Position: Vacuum Automation Application Technician (internally referred to as Application Engineer) for Spain & Portugal
Location: Barcelona, Spain
Department: Engineering
Type: Permanent
About Piab Group
At Piab Group, we improve our customers’ productivity, sustainability, and safety by evolving industrial automation – something we have been doing since 1951. We believe in an automated world where no resources are wasted, and no humans are injured. With annual sales of around SEK 3 billion and more than 1,400 employees, Piab is a global organisation serving customers in over 100 countries through a broad network of subsidiaries and partners.
Piab serves a wide range of industries, including e-commerce logistics, food & beverage, pharmaceuticals, and automotive, by providing innovative vacuum automation solutions tailored to each sector.
What you can expect with us
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Work with practical, real-life industrial applications in automation and vacuum handling.
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Receive full training on our products, tools, and typical applications.
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Be part of a team that values pragmatism, safety, and reliability as much as innovation.
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Have opportunities to grow your responsibilities over time (projects, training others, specialisation).
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Work in an international group with long-term, stable ownership and a focus on sustainability and people.
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Join a solid, hands-on technical role with room to grow.
Job mission
In this role, you support our customers and sales team in Spain and Portugal in choosing, sizing, and optimising Piab vacuum automation solutions while being in constant communication with them.
You are the technical point of contact on the field: in contact with customers, you understand their machines and processes, discuss their needs with engineers, operators and buyers, sometimes visiting customer sites, and then propose appropriate solutions using our tools and guidelines, and help with troubleshooting and installations. You work closely with the sales team and more senior engineers, and you receive support and training to grow in the role.
This position is ideal for someone with experience as a technical support of industrial products/components, or as an industrial maintenance technician, field service technician, or similar, who wants to move into an application/customer-facing role while staying close to technology and the shop floor.
Key responsibilities
Customer support, communication, and applications
You will:
- Build and maintain professional relationships with customers, acting as their main technical contact and day-to-day communicator.
- Visit production lines to understand how parts are handled and what the constraints are (speed, weight, environment, safety).
- Identify customer needs and propose suitable Piab Group products and solutions (suction cups, pumps/ejectors, grippers, etc.) using our selection tools and training.
- Perform sizing and calculations of Piab products based on the customer's needs.
- Provide onsite technical supervision and support at customer locations, including troubleshooting and system optimisation
- Communicate clearly with different customer contacts.
Internal collaboration and documentation
You will:
- Work closely with the sales team to suggest solutions for customer projects.
- Use Salesforce CRM to record key customer interactions and opportunities.
- Respond to technical inquiries by phone or email, occasionally providing indicative pricing and delivery information.
- Participate in internal and external training sessions to build your knowledge of vacuum automation.
- Support product and application trainings for colleagues, distributors, or customers (once comfortable).
- Conduct tests and trials in the internal laboratory, or at the customer site, when needed, to validate concepts and support projects
Profile we are looking for
Background and experience
- Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering, mechatronics or similar, or equivalent practical experience based on vocational qualification such as Ciclo Formativo de Grado Superior (FP Grado Superior) in industrial maintenance, automation, or mechatronics
- Experience in an industrial environment as a technical support or service role.
- Experience in a customer-facing context is an advantage but not mandatory if you are motivated to develop in this direction.
- Knowledge of vacuum technology, and/or industrial automation (robot, EOAT, automatic machines) is a plus
Skills and mindset
- Conformable with hands-on activities
- Technical and detail-oriented, with the ability to perform technical calculations (design engineering is a plus)
- Strong communication skills with customers, both face-to-face and remotely (phone, email), and the ability to adapt your message to different profiles (operators, technicians, engineers, buyers).
- Logical, structured, and safety-oriented in your approach to problem solving.
- Enjoys direct contact with customers and explains technical topics in a clear and simple way.
- Curious, willing to learn, and ready to take ownership of your territory with the support of your manager and colleagues.
- Team-oriented, reliable, and aligned with a high level of integrity and responsibility.
- Very good command of Spanish; good level of English.
- Comfortable using standard office tools; experience with CRM (e.g. Salesforce) is a plus.
- Strong interest in training and knowledge sharing; comfortable presenting and coaching others.
How to apply
If you are an engineer with experience in technical sales, or if you have a technical or maintenance background and are looking for a next step where you can grow towards applications, communication with customers, and technical support, we would be delighted to hear from you.
Please note that a valid work permit for the country where the role is based is required for non EU candidates. Unfortunately, applications without a valid work permit cannot be considered.
