Director of AFM Technology

Director of AFM Technology & Applications

Date:
May 16, 2026

Location:

Santa Barbara, CA (hybrid)

Business Unit:
Oxford Instruments AFM

Reports to:

President, Oxford Instruments AFM

The Director of AFM Technology and Applications will lead the development of high‑value AFM technologies and application solutions that strengthen our competitive position, expand market adoption, and enable long‑term business growth. As a key member of the AFM senior leadership team, this role blends deep technical expertise with strategic leadership to shape the applications roadmap and deliver measurable commercial impact. This position serves as a bridge between science, product innovation, and the business, ensuring customer needs, market trends, and emerging technologies translate into compelling solutions.

• Define and drive AFM technology and application strategies that support revenue growth, market expansion, and product differentiation.
• Serve as a strategic contributor to the AFM senior leadership team, influencing long‑term product and application direction.
• Build and nurture internal and external collaborations to translate customer needs, pain points, and market trends into impactful solutions.
• Partner closely with R&D, Product Management, Engineering, and Sales & Marketing to ensure alignment between customer requirements and solution development.
• Contribute to global business objectives through collaborative, data‑driven decision making.

• Lead the product science team in the design, validation, and launch of advanced AFM applications and solutions.
• Build, maintain, and expand a robust applications portfolio addressing both established and emerging markets.
• Drive innovation by introducing new techniques, workflows, and application methodologies that enhance the value and performance of AFM technologies.
• Oversee the development of clear, high‑quality technical documentation to support customer success and sales enablement.

• Provide strong technical and strategic leadership to a high‑performing scientific team.
• Mentor and develop team members, building succession plans to ensure long‑term scientific and technical excellence.
• Foster a culture of innovation, accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.

• Support regional teams by providing application best practices, technical expertise, test methodologies, and troubleshooting support.
• Identify recurring opportunities, challenges, and trends across regions to inform future product and application development.
• Engage with strategic customers to gather insights and co‑develop solutions that drive adoption, retention, and business growth.

• Manage application solutions from concept through validation and deployment.
• Oversee budgets, timelines, and resource allocation to maximize efficiency and impact.
• Ensure full compliance with safety, quality, and corporate standards.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

• Ph.D. in Physics, Materials Science, or a related field.
• 5+ years of experience across a broad range of AFM applications.
• 5+ years of experience leading technical projects and/or scientific teams.
• Strong commercial acumen with the ability to connect technical solutions to business outcomes.
• Proven experience collaborating with senior leadership and cross‑functional teams.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills.
• Strong problem‑solving abilities with a creative, solutions‑oriented mindset.
• Demonstrated ability to prioritize effectively, manage time, and deliver results.
• Commitment to continuous improvement and process optimization.

• Experience developing and commercializing AFM application solutions.
• Experience in the semiconductor industry.
• Track record of scientific publications and/or patents.
• Experience leading, mentoring, and developing a high‑performing scientific team.

The expected salary for this full‑time, benefited position is between $151,000 - $191,000, plus a management bonus
. The actual compensation will be determined considering factors…