Senior Staff Scientist-SIMS

Physical Electronics USA•Chanhassen, MN

21d•$125,000 - $140,000•Onsite

About The Position

PHI is seeking a dynamic and technically skilled Senior Staff Scientist with experience in secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) to join our Analytical Laboratory team. In this role, the scientist will serve as a technical leader in dynamic, static, and time-of-flight (TOF) SIMS for the company, providing advanced guidance and expertise for customer demonstrations, technical sales support, training, marketing, product feedback, plus method and strategic application development. PHI is a subsidiary of ULVAC-PHI, a leading supplier of high-performance ultra-high vacuum surface analysis instrumentation, with an instrument portfolio that includes X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), Auger Electron Spectroscopy (AES), and Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS).

Requirements

PhD in Chemistry, Physics, Materials Science, or a related field preferred with 7+ years of experience; Master’s degree considered with significant relevant experience.
Hands-on expertise in dynamic SIMS and TOF-SIMS instrumentation, applications, data analysis, and interpretation.
Demonstrated ability to communicate complex technical information clearly to customers, sales teams, scientists, engineers, and cross-functional stakeholders.
Strong written and verbal communication skills, including experience preparing technical reports, presentations, training materials, publications, or marketing content.
Ability to work independently while collaborating effectively with sales, marketing, product development, R&D, customer service, and international teams.
Willingness and ability to travel approximately 20%, including domestic and international travel.

Nice To Haves

Experience supporting customer demonstrations, technical sales activities, application development, or product development is strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

Own PHI's technical position on the SIMS competitive landscape, market trends, and emerging industry applications, serving as the internal technical authority and external voice on SIMS capabilities, positioning, and differentiation.
Take ownership of the demonstration portion of the sales process: plan and perform customer instrument demonstrations, including sample strategy, data acquisition and interpretation, plus preparation of clear technical reports that communicate both analytical results and PHI instrument advantages.
Provide technical sales support throughout the sales cycle, including responses to product questions, application feasibility assessments, tender documentation, and customer-facing technical discussions.
Prepare and deliver technical training for PHI customers and sales personnel, including development of training materials and application-focused content.
Create and contribute to marketing materials, including product literature, presentations, application notes, research publications, and conference content that highlight PHI SIMS capabilities and product differentiation.
Conduct competitive product analyses, including evaluation of technical performance, application strengths, and market trends.
Develop novel applications and analytical strategies that demonstrate the value of PHI instrumentation across advanced materials,
Identify emerging applications, including customer requirements that may lead to competitive advantage through internal development or external collaboration.
Mentor and provide technical guidance to junior staff, when appropriate.