Senior Field Application Engineer – Embedded Solutions Architect

Toradex is a global company strongly focused on engineering & technology. We’re powered by a diverse & uniquely gifted workforce. We pursue the best people to propel our innovative vision of embedded computing and IoT. If you’re interested in being a driving force at an agile technology company, engineering clever computing solutions & helping other companies bring their products to life, we should talk. About Toradex Toradex is a global company specializing in embedded computing solutions. We provide Arm-based System on Modules, Single Board Computers, carrier boards, and industrial software solutions that help customers build robust, secure, and long-lived products faster and with lower technical risk. Our technology is used across industrial automation, robotics, medical devices, transportation, vision, Edge AI, HMI, and other demanding embedded applications. We are looking for a highly experienced technical professional to strengthen our pre-sales capabilities in Japan and help customers turn early product concepts into successful Toradex-based designs. The Challenge Customers do not always come to us with a perfectly defined specification. They may know that they need multiple cameras, industrial connectivity, local processing, a display, low power consumption, fanless operation, long-term availability, and a specific cost target. What they may not yet know is: - Which system architecture is appropriate. - Which processor and module best fit the application. - Which interfaces or resources may become limiting. - What technical risks need to be validated. - Whether the proposed design can actually meet their performance, thermal, software, lifecycle, and cost requirements. This is where you come in. We are looking for someone who can turn an incomplete customer requirement into: - A clear technical understanding of the problem. - A credible system architecture. - A well-reasoned platform recommendation. - A practical proof of concept or validation plan. - A convincing technical case for choosing Toradex. This role combines embedded systems architecture, hands-on engineering, embedded Linux, hardware understanding, and technical pre-sales. About the Role As a Senior Field Application Engineer, you will act as an Embedded Solutions Architect for strategic customer opportunities in Japan. You will work closely with Sales from the first technical discussions through platform evaluation and design-in. You will be expected to independently lead technical discovery, understand the customer’s complete application, identify missing requirements, evaluate system-level trade-offs, define the proposed architecture, and validate the most important technical assumptions through demos, tests, or proofs of concept. This is not primarily a reactive technical support role. We are looking for someone who proactively shapes solutions before design-in: someone who asks the right questions, investigates the relevant documentation, validates uncertainties, creates technical demonstrations, and drives the technical evaluation toward a clear decision. Sales will retain commercial ownership of the opportunity. You will own the technical path toward design-in first, and production win later. Your Responsibilities Lead Technical Discovery - Lead technical meetings and workshops with Japanese customers. - Understand the complete customer application, not only a list of required interfaces. - Capture both technical requirements and the business constraints behind them. - Work effectively with incomplete or ambiguous information. - Identify missing requirements, contradictions, assumptions, and technical dependencies. - Separate mandatory requirements from preferences and implementation choices. - Ask the questions that materially affect architecture, cost, schedule, risk, and platform selection. - Understand topics such as: - Processing performance. - Memory and storage. - Cameras, displays, and multimedia. - Networking and industrial connectivity. - Power consumption and thermal design. - Environmental requirements. - Real-time constraints. - Security. - Product lifecycle and long-term availability. - Certification. - Cost targets. - Production volume. - Time-to-market. - Determine early whether Toradex is a strong technical fit for the project. Define the System Architecture - Translate customer requirements into system block diagrams and architecture proposals. - Recommend the most appropriate SoM, SoC, carrier board, and platform configuration. - Analyze interfaces, resource sharing, multiplexing, and system constraints. - Evaluate CPU, GPU, NPU, multimedia, and other processing capabilities. - Consider memory, storage, bandwidth, power, and thermal requirements. - Understand relevant BSP, driver, bootloader, kernel, and device-tree implications. - Review datasheets, reference manuals, errata, and technical documentation. - Read and discuss carrier-board schematics at the level required to identify integration risks. - Identify hardware/software boundary issues. - Compare alternative architectures and clearly explain their trade-offs. - Recommend a different technical direction when the customer’s initial approach is not appropriate. - Clearly distinguish between confirmed facts, assumptions, and items that still require validation. Design and Execute Proofs of Concept - Identify the technical uncertainty that must be resolved before the customer can move forward. - Define the smallest useful test or experiment that can validate the critical assumption. - Prepare and execute customer-specific demos and proofs of concept. - Work hands-on with Toradex hardware, embedded Linux, peripherals, and customer workloads. - Configure operating systems, interfaces, and evaluation setups. - Perform benchmarks, functional tests, and measurements when required. - Investigate integration issues in a structured way. - Document results and convert them into a clear technical recommendation. - Define evaluation plans with clear success criteria. - Coordinate support from internal specialists when required while remaining accountable for the complete customer-facing outcome. A successful PoC should do more than prove that something works. It should reduce customer uncertainty and help accelerate a platform decision. Build the Technical Case for Toradex - Prepare technical presentations tailored to individual customers and applications. - Adapt the level of detail and message for: - Engineers. - Project managers. - Engineering managers. - Procurement. - Management and executive stakeholders. - Translate technical capabilities into customer value, including: - Faster time-to-market. - Lower integration risk. - Long-term availability. - Scalability across product variants. - Reduced maintenance effort. - Engineering quality and support. - Lower total cost of ownership. - Work with our Technical Sales Engineers to explain why a Toradex solution may be preferable to a fully custom board, a general-purpose SBC, or another embedded platform. - Handle technical objections and value-related concerns credibly. - Influence technical decisions without formal authority. - Communicate limitations and risks transparently. - Avoid overselling. - Recognize when Toradex is not the right solution for a customer. Drive the Technical Evaluation Toward Design-In - Maintain technical momentum across strategic opportunities. - Define clear actions, owners, dependencies, and next steps after customer discussions. - Identify blockers before they impact the customer’s schedule. - Follow up proactively on evaluations and technical validation. - Keep customers, Sales, distributors, and global teams aligned. - Decide what can be investigated locally and what requires specialist input. - Escalate to global teams with structured information, including: - System context. - Customer requirements. - Evidence and test results. - Logs or measurements. - Current hypotheses. - Business impact. - The specific question or decision required. - Avoid forwarding incomplete customer questions without sufficient local qualification. - Help customers move from general technical interest to structured evaluation and ultimately to a design decision. Develop Demos for Events and the Japanese Market - Identify applications and technical trends relevant to the Japanese embedded market. - Propose demos based on real customer problems and market needs. - Build demonstrations that are reliable, visual, and easy to explain. - Connect each demo to a clear customer problem and value proposition. - Prepare technical talking points and supporting material for Sales, Marketing, and distribution partners. - Represent Toradex technically at exhibitions, seminars, and customer workshops. - Capture market and customer feedback. - Turn this feedback into actionable information for Sales, Product Management, Marketing, and Engineering. - Create reusable technical assets such as: - Architecture diagrams. - Demo packages. - Evaluation guides. - Customer presentations. - Technical FAQs. - Competitive comparisons. - Lessons learned. The Profile We Are Looking For Professional Experience - Significant professional experience in embedded systems, systems engineering, application engineering, embedded development, or technical pre-sales. - Typically around eight years or more of relevant experience, or equivalent experience demonstrating strong technical seniority. - Hands-on experience with real hardware/software integration challenges. - Experience working directly with technical customers. - Experience leading or significantly contributing to technical evaluations, demonstrations, or proofs of concept. - Demonstrated ability to operate independently when requirements are incomplete. - Experience preparing and delivering technical customer presentations. - Experience influencing platform, architecture, or product decisions. We value demonstrated ownership, judgment, and impact more than a specific number of years in a particular job title. Embedded Linux - Strong practical knowledge of embedded Linux systems. - Good understanding of: - Boot flow. - Bootloaders. - Linux kernel. - Device tree. - Drivers. - BSPs. - System bring-up. - Logging and diagnostic tools. - Ability to distinguish between likely hardware, bootloader, kernel, configuration, and application problems. - Ability to configure and modify an evaluation system without relying on step-by-step instructions. - Familiarity with Yocto Project or comparable embedded Linux environments. You do not need to be a specialized kernel developer, but you must be able to hold deep technical discussions, investigate problems, and work effectively with internal specialists. Hardware and System Architecture - Strong understanding of Arm-based architectures, SoCs, SoMs, and SBCs. - Ability to understand: - System block diagrams. - Datasheets. - Reference manuals. - Errata. - Schematics. - Interface documentation. - Familiarity with embedded interfaces such as: - Ethernet. - USB. - PCIe. - CAN. - UART. - SPI. - I²C. - Display interfaces. - Camera interfaces. - Practical understanding of power, thermal design, signal considerations, and layout constraints. - Ability to reason about issues at the hardware/software boundary. - Experience using basic laboratory tools and preparing test setups. We are not necessarily looking for a dedicated PCB layout specialist. We are looking for someone who can discuss a carrier-board architecture credibly, identify risks, and ask the right questions. Technical Pre-Sales and Customer Communication - Strong consultative selling mindset. - Ability to discover the real customer problem before proposing a solution. - Ability to translate technical requirements and risks into a clear recommendation. - Ability to connect technical features with business value. - Experience leading technical workshops, customer demos, and technical presentations. - Comfortable discussing technology, value, cost, risk, and purchasing decisions. - Ability to communicate clearly even when information is incomplete. - Good judgment about when to act independently and when to escalate. - Ability to build trust with stakeholders at different levels. - Strong ownership, initiative, and follow-through. Languages - Native-level or fully professional Japanese, sufficient to lead complex technical customer discussions and presentations. - Professional English, sufficient for daily collaboration with global Engineering, Product Management, Sales, and Support teams. - Ability to communicate context, intent, and priority across Japanese customers and international teams, not simply translate words. Education - Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or a related technical field. Equivalent professional experience will also be considered. Skills and Experience We Particularly Value - NXP i.MX or other industrial Arm platforms. - System on Modules, Computer on Modules, SMARC, or OSM. - Carrier-board design or review. - U-Boot, Linux kernel, and device tree. - Industrial vision. - Edge AI. - HMI. - Industrial automation. - Robotics. - Industrial networking. - Secure boot and embedded cybersecurity. - Device certification. - Torizon. - Containers and device-management technologies. - Experience comparing platforms such as NVIDIA Jetson, Raspberry Pi, x86, or other SoM vendors. - Experience working with distributors and technology partners. - Knowledge of the Japanese embedded market. - Experience building technical demos for exhibitions or industry events. You May Be a Strong Fit If - You do not expect customer problems to arrive fully defined. - You naturally ask questions that clarify the real technical requirement. - You can sketch a first system architecture during a customer discussion. - You read datasheets, documentation, and errata before escalating a question. - You prefer validating an assumption with a practical test rather than debating it indefinitely. - You are comfortable moving between deep technical detail and business impact. - You can communicate uncertainty without losing credibility. - You enjoy building demos and PoCs, not only presenting them. - You take ownership of the next step and follow through. - You enjoy helping customers make good technical decisions. What Success Looks Like You will be successful in this role when: - Strategic opportunities progress more consistently from consultation to evaluation and design-in. - Technical risks and incompatibilities are discovered earlier. - Customers receive clear and well-supported technical recommendations. - Evaluations have explicit success criteria and next steps. - PoCs and demos reduce uncertainty and accelerate decisions. - Technical presentations are tailored to the customer’s real application. - Escalations to global teams contain strong context and useful evidence. - Toradex Japan develops reusable technical assets and stronger local pre-sales capability. - Customers, partners, and Sales see you as a trusted technical advisor. What We Offer - A role with direct impact on the growth and technical strategy of Toradex Japan. - The opportunity to work with leading Japanese industrial customers and advanced embedded projects. - An international environment with close collaboration across Japan and global teams. - Exposure to modern embedded computing, Linux, Edge AI, and IoT technologies. - A pragmatic culture with low hierarchy and a high degree of autonomy. - The opportunity to influence customer solutions, market positioning, product feedback, and technical strategy. - Strong opportunities for professional growth and increasing technical leadership. Toradex is a leader in embedded computing, serving innovative products to industrial, medical, automotive & IoT companies creating feature-rich & intelligent systems for demanding applications, e.g. supercars, self-driving tractors, patient monitoring systems – to name a few. We provide effective & robust embedded computing solutions and strive for the best development experience in the industry with a focus on intelligent hardware design, innovative software solutions & free comprehensive support. Our relationship with our customers ensures that we all succeed and it allows us to participate in the realization of incredible new products. Our products are directly sold to more than 3'000 industrial customers in over 70 different countries worldwide. For more information - Visit our Homepage: www.toradex.com - Connect with us and join our community!: https://community.toradex.com - Our YouTube Channel