Field Service Engineer – Electron Microscopy – Northeast (Boston-Based)

Location: Greater Boston Area, MA — Territory covers New England with periodic travel to NY / NJ / CT / PA; ~35% overnight travel (majority local day trips)

Compensation: $90–115k base salary OR option to exceed the range for candidates with exceptional hands-on electromechanical field service experience; company car provided

Benefits: Health, Dental, Vision, Life Insurance, Long Term Disability, 401K

Contact: Andrew Millar; andrew.millar@irisscientific.com; 647-205-7151

Iris Scientific is a specialty recruitment agency laser focused on sales, marketing, and development roles in the North American Scientific Instrumentation Industry.

We’re partnering with an established U.S. provider of electron microscopy & materials characterization solutions to hire a Field Service Engineer based in the Greater Boston area to support a growing installed base of market leading benchtop Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) systems across the Northeast.

This is a field-based, customer-facing service role supporting industrial and semiconductor customers with strict uptime requirements. The focus is on preventive maintenance, source replacements, and on-site troubleshooting on SEM platforms. While full SEM training is provided, this role requires prior hands-on experience diagnosing and repairing electromechanical systems in the field, often without step-by-step repair manuals. Prior SEM service experience is a plus—but strong customer facing field service experience matters more.

This role is best suited for engineers who enjoy hands-on mechanical and electrical problem-solving. Candidates who prefer highly scripted service work or primarily process- or consumables-focused support roles may find this position less aligned.

You’ll operate with a high degree of autonomy, owning your regional service responsibilities while working closely with a centralized service and engineering team.

You’ll thrive here if you enjoy:

• Owning regional service responsibility and being the trusted on-site engineer for customers
  
• Taking complex systems apart, diagnosing mechanical or electrical issues, and putting them back together correctly
• Troubleshooting problems independently when documentation is incomplete, using first-principles reasoning and experience
• Working directly with industrial and semiconductor customers where uptime, communication, and reliability matter
• Developing deeper technical expertise in electron microscopy through technical training and hands-on experience
• Operating independently in the field while collaborating closely with remote service and engineering teams

What you bring:

• 1–5 years (minimum) of field service or customer-facing technical support experience in scientific or analytical instrumentation
• Demonstrated hands-on experience troubleshooting and repairing electromechanical systems, including mechanical assemblies, motors, motion components, sensors, and basic electronics
• Exposure to electronics troubleshooting at the board level (e.g., PCB replacement, fault isolation, understanding schematics or signal flow); component-level repair experience is a plus but not required
• Strong communication skills and professional presence with demanding industrial customers

• Proven ability to work independently in the field, diagnose root cause, and determine next steps without relying on scripted procedures
• Willingness to travel regionally (~35% overnight travel; majority local day trips)
• Ability to safely lift up to 50 lbs and work at customer sites
• SEM experience is not required — full training will be provided

If this sounds like you, let’s talk.

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Purpose of the Position

The Field Service Engineer is a mission-critical, field-based role responsible for maintaining system uptime and customer satisfaction across the Northeast. You will serve as the primary on-site service resource for customers in the Boston area, performing preventive maintenance, electron source replacements, and minor repairs on benchtop SEM systems. Success in this role requires disciplined service execution, clear customer communication, and strong collaboration with centralized service and engineering teams.

Essential Job Responsibilities

• Perform scheduled preventive maintenance on benchtop SEM systems (PMs typically span two days)

• Execute electron source replacements, lubrications, alignments, and minor mechanical/electrical repairs

• Diagnose and troubleshoot system issues; escalate appropriately with engineering support when required

• Communicate clearly with customers regarding system status, findings, and next steps
  

• Maintain accurate service documentation, PM records, and service reports

• Coordinate service scheduling and logistics across regional customer sites

• Support system uptime requirements in industrial and semiconductor environments

• Represent the company professionally and reliably at customer sites

Qualifications

Experience:

• A minimum or 1–5 years of field service experience supporting scientific, analytical, or high-tech instrumentation

• Prior experience servicing microscopy, surface analysis, optical, laser, or semiconductor equipment is advantageous

• Customer-facing service experience in industrial or high-uptime environments preferred

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Materials Science, Physics, Chemistry, or related technical discipline

  (Equivalent hands-on experience considered)

Specialized Knowledge and Skills:

• Comfort working on systems involving precision mechanics, motion control, vacuum, high voltage, or optics (direct experience with all is not required)

• Strong mechanical, electrical, and software troubleshooting fundamentals

• Ability to follow structured service procedures while adapting in the field

• Professional communication with both technical and non-technical stakeholders

• Comfort working independently with remote support

• Valid driver’s license; ability to travel regionally as required

Direct Reports

• None (individual contributor). Collaborates closely with centralized Field Service, Engineering, and Applications teams.

Other Requirements

• Must be based in the Greater Boston area with regular customer visits across New England and periodic travel throughout the Northeast.
• US work authorization required.