Technical Sales Engineer

Technical Sales Engineer

Physical Electronics USA (PHI)

Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota Area

Reports to: Director of Sales

Accelerate Sales in a Complex, Scientific Market

• Ready to use your technical expertise to drive sales growth?

• Motivated by complex materials challenges and advanced technologies?

• Interested in working daily with technical experts to solve real problems?

At Physical Electronics, we don't sell products, we help customers solve materials challenges at the atomic level. Our systems support critical work in semiconductors, energy storage, advanced coatings, and next-generation technologies, where surface chemistry and material interfaces determine success or failure.

This role is focused on one objective: helping the sales team win.

Position Overview

PHI USA is seeking a Technical Sales Engineer to support complex, science-driven sales opportunities from early qualification through close. This customer-facing role partners with Sales, applications scientists, product teams, and service to qualify opportunities, develop credible solutions, validate configurations, and support custom solution requests.

The goal is to bring technical clarity, speed, and confidence to the sales process.

Key Responsibilities

Opportunity Qualification & Technical Discovery

• Partner with sales to qualify opportunities early and confirm fit between customer needs and PHI capabilities.

• Be a part of technical discovery with customers to define applications, requirements, success criteria, and decision drivers.

• Identify technical risks, gaps, constraints, and fit issues that affect pipeline quality, forecasting, and sales strategy.

Solution Development & Positioning

• Develop application-aligned solutions using PHI technologies, including XPS, AES, and TOF-SIMS

• Understand competitive offerings, current market developments, and emerging threats to help position PHI solutions around our unique value proposition

• Create proposals, system configurations, and solution narratives for customers

• Participate in customer meetings when technical support is required

• Review customer specifications and requirements

• Address technical questions, objections, specifications, and requirements during strategic sales opportunities

Product Configuration and Quote Support

• Validate complex system configurations before quotation and order placement.

• Confirm compatibility among hardware, software, options, accessories, upgrades, and customer requirements.

• Coordinate with Japanese manufacturing teams on configuration rules, product capabilities, and constraints.

• Maintain configuration guidelines and technical sales documentation.

Custom Solutions (CQR) Sales Support

• Support custom solution requests during the sales process by clarifying customer needs, requirements, constraints, and success criteria.

• Coordinate early cross-functional input to confirm feasibility, risks, and scope before customer commitment.

• Help ensure approved custom solutions are clearly communicated to execution teams at order handoff.

Cross-Functional Coordination and Knowledge Management

• Coordinate between sales, applications, product, service, engineering, and manufacturing teams.

• Ensure the right experts are engaged at the right time to support solution quality and responsiveness.

• Capture lessons learned from completed opportunities, prior CQRs, and special solutions.

• Contribute to technical knowledge bases that improve future sales execution.

Why join PHI?

• Play a direct role in improving sales execution, opportunity quality, and win rate.

• Work on high-value, consultative sales opportunities in advanced surface analysis.

• Collaborate with application scientists, technical specialists, and global manufacturing teams.

• Help customers solve complex materials challenges at the atomic level.

• Join a culture that values competence, ownership, curiosity, and clear communication.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Materials Science, Physics, Chemistry, Engineering, or a related technical field.

• 7+ years of experience in applications engineering, technical sales support, analytical instrumentation, or a similar technical environment.

• Strong understanding of ultra-high vacuum systems.

• Ability to translate complex technical requirements into practical solutions tied to customer needs and business outcomes.

• Strong communication, problem-solving, and customer-facing skills.

• Ability to work effectively with both technical and commercial stakeholders.

• Ability to contribute independently in a complex technical sales environment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Working knowledge of surface analysis techniques, including XPS, AES, and TOF-SIMS.

• Experience with materials characterization, thin films, coatings, semiconductors, or related applications.

Compensation and Benefits

Annual base salary: $90,000 - $110,000, based on qualifications and experience.

Benefits include medical, dental, life and disability insurance; employer HSA contributions; 401(k) employer contributions; profit sharing; paid holidays, vacation, PTO and parental leave; tuition reimbursement; training; charitable matching; and wellness programs and an on-site gym. Eligibility and plan terms apply.

Equal Employment Opportunity

PHI is an equal opportunity employer. Qualified applicants are considered without regard to disability, protected veteran status, or any other legally protected status.