Product Applications Engineer - Tools

Position Overview / Role Purpose

The Product Applications Engineer - Tools plays a critical role in testing, validating, and qualifying tools, fasteners, and related installation equipment used with Nextpower tracker products. This role ensures that approved tools and fasteners are compatible with Nextpower tracker systems, meet engineering and quality requirements, and support safe, repeatable, and efficient field installation. By conducting Form‑Fit‑Function testing, tool and fastener qualification testing, compatibility assessments, and vendor qualification testing, the Product Applications Engineer helps ensure that Nextpower tracker products can be installed reliably using approved tools, fasteners, torque methods, and field procedures.

The role partners closely with R&D Design Engineering, Quality, Supply Chain, Field Applications, and Installation teams to identify risks early, validate installation methods, and deliver customer‑ready solutions.

Tool and Fastener Qualification Testing:

• Conduct qualification testing of tools, fasteners, torque equipment, and related installation hardware used with Nextpower tracker products.
• Evaluate compatibility between tools, fasteners, and Nextpower tracker components, including access, fit, torque performance, clamp load, installation repeatability, and field usability.
• Test torque tools, sockets, bits, drivers, Skidmore equipment, gauges, and other installation or measurement tools to confirm suitability for approved installation processes.
• Validate fastener performance across relevant tracker assemblies, including engagement, seating, torque behavior, joint integrity, reusability where applicable, and compatibility with mating parts.
• Develop and execute structured test plans for tool and fastener qualification, including acceptance criteria, sample sizes, test conditions, and documentation requirements.
• Identify tool or fastener failure modes, installation risks, ergonomic concerns, and compatibility issues before release to field teams or customers.
• Provide recommendations for approved tool lists, fastener specifications, torque requirements, installation methods, and service procedures.

New Product Testing & Validation:

• Conduct Form‑Fit‑Function testing on new concepts, prototypes, pre‑production assemblies, tools, and fasteners to confirm alignment with design intent and installation requirements.
• Build representative test setups in the R&D yard to simulate tracker installation, tool usage, fastening operations, and operational conditions.
• Evaluate whether product notes, installation manuals, fastener specifications, torque requirements, and engineering requirements are sufficient and accurate.
• Confirm that Nextpower tracker products can be safely and repeatably installed using approved tools, fasteners, and installation methods.
• Identify design gaps, tool access issues, fastener compatibility concerns, or installation‑related failure modes and partner with R&D engineering to resolve issues prior to GTM launch.
• Perform safety evaluations on new designs, tools, and fastener applications, verifying compliance with internal and industry standards.
• Document all test results through structured data collection, analysis, and professional test reports.

Testing of Updated / Revised Designs:

• Validate updated designs of existing products to ensure manufacturability, mechanical performance, installation repeatability, and compatibility with system interfaces, tools, and fasteners.
• Review updated drawings, specifications, product notes, fastener requirements, and installation instructions for completeness and ability to achieve design goals.
• Test individual parts and full tracker assemblies to confirm they meet functional requirements, installation procedures, torque requirements, and approved tool compatibility.
• Assess the impact of design revisions on tool access, fastener fit, assembly sequence, field installation time, and installation quality.
• Provide recommendations for improving installation instructions, product notes, fastener specifications, approved tool lists, or design features based on test outcomes.
• Replicate customer‑reported tool,…