Special Offer 

Jumpstart your hiring with a $75 credit to sponsor your first job.*

Sponsored Jobs are 2.6x times faster to first hire than non-sponsored jobs.**
  • Attract the talent you’re looking for
  • Get more visibility in search results
  • Appear to more candidates longer

Applications Engineer Job Description: Top Duties and Qualifications

An Applications Engineer, or Application Developer, is essential to the development and building of software. Their duties include assessing customer and business needs, designing and testing software and creating hardware components.

Applications Engineer duties and responsibilities

From applications for completing tasks to the systems that control devices and networks, an Applications Engineer is responsible for designing and developing different forms of software. This process includes several duties:

  • Gathering information from customers on their needs and developing the software to match their desires
  • Designing all pieces of the program and analyzing how they’ll fit together
  • Creating diagrams and models that programmers may need for each application
  • Overseeing testing to ensure new applications work as intended
  • Making sure the software continues to work properly after maintenance and testing
  • Troubleshooting problems with software and aiding in the creation of patches and updates to address them
  • Ensuring that stages of development reach completion on time according to project milestones
  • Documenting all aspects of the application for future upgrades and maintenance

Hire your next Applications Engineer today.

Build a job description

Hire your next Applications Engineer today.

Build a job description
Close

Applications Engineer Job Description Examples

Optimize Your Interviews
Use our toolkit to optimize your interview process, improve your hiring decisions and enhance the candidate experience.
Get the Toolkit

What does an Applications Engineer do?

An Applications Engineer is responsible for creating software that suits the needs of end users. They could be tasked with developing software specifically for consumer use or for other businesses. Throughout their day, they meet with customers and business leaders to learn more about their needs. They then use this information to design all the components of a program. It’s an Application Engineer’s job to ensure all these components work together and perform maintenance on them if any bugs exist.

Applications Engineer skills and qualifications

A quality candidate will have several skills to assist them with their work as an Applications Engineer. The following list includes skills and qualifications you may want to include in your Applications Engineer job description:

  • Robust knowledge of computer systems and programming to develop applications
  • Communication skills to provide instructions to all parties included in the project and answer all questions a customer may have on how the software works
  • Attentiveness to detail to ensure all parts of an application come together and work as intended
  • Interpersonal skills to be able to work with others who may be included on the project to ensure it works properly
  • Problem-solving skills to ensure any issues that arise during the design and testing processes are fixed
  • Record-keeping skills to track the development process

Applications Engineer salary expectations

According to Indeed, Applications Engineers make an average of $86,102 per year. Salaries may vary based on location and an applicant’s experience.

Applications Engineer salary expectations

2025-10-0125000.0094707.66207000.00YEARLY
  • Common salary: 94707.66 YEARLY
  • Typical salaries range from 25000.00 - 207000.00 YEARLY
  • Find more information on Indeed Salaries

*Indeed data – 2025-10-01

Applications Engineer education and training requirements

Applications Engineers should typically have a bachelor’s degree in computer science, software engineering or other related fields. Some employers prefer candidates who have also completed an internship at a software company to further their software development skills. Depending on your business needs, you may want to consider candidates who hold professional certifications, such as the Certified Software Development Professional (CSDP) credential from the International Association of Software Professionals (IASP) or the Certified Solutions Architect (CSA) credential from Amazon Web Services (AWS).

Applications Engineer experience requirements

Applications Engineers should have experience in your industry, so they have a better understanding of the software you need and use. For example, a candidate looking into an insurance company should be aware of their software needs, so they can manufacture the right applications for the company.

Job description samples for similar positions

If an Applications Engineer isn’t quite what your company needs, one of these job description examples for similar positions might be a better fit: 

Frequently asked questions about Applications Engineers

What is the difference between an Applications Engineer and a Software Engineer?

An Applications Engineer is a type of Software Engineer. They work on designing, building, installing and maintaining applications on a large scale. The other type of Software Engineer is called a Systems Engineer, and they’re responsible for overseeing an organization’s IT infrastructure.

What makes a good Applications Engineer?

An Applications Engineer is highly skilled in the world of engineering and technology. Common characteristics of a good Applications Engineer include:

  • Passion for technology: This individual needs to be highly knowledgeable about how to use computers and software. Programming is a huge part of the job, so it’s essential that they know how to program and code.
  • People-oriented personality: Since an Applications Engineer works directly with a team of programmers, developers and other engineers, they need to know how to work well with others and enjoy collaborating with other people. They also meet with business leaders and clients, so it’s important that they make a good impression for the company.
  • Curiosity: A natural sense of curiosity can drive the success of an Applications Engineer, encouraging them to think outside the box and come up with new solutions for problems. 
  • Love of learning: With technology developing at a lightning-fast pace, an Applications Engineer must constantly be learning new things to succeed. Candidates who enjoy learning will be in the best position to succeed in the role.

Normally, these traits aren’t found on an Applications Engineer job description sample because most companies don’t list them as qualifications. However, you can ask interview questions to gauge whether candidates possess these characteristics.

Who does an Applications Engineer report to?

An Applications Engineer usually reports to the Applications Engineering Manager. This individual is responsible for overseeing the applications engineering department. They do more managerial tasks, such as proposing budgets, hiring and training staff, leading research for projects and overseeing the progress of a project. They also work to coordinate with staff managers in other departments, such as marketing, finance and production. The management team works together to ensure their overlapping projects are meeting the overall goals and objectives of the company.

How do I make a job posting from my Applications Engineer job description?

The job posting is an advertisement for an open position based on your Applications Engineer job description. Its purpose is to attract quality candidates to apply for the job. Begin the posting with a list of the key benefits and perks of working for your company. Then, describe your company in a few brief sentences. After that, copy the duties and responsibilities you customized from the above Applications Engineer job description sample and add them to the posting. Finish up with a more detailed list of benefits and perks, a description of the working location and instructions on how to apply.

Optimize Your Interviews
Use our toolkit to optimize your interview process, improve your hiring decisions and enhance the candidate experience.
Get the Toolkit

Three individuals are sitting at a table with a laptop, a disposable coffee cup, notebooks, and a phone visible. Two are facing each other, while the third’s back is to the camera. The setting appears to be a bright room with large windows.

Hire your next Applications Engineer today.

Build a job description

Job Description Examples

Need help writing a job description for a specific role? Use these job description examples to create your next great job posting. Or if you’re ready to hire, post your job on Indeed.

No search results found