Field Service Engineer (Electron Detector Systems) in Oxford

Location: Harwell Campus, Oxfordshire

Salary: £30,000 to £45,000 DOE + discretionary bonus

Quantum Detectors designs and builds advanced detector technology for X-ray and Electron Microscopy, used at some of the world's leading research facilities. Our systems help scientists explore breakthroughs in materials science, medicine, energy research, and beyond.

This is a hands-on field engineering role, responsible for the installation of detector equipment and electronic read-out systems in laboratories and research facilities around the world. It is not a remote helpdesk, ticketing, or IT service desk position. We're looking for a curious, practical engineer who enjoys installing, troubleshooting, and repairing sophisticated scientific hardware, and who is comfortable travelling internationally to support customers in the field.

The role involves working directly with customers around the world to install, commission, and maintain our detector systems on site. From acceptance testing new equipment to diagnosing complex hardware faults, you'll play a key role in keeping our technology running at its best inside some of the world's leading synchrotrons, universities, and national laboratories.

What you'll be doing:

• Installing, commissioning, and acceptance-testing detector equipment and electronic read-out systems.
• Attaching Quantum Detector’s systems to electron microscopes and synchrotron beam lines, and configuration and set up of IT read-out systems that support the detectors.
• Delivering engaging and effective user training after installations.
• Triage and repair our products when issues arise.
• Diagnosing and resolving hardware and software issues with confidence and creativity, within timelines that delight our customers.
• Owning customer cases from first contact to resolution, ensuring clear, supportive communication.
• Escalating complex issues to internal teams and tracking them to closure.
• Maintaining accurate service records and improving internal documentation and user guides.
• Spotting recurring issues and working with Engineering and Production to enhance reliability and user experience.
• Contributing ideas that improve processes, products, and customer satisfaction across the business.
• Managing the logistics, scheduling, and visa requirements for your international travel.
• Recognising opportunities for product upgrades or service contract renewals, and feeding these leads directly to the Sales team.

This role requires international travel, but we're careful about how it's spread out. As a rule of thumb, you won't be away for more than two weeks a month, and those weeks won't run consecutively. We also mix in shorter, local (European) trips alongside the long-haul ones, so you're not doing back-to-back long-haul assignments, and no single trip runs longer than a week.

What we're looking for:

Essential:

• Hands on experience installing, maintaining, or repairing electronic or electromechanical hardware, for example in field service, instrumentation, test and measurement, or a similar engineering environment.
• Experience working in the scientific instrument industry, or other similar technical industries such as medical instruments, aviation or space.
• Confident using oscilloscopes, multimeters, and other bench test equipment.
• Comfortable working with both Windows and Linux systems.
• Ability to read schematics and work methodically with sensitive, high value equipment.
• Strong communication skills and a customer focused mindset.
• A proactive, detail-oriented approach to problem solving.
• Ability to work independently on site while staying closely connected to a technical team back home.
• Willingness and ability to travel internationally, including occasional physical work in lab environments (equipment handling, awkward access, and similar demands).

Nice to have:

• Experience with scientific instrumentation, electron microscopy, or imaging systems.
• A background in electronics, physics, or mechanical or electronic engineering (degree, apprenticeship, or equivalent hands-on experience).
• Programming or scripting experience, ideally working experience of using Python.
• Radiation safety knowledge or training.

What we offer:

• £30,000 to £45,000 depending on experience.
• Discretionary bonus scheme.
• 30 days holiday plus bank holidays.
• Enhanced pension contribution.
• 35 hour working week.
• Access to Harwell Campus facilities including cafés, gym, sports clubs, and social events.
• Ongoing training across installation, applications, and system integration.

If you're looking for a role that combines hands on engineering, international travel, and the opportunity to support world leading scientific discovery, we'd love to hear from you.

No recruitment agencies, please.