Application Scientist
Spectris · Westborough, Massachusetts, United States
Title: Application Specialist - (XRF)
Location: Westborough, Massachusetts, USA (preferred) or NORAM region with relocation to Massachusetts required, or willingness to spend 6-8 months in the Westborough area during onboarding/ramp-up.
Hybrid: Home-based within the NORAM region with regular access to the Westborough, MA laboratory facility and approximately 50% overnight travel.
About the Role
Are you passionate about analytical instrumentation and helping customers solve complex scientific challenges? We are looking for an experienced Application Specialist focused on X-ray Fluorescence (XRF) to serve as a technical expert across North America.
In this highly visible role, you will work closely with Sales, Customer Support, Product Management, Marketing, and customers to deliver value-added scientific solutions. You will support Malvern Panalytical's XRF product portfolio, particularly energy dispersive systems, while contributing to demonstrations, training, application development, customer support, and business growth.
This role offers a unique opportunity to combine scientific expertise, customer engagement, and commercial impact while helping customers achieve breakthrough results across multiple industries.
Responsibilities
- Act as the subject matter expert for Malvern Panalytical's XRF solutions, particularly energy dispersive XRF systems.
- Support sales teams by developing technical strategies, participating in customer meetings, and delivering compelling product demonstrations.
- Perform pre-sales sample analysis and communicate findings through technical reports, presentations, and customer consultations.
- Deliver customer training, commissioning, and post-installation application support both remotely and on-site.
- Collaborate with Account Managers and Inside Sales teams to help advance and win strategic opportunities.
- Present scientific seminars, webinars, customer workshops, conference presentations, and technical papers.
- Share application knowledge globally and contribute to the development and training of colleagues across the Applications organization.
- Provide expert troubleshooting assistance for customer application challenges in partnership with Customer Support teams.
- Create technical content including application notes, webinars, testimonials, and other marketing materials.
- Maintain accurate customer and opportunity information within Salesforce.
- Support internal projects, new product introductions, and market development initiatives.
- Gather competitive intelligence and customer feedback to help shape future product and market strategies.
- Ensure compliance with ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 45001, laboratory safety requirements, and applicable HSE practices.
- Maintain laboratory resources and demonstration equipment to support customer training and marketing activities.
- Travel throughout the region to support customers, conferences, exhibitions, demonstrations, and training activities.
What You Will Bring to the Role
- Master's degree in Chemistry, Engineering, Materials Science, Metallurgy, or a related scientific discipline required.
- PhD in a relevant scientific field preferred.
- Minimum 3-5 years of laboratory, industrial, academic, research, or product development experience.
- Minimum 3 years of hands-on experience with energy dispersive XRF systems or closely related spectroscopic instrumentation.
- Strong scientific problem-solving and analytical skills.
- Ability to present technical concepts effectively to customers, colleagues, and scientific audiences.
- Experience delivering customer-facing technical support, training, or application consulting.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills in English.
- Ability to build credibility and relationships with customers, sales teams, and scientific stakeholders.
- Strong organizational and computer skills, including CRM systems and Microsoft applications.
- Willingness to travel approximately 50% overnight throughout North America.
- Ability and willingness to relocate to the Massachusetts area or spend 6-8 months in the Westborough area during onboarding and product training.
Nice to Have- Experience in a technical commercial, applications, sales support, or field scientist role.
- Experience supporting quality control or quality assurance laboratory environments.
- Knowledge of industries served by Malvern Panalytical, including materials, mining, chemicals, metals, pharmaceuticals, battery, and advanced materials markets.
- Experience with complementary analytical technologies such as XRD, Laser Diffraction, Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS), GPC/SEC, Borate Fusion, AA, or ICP.
- Experience preparing and publishing scientific papers, posters, or conference presentations.
- Understanding of customer buying behaviors and consultative sales processes.
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We provide market-leading, material characterization technologies for the world's most innovative companies, academic institutions, and government laboratories in the analytics of advanced materials.
We support our customers through their biggest challenges, from developing lifesaving vaccines to sustainable fuels. We wake up every day to delight our customers through innovation, high-quality solutions and workflows, and excellence in customer satisfaction.
We are a recognized leader for quality and insights in material characterization; winning customers with performance and keeping them with service. With more than 2,000 employees operating in over 20 countries across the world, and R&D sites in North America, Europe and Asia.
We are part of Spectris, a company which combines precision with purpose to equip customers to solve some of their greatest challenges to make the world cleaner, healthier and more productive. In 2025, Spectris acquired Micromeritics as part of Malvern Panalytical.