Project Applications Engineer

Be yourself at Protolabs
Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single qualification.  We are an equal opportunity employer, and we are committed to building a diverse team that feels they are valued in the workplace.  So do you feel you do not meet every single requirement but still intrigued? We encourage you to still apply!  You can help make our company even better.  We do not discriminate based on race, color, national origin, sexual orientation, gender, age, mental or physical ability, or any way you represent yourself.  We strongly believe diversity makes for more successful teams.

Why Protolabs?
We are the leaders in digital manufacturing. We hire doers, makers, and creative thinkers who tackle our roles with an entrepreneurial spirit. Our culture is centered around meaningful work that brings new and innovative products to market at unprecedented speeds. We are a diverse team that comes from all walks of life and take pride in our team who is smart, genuine, humble, and passionate about what we do. It’s our people who fuel our creativity and make our culture feel like home.

Join our team as a Project Applications Engineer!

This is a fixed hybrid role (onsite Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday; remote Monday and Friday) in Maple Plain, MN.

As an Injection Molding Project Applications Engineer (PAE 2) at Protolabs, you’ll sit at the intersection of engineering excellence, customer success, and advanced manufacturing. In this highly visible role, you’ll guide customers through moderately complex injection molding projects—helping them bring ideas to life faster, smarter, and with confidence.

You’ll leverage your technical expertise to evaluate customer‑supplied 3D CAD models, RFQs, and drawings, ensuring designs are optimized for manufacturability, quality, and cost. Acting as a trusted technical advisor, you’ll partner closely with sales and customers to communicate injection molding capabilities, process limitations, and best‑practice recommendations throughout the sales and production lifecycle.

Beyond initial design review, you’ll collaborate with internal engineering, manufacturing, and quality teams to align Statements of Work, mitigate risk, and ensure process and quality requirements are met from project kickoff through manufacturing. Whether supporting virtual meetings or engaging face‑to‑face with customers, you’ll serve as a technical consultant who builds trust, solves problems, and helps drive long‑term customer relationships.

This role is ideal for an engineer who enjoys applying technical depth in a customer‑facing environment, thrives in a fast‑paced setting, and wants to make a tangible impact on how innovative products are manufactured. Occasional travel may be required.

What you'll do::
• Provide presales technical support to sales teams and customers on high‑value, non‑standard projects to help secure large‑revenue opportunities.

• Serve as the primary technical liaison for customers from quoting through approved‑sample delivery.Collaborate with customers and internal teams (manufacturing, quality, operations, sales) to support projects with non‑standard requirements.

• Translate customer technical requirements, timelines, design flexibility, and volume needs into optimal solutions within Protolabs factory and network capabilities.

• Set and manage internal and external expectations by providing presales guidance on manufacturability, quality, and technical tradeoffs.

• Review customer designs and documentation, identifying required changes to meet application and manufacturing requirements.Evaluate project risk by assessing customer requirements, aligning expectations, and ensuring fit with Protolabs manufacturing capabilities and offerings.

• Define, manage, and control project scope, requirements, and changes throughout the project lifecycle.

• Monitor, document, and report project milestones and outcomes to ensure adherence to technical, quality, and schedule requirements.

• Track and report project performance against KPIs such as close rate, revenue, on‑time delivery, and non‑conformances.

• Effectively apply work instructions and supporting documentation when evaluating customer quotes.

• Maintain in‑depth knowledge of Protolabs products, processes, factory capabilities, and network offerings.

• Provide on‑site factory support as needed to coordinate with manufacturing, quality, and operations teams.Partner with team leaders to assess data, workload, and capacity to support effective resource planning.

• Drive continuous improvement in work processes, project execution, and individual performance.

• Perform other duties as assigned.

What it takes::
• BS in Engineering and 6+ years of related work experience or 8+ years of directly related work experience in an engineering or manufacturing role

• 4+ years in a technical customer facing role is preferred

• 4+ years experience managing projects with high requirements and complexity

• Subject Matter Expertise in Injection Molding

• Experience with modeling/revising 3-D solid model in native CAD software

• Proficient in reading technical drawings and understanding requirements

• Strong customer relationship skills with an ability to build rapport, gain trust, and deliver effective communication

• Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to work well within a team and other internal departments

• Proven ability to collaborate with cross-functional partners to influence actions and decisions to meet project needs and provide a white-glove experience for customers

• Strong negotiation skills and ability to successfully deal with escalations

• Highly organized with ability to multi-task and prioritize in a fast-paced environment

• Strong computer skills with MS Office applications and experience using a CRM software such as Salesforce

What's in it for you?:
• We offer a competitive salary and annual bonus opportunity

• In addition, we offer amazing benefits including but not limited to:

• Health Insurance: Traditional OR High Deductible plan

• Flexible Spending Accounts

• Health Savings Account (including employer contributions)

• Dental and Vision

• Basic and Supplemental Life Insurance

• Short-Term and Long-Term Disability

• Paid caregiver leave

• You will receive at least 3 weeks of PTO + Wellness Hours + Holiday Pay + Volunteer Hours

• 401k with company match and immediate vest

• Employee Stock Purchase Program at a 15% discounted rate

• Matching grants through Protolabs foundation

• And More!

Proto Labs maintains ITAR-compliant operations in all of our United States based facilities. Due to ITAR regulations, this role is only open to U.S. Citizens, lawful permanent residents (green card holders) or foreign nationals granted refugee or asylee status. Individuals with temporary visas (e.g. E, F-1, H-1, H-2, L, B, J, TN or OPT) are not eligible for hire in this role.

Proto Labs, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer

Physical Demands:
While performing the essential duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit; use a computer keyboard, monitor and mouse, telephone and printer; reach with hands, and arms, talk, see and hear. The employee is occasionally required to stand, walk, stoop or kneel and must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds.
Work Environment:
Indoors (A/C); nonsmoking; the majority of this job function is performed in an office setting requiring normal safety precautions. However, there may be job duties that require the employee to spend time in the manufacturing areas exposed to machinery and noise; eye protection occasionally required. Occasionally works in outside weather conditions. Occasionally works near moving mechanical parts and in high, precarious places and is occasionally exposed to wet and/or humid conditions, fumes or airborne particles, toxic or caustic chemicals, risk of electrical shock and vibration. The noise level in the work environment is usually quiet to moderate.