Job Advert
Sales Development Representative
Location: Harwell Campus, Harwell, Oxfordshire, OX11 0QX
Salary: £35,000 - £40,000 plus commission
Hours: Full time
We are seeking a highly motivated individual with a "hunter" mentality to expand our presence in the semiconductor industry and the academic sector for transmission electron microscopy, and the synchrotron market for beamline science. This role is critical for identifying new business opportunities and fuelling our sales funnel with high-quality leads. You will be responsible for the initial outreach and qualification of potential customers, setting the stage for successful high-value transactions.
Why Join Us?
You’ll be joining a global leader in electron detection technology and synchrotron beam science with a collaborative culture and a focus on driving sustainable growth in the region. This role offers autonomy, global impact, and the opportunity to help shape customer strategy.
What will you do?
Key Responsibilities
Strategic Prospecting & Lead Generation
- Support adoption of QD electron microscopy products by identifying and engaging key stakeholders within the semiconductor industry.
- Grow the academic customer segment by researching and qualifying leads from national academic labs and research institutions.
- Increase our presence and product penetration into synchrotron facilities globally.
- Utilize Salesforce CRM, Google Gemini AI and online tools for rigorous prospecting, lead creation, lead qualification and funnel enrichment.
- Qualify all inbound leads and ensure timely follow-up and correct routing.
- Maintain accurate Salesforce records for leads and opportunities, supporting reliable pipeline visibility and forecasting.
- Progress early-stage and long-cycle opportunities through structured follow-up, identifying when prospects become sales-ready.
Collaboration & Feedback
- Work closely with the Technical Sales Engineers for a fully aligned go to market strategy
- Help identify and validate strategic opportunities in emerging electron microscopy fields such as battery technology and pharmaceuticals.
- Partner with the Marketing Manager to fine tune our messaging and lead generation activities.
About You
BSc or equivalent experience in physics, materials science, chemistry, structural biology or a related field.
2+ years of SDR and/or commercial experience in a scientific field.
Confident communicator with the ability to adapt style for customers and collaborators.
Hunter sales mentality with an insatiable hunger to find new opportunities in key customer geographies and segments.
Team player - a collaborative professional who thrives on collective success.
What you'll get from us
Competitive basic salary plus commission
30 days holiday
Enhanced pension
Enhanced family-friendly policies
Access to Harwell Campus facilities
No agents please
TECHNICAL & MARKET ANALYSIS | Appended by Quantum.Jobs
The structural maturation of the quantum technology sector necessitates a specialized commercial function to bridge the gap between fundamental research and industrial application. As high-precision instrumentation transitions from laboratory prototypes to standardized components within the semiconductor and electron microscopy value chains, the Sales Development Representative serves as a critical catalyst for technology adoption. This role facilitates the systematic expansion of the quantum-enabled hardware market by identifying and qualifying high-value integration opportunities across academic and commercial sectors. Market signals indicate that the ability to articulate complex technical value propositions is a primary determinant for organizations seeking to scale deep-tech hardware solutions. By aligning emerging hardware capabilities with the stringent requirements of semiconductor manufacturing and advanced materials research, this function ensures the deterministic growth of the supporting infrastructure ecosystem.
The quantum ecosystem is currently transitioning from a phase of discovery toward a period of commercial infrastructure build-out, where the reliability and sensitivity of detection hardware are paramount. Within this landscape, specialized detection technologies represent a foundational layer for both quantum computing development and high-resolution material characterization. However, a persistent challenge remains in the "translation gap" where specialized deep-tech breakthroughs must find viable pathways into established industrial workflows, such as transmission electron microscopy and semiconductor yield optimization. Addressing this market friction requires a strategic focus on expanding the footprint of high-fidelity sensors that can operate at the edge of physical limits.
Macro-level analysis of the global quantum workforce reveals a growing demand for "bilingual" professionals who possess both technical literacy in physics-based domains and the commercial acumen required to navigate complex procurement cycles. While engineering talent drives the development of hardware, the commercial enablement tier is responsible for securing the capital and partnerships necessary for long-term R&D sustainability. Organizations are increasingly prioritizing the development of these commercial pipelines to mitigate the risks associated with narrow, academic-only customer bases. This shift is particularly evident in the UK quantum cluster, where the proximity of research hubs to industrial campuses creates a unique environment for rapid technology transfer.
Furthermore, the integration of advanced detectors into semiconductor fabrication lines has become a strategic priority as features sizes approach the quantum regime. This trend favors the adoption of non-destructive, high-throughput characterization tools that can leverage quantum-enhanced sensing capabilities. As the industry moves toward standardized photonic and electronic interfaces, the commercial focus is pivoting toward establishing long-term supply relationships with global research institutions and fab operators. This strategic alignment is essential for maintaining the integrity of the technology stack as hardware modalities diversify and scale.
The capability architecture for this role centers on the integration of market intelligence with a deep understanding of the technical constraints inherent in quantum and semiconductor hardware. At the foundational layer, mastery of the technical specifications for electron microscopy and high-speed detection systems is essential for ensuring that proposed solutions meet the rigorous demands of academic and industrial researchers. This proficiency is coupled with the ability to map the stakeholder landscape within large-scale research projects and corporate R&D departments, ensuring that technical value is communicated to both scientific and procurement leads. These capabilities are critical for the structural throughput of the hardware sector, as they directly influence the velocity of revenue generation and market feedback loops.
Beyond tactical lead generation, this role facilitates a high-level coupling between customer-side requirements and internal product roadmaps. By capturing the evolving needs of the semiconductor and microscopy sectors, these experts enable a level of market responsiveness that allows hardware providers to pivot toward high-growth applications. This interface ensures that advancements in detector sensitivity and speed are translated into tangible competitive advantages for end-users, such as improved material analysis or reduced time-to-market for new chip architectures. This strategic synchronization is vital for maintaining market leadership in a rapidly evolving deep-tech landscape.
Accelerates the deterministic expansion of quantum-capable detection hardware across global industrial and academic markets
Mitigates systemic adoption barriers by articulating high-fidelity technical value propositions to non-specialist decision makers
Facilitates the transition from niche laboratory components to standardized industrial-grade sensing solutions
Reduces market entry friction for advanced detection technologies within the semiconductor and microscopy sectors
Strengthens the economic sustainability of deep-tech hardware firms by securing diversified revenue streams
Harmonizes emerging quantum sensing capabilities with the practical requirements of high-throughput industrial characterization
Optimizes the feedback loop between end-user requirements and internal hardware engineering roadmaps
Supports the scaling of the quantum ecosystem by identifying high-impact use cases for photon and electron detection
Shortens the procurement cycle for capital-intensive scientific instrumentation through expert technical qualification
Improves the visibility of emerging characterization challenges across the semiconductor value chain
Protects long-term R\&D investments by establishing a robust pipeline of commercial and academic partnerships
Enables the strategic orchestration of market expansion efforts across international research and manufacturing networks
Industry Tags: Quantum Sensing, Semiconductor Metrology, Electron Microscopy, Deep Tech Sales, Harwell Space Cluster, Photon Detection, Research Infrastructure, High-Resolution Imaging, Scientific Instrumentation
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