About this job

Product Specialist / Field Service Engineer, X-Ray Analytical Instrumentation - Catania, Sicily

The chips in our phones, cars and medical devices begin as extremely thin layers of material on crystal wafers, and a tiny defect or a slightly wrong composition can ruin them. X-ray techniques let manufacturers and researchers check crystal quality, layer thickness and chemical composition without damaging the sample. This is why semiconductor, microelectronics, quality control and research labs rely on X-ray analytical instruments.

Our client is a well-established Italian distributor of scientific and analytical instrumentation, with around 125 people in Milan, Rome and Sicily. They represent leading international manufacturers and support customers from the sale through installation, training and long-term service. The technical team you would join supports advanced X-ray systems for industrial, scientific and semiconductor customers. The main systems are:

• X-ray topography (XRT) systems, used to inspect the crystal quality of materials
• Total reflection X-ray fluorescence (TXRF) systems, used to detect extremely small traces of contamination
• X-ray fluorescence (XRF) systems for the elemental analysis of thin films
• Related instrumentation used in microelectronics, quality control, research and manufacturing

The Sicilian site is growing and needs a dedicated technical person based in Catania. This is a permanent position, created so that local customers have a technical contact close by.

You are the technical face of the company for customers using these systems. You install and commission instruments, diagnose and repair faults, maintain systems, train users, and act as product specialist when customers want to know what their equipment can do. Most of your work is around Catania and Sicily, with trips elsewhere in Italy when needed. Travel is around 70 to 75% of your time, but mostly day trips, with only a few nights away per year.

You learn on the job and spend a couple of weeks training at the manufacturers’ factories in the United States, Germany or Japan.

The difference from a typical field service role is that you work on high-value instruments used in advanced labs and semiconductor environments, with training directly from the people who build them.

We are looking for someone reliable, curious and motivated, who wants to grow in a high-tech sector. You like to analyse a problem and find the technical cause. You are good with your hands, comfortable working independently at customer sites, and committed to doing right by the customer. You want to build your career in the Catania area.

This role is for you if...

• You have a technical diploma or a bachelor’s degree in a technical or scientific field (graduates and PhDs are welcome).
• You have some experience in troubleshooting or technical support, even if it is limited.
• You have a basic knowledge of electronics, electrical engineering and instrument diagnostics.
• You are good with your hands and happy to work on complex systems.
• You have a working knowledge of technical English, which is used in daily work.
• You are flexible and willing to travel regularly.
• Experience with scientific laboratory instrumentation, X-ray systems, TXRF, XRF, XRD, microanalysis, semiconductor equipment, vacuum systems, automation or process/quality control equipment will make you stand out, though it is not required.

In return, the company commits to training from the manufacturers, real autonomy in your technical work, and the backing of a larger national organisation while the Sicilian site grows.

Atmosphere, salary and benefits

• Permanent contract, technical clerk level under the national metalworking industry collective agreement
• Gross annual salary of €30,000 to €40,000, depending on experience, technical skills and autonomy, plus benefits
• Company car
• Training at manufacturers’ factories (United States, Germany or Japan)

Recruitment process

1. Phone call with Franck Peron at VRS
2. Video call on Teams with client
3. Face-to-face meeting on site

Want to be the technical expert for advanced X-ray systems in Sicily? Send us your CV today. We review applications on a rolling basis.