Match
• Flexible and Team-Oriented work environment
• Generous PTO policy
• Tuition Reimbursement
• Employee Assistance Program
• Career and talent development opportunities as well as opportunities for personal growth

Leading with Integrity, Collaboration, and Passion

In today’s dynamic business landscape, these core values serve as the compass guiding our actions and decisions. Whether it’s demonstrating leadership, fostering collaboration, igniting passion, upholding integrity, or maintaining a relentless customer focus, these principles shape our mission, vison and values, and drive our commitment to excellence.

Our Core Values:

• Leadership
• Collaborative
• Passion
• Integrity
• Relentless Customer Focus

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. Typical work is in a climate-controlled environment requiring regular use of computer and electronic equipment.

We are an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, or protected veteran status.

Key skills/competency

• Technical Sales
• Flexible Packaging
• Adhesives
• Coatings
• Business Development
• Relationship Building
• Consultative Selling
• Market Analysis
• Salesforce CRM
• Technical Trials