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(Technical Sales Representative, Field Sales Engineer, Sales Engineer, Business Development Engineer)
Sales & Marketing
Salary
€38,000 - €95,000/yr
Level
Professional
Outlook
Growing
Sector
Sales & Marketing
As a Technical Sales Engineer you act as the bridge between your company's engineering team and its customers, selling complex products such as industrial machinery, automation systems, scientific instruments or construction materials. Your daily work involves visiting client sites, delivering product demonstrations, preparing technical proposals and answering detailed specification queries that a general salesperson could not handle. You work closely with internal engineers, product managers and procurement teams, as well as with engineers, facilities managers and purchasing officers on the customer side. Meeting revenue targets is central to the role, so you balance technical problem-solving with strong commercial awareness and pipeline management through CRM software.
Listen: a day as a Technical Sales Engineer
Your alarm goes off at 6:45 a.m. You are based in Limerick but today's first meeting is at a pharmaceutical manufacturing plant outside Cashel, County Tipperary, so you load your laptop bag, printed technical datasheets and a small demo unit into the boot of your company car and hit the M7 before the morning rush thickens. You eat a breakfast roll at a petrol station on the way, answer two voice messages on hands-free, and pull into the client's car park just before 9:00 a.m. The client is a process engineer and a procurement officer who are reviewing conveyor automation systems for a new production line. You spend roughly ninety minutes walking the factory floor with them, taking notes on their layout, asking about throughput targets and flagging which of your company's system configurations would fit. You have done a year of this role and still find it challenging to keep track of every technical specification while also steering the conversation towards a commercial outcome.
A Level 8 Honours Bachelor degree in an engineering discipline — such as mechanical, electrical, electronic, civil or manufacturing engineering — is the typical entry route, with Leaving Certificate Higher Level Maths and Physics being particularly advantageous. Degrees in Engineering Technology or Industrial Design from technological universities such as TU Dublin, MTU, ATU or SETU are also well regarded. Some employers accept a Level 7 Ordinary Bachelor in a relevant engineering field combined with strong commercial experience, or a Level 8 in a science subject such as applied physics or chemistry for highly specialised products. A postgraduate diploma or masters (Level 9) in engineering management, business or marketing can accelerate progression into senior or management roles. No statutory professional registration is required by law, though membership of Engineers Ireland is valued for credibility with technically demanding clients.
Most Technical Sales Engineers begin as graduate or trainee sales engineers with a manufacturer, distributor or specialist engineering firm, spending the first couple of years learning the product range and developing a client base under the guidance of a senior colleague. With a proven sales record you can progress to Senior Technical Sales Engineer, taking on larger accounts or a regional territory within three to five years. From there, progression typically moves into Sales Manager, Business Development Manager or Key Account Manager roles with team leadership responsibilities. Ambitious professionals may move into general management, country manager positions or international sales roles as Irish operations expand into European markets.
AI tools are beginning to automate routine CRM tasks such as call logging, follow-up scheduling and basic quotation generation, freeing Technical Sales Engineers to spend more time on complex client relationships and consultative selling. Predictive analytics powered by AI can help identify which prospects are most likely to convert, allowing you to prioritise your pipeline more effectively. However, the core value of the role — understanding a client's engineering problem and building trust through face-to-face technical engagement — is difficult to automate, keeping the occupation relatively resilient. Engineers who adopt AI-assisted quoting, product configuration and market-intelligence tools will have a competitive advantage over those who do not.
→ Technical Sales Engineer (Current role)
Organisations in Ireland that employ people in this occupation.
Citywest, Dublin
Sell automation, drives and industrial control systems to Irish manufacturers.
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Technical sales of robotics, power and automation solutions to industry.
Monaghan, Co. Monaghan
Sell bespoke multidirectional forklifts and material handling equipment globally.
Cherrywood, Dublin
Technical sales of laboratory instruments and analytical equipment to pharma clients.
Nationwide
Specify and sell construction materials and systems to major project clients.
Nationwide
Field-based technical sales of fasteners, tools and assembly materials to trades.
Cork and Nationwide
Technical sales and connections advisory for gas infrastructure and energy solutions.
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Sell PC-based control and automation technology to OEMs and machine builders.
Carlow, Cork and Dublin
Technical sales of pharmaceutical manufacturing equipment and process solutions internally.
Shannon, Co. Clare
Sell ultrasonic level sensors and IoT monitoring systems to industrial customers.
Dublin and Nationwide
Technical sales of pump systems and water solutions to building and industry sectors.
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