Field Application Scientist

Sapho Bio•San Carlos, CA

8h•Onsite

About The Position

Sapho Bio is a revenue-generating biotechnology company developing a rapid microbiology release platform for precision medicine. The company is a multidisciplinary team of scientists and engineers focused on improving the lot release process through speed, accuracy, and innovation. After validating and launching its first proprietary assay, Sapho Bio has more than 30 customers and is growing quickly. The Field Application Scientist serves as a technical voice for customers and works alongside the sales team to win and support business. The role translates Sapho Bio’s methods into terms that suit each customer’s processes and quality requirements, with substantial interaction with customer quality departments. The position answers technical questions, prepares adoption documentation, and supports review of the company’s methods. It reports to the Head of Sales. This is a full-time position based in San Carlos, California, with travel to customer sites. The posting states that the role is not a 9-to-5 job and emphasizes a demanding, fast-paced environment, hard work, learning, and career development rather than work-life balance. Compensation is listed as $190,000 OTE, with equity options and benefits.

Requirements

PhD in chemistry, biochemistry, biophysics, chemical engineering, or a closely related field.
At least 1 year of experience in a Field Application Scientist role supporting technical sales.
Strong written and verbal communication skills.
High technical literacy and the ability to learn new methods quickly.
Willingness to travel to customer sites.

Nice To Haves

Experience supporting customers in GMP or other regulated environments.
Familiarity with USP <71>, <1223>, and <85>.
Experience with rapid microbiological methods, especially qPCR-based methods.
Prior experience at a startup.

Responsibilities

Work with prospective and current customers to understand their testing needs and demonstrate how Sapho Bio’s methods fit their processes.
Serve as the main technical contact for customer quality departments, answering method questions and handling documentation requests and audits.
Draft technical content, including application notes, validation summaries, method comparisons, and responses to customer questionnaires.
Support the sales team on technical calls, proposals, and requests for proposals (RFPs).
Help onboard new customers, including method transfer and validation support.
Bring customer feedback to the laboratory and research teams.
Represent Sapho Bio at conferences and trade shows.
Perform other work needed for the company to succeed.