Senior Field Applications Engineer

About the role

INFICON is a leading provider of innovative instrumentation, critical sensor technologies, and Smart Manufacturing/Industry 4.0 software solutions that enhance productivity and quality of tools, processes, and complete factories. These analysis, measurement and control products are essential for gas leak detection in air conditioning/refrigeration and automotive manufacturing. They are vital to equipment manufacturers and end‑users in the complex fabrication of semiconductors and thin film coatings for optics, flat panel displays, solar cells and industrial vacuum coating applications. Other users of our vacuum‑based processes include the life sciences, research, aerospace, packaging, heat treatment, laser cutting and many other industrial processes. We also leverage our expertise in vacuum technology to provide unique, toxic chemical analysis products for emergency response, security, and environmental health and safety.

The Senior Field Applications Engineer is the advanced technical practitioner of the Applications Engineering team, specializing in first‑of‑a‑kind (FoaK) installations, demo execution, and complex multi‑site deployments. This role operates with significant autonomy, owns demo programs as project manager, and functions as the primary technical mentor for Field Applications Engineers. The Senior FAE is the key technical delivery resource for strategic applications activities before they are transitioned into the Customer Engineering team.

Responsibilities

• Own first‑of‑a‑kind (FoaK) product installations end‑to‑end — from site preparation and scoping through qualification and customer sign‑off.
• Serve as project manager and primary technical owner for customer demos: define success criteria, manage timeline and resources, execute the installation and DOE, analyze data, and deliver results to customer engineering teams.
• Design and lead DOE (design of experiment) activities in collaboration with customers and INFICON R&D teams.
• Drive cross‑site standardization and SOP leadership for fleet‑wide deployments across multiple customer facilities.
• Manage complex multi‑site installation and qualification projects, including schedule, resource coordination, and customer communications.
• Present demo results and technical findings to customer section managers and engineering teams.
• Contribute to 1–2 major strategic projects per year (new product evaluations, path‑finding activities, cross‑functional initiatives).
• Mentor and develop Field Applications Engineers through direct coaching, technical guidance, and collaborative project work.
• Identify and surface customer pain points and application opportunities to the Lead Engineer and Customer Engineering team.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Physics, or a related technical field.
• 4–7 years of field applications or systems engineering experience in the semiconductor or instrumentation industry.
• Demonstrated experience owning complex technical projects from initiation through customer sign‑off.
• Experience presenting technical findings to customer engineering teams and first‑line management.
• Strong data analysis and technical presentation skills.
• Willingness and ability to travel up to 70% domestically, with occasional international travel.

Preferred Qualifications

• Deep expertise in at least one INFICON product line (RGA, LD, FabGuard, VCP, IMS).
• Experience with semiconductor process applications (etch, deposition, EUV, advanced packaging, PVD/CVD).
• Demonstrated ability to design and execute DOEs in a production fab environment.
• Cross‑regional or multi‑site customer experience (e.g., copy‑exact deployments spanning US and APAC or EMEA sites).

Key Competencies

• Expert product and process knowledge (hardware and software)
• Demo and project ownership — end to end
• Data analysis and customer‑facing technical presentations
• Mentoring and team knowledge transfer
• Consultative communication with engineering management

Physical & Travel Requirements

• Ability to lift up to 50 lbs.
• Ability to work in cleanroom environments.
• Frequent domestic and occasional international travel required.