Physics Phd Jobs in Rochester, NY (NOW HIRING)

Position: Laser Sales Manager – Quantum Technologies
Location: Rochester, NY (on-site preferred; must be within regular reach of the Rochester office; relocation support available)
Base Salary: $100,000–$150,000 (dependent on experience) plus uncapped commissions
Benefits: 100% employer-paid medical premiums with funded HRA, dental, vision, 401(k) with 6% match
Start Date: ASAP (generally within 1–2 months)
Contact: Andrew Millar; andrew.millar@irisscientific.com; 647-205-7151

Iris Scientific is a specialty recruitment agency laser-focused on sales, marketing, and applications roles across the North American scientific instrumentation industry. We are working with a world-leading manufacturer of advanced laser systems to find a Laser Sales Manager for their North American commercial team, based in Rochester, NY.

This is a technical sales role built around one of photonics' fastest-growing markets: quantum. The company's laser systems are at the heart of the world's leading quantum computing, quantum sensing, and optical clock programs — providing the precision light used to manipulate atoms and ions, push gate fidelities, and scale qubit counts. As quantum efforts move from academic labs into commercial and government programs, this role owns that growth in North America. The customer base runs from principal investigators in top-tier AMO and quantum optics labs to engineering and procurement teams at quantum computing companies and national labs, and the selling is genuinely technical: linewidth, stability, and power matched against demanding applications, in sales cycles that reward scientific credibility over scripted pitches.

There are two profiles that succeed in this role, and we're open to both.

The first is a recent PhD or MSc in quantum optics, AMO physics, or a related field who has decided the traditional academic route isn't for them — someone who lights up explaining their work to people outside their field and wants to build a commercial career on a foundation of real scientific credibility. Prior sales experience is not required; the science is the harder thing to teach.

The second is an early-career salesperson from photonics, lasers, or the broader quantum ecosystem — roughly two to five years carrying a territory — ready to step into a higher-consequence, longer-cycle sale with the market-leading product line in the space.

Just as important as the background is the bridge: the ability to move between scientific consulting and commercial value selling — to hold a credible technical conversation with a quantum PI in the morning and build a financially sound proposal for a procurement team in the afternoon.

This is an exciting and rewarding opportunity for someone who: wants their technical depth to drive commercial outcomes, is energized by owning a territory and a number, and wants a front-row seat as quantum technology moves from the optical table to the real world.

If this sounds like you – please get in touch.

About the Role:

As Laser Sales Manager, you will be a driving force behind the company's growth in the North American quantum market. Operating in a tech-push environment, you'll manage the full sales lifecycle across a diverse territory — identifying new opportunities across quantum computing, quantum sensing, and precision measurement, cultivating relationships from academic labs to commercial quantum programs, and owning annual booking and revenue targets. You'll also act as the voice of the North American market, feeding customer insight and competitive intelligence back into product development, and you'll receive ongoing technical training including visits to the company's European headquarters.

Key Responsibilities:

• Manage the full sales lifecycle for a North American territory, including complex, multi-stakeholder sales cycles across academic, government, and commercial quantum customers.
• Act as the primary liaison between customer requirements and the company's engineering capabilities, identifying new opportunities and applications across the quantum ecosystem.
• Travel to customer sites to demonstrate product capabilities, proving that system specifications — linewidth, stability, power — meet the demands of specific quantum applications.
• Work with leadership to shape North American sales strategy, using market data to identify emerging opportunities as quantum programs scale from research to deployment.
• Gather insight on emerging scientific trends and competitor activity to help shape the future product roadmap.
• Meet annual booking and revenue targets through proactive pipeline management and disciplined sales activity.
• Commit to continuous technical learning, including training visits to the European headquarters.

Key Requirements:

• PhD or MSc in physics, photonics, optics, or a closely related field.
• Either:
• A strong scientific background in quantum optics, AMO physics, laser spectroscopy, or an adjacent field, with clear commercial instincts and communication strength
• OR
• 2–5 years of sales experience in photonics, lasers, or scientific instrumentation, ideally selling into quantum, atomic physics, or precision-measurement customers.

• Demonstrated ability to bridge scientific consulting and commercial value selling.
• Exceptional presentation skills, with the ability to distill complex technical concepts into clear value propositions.
• Highly organized, with strong CRM discipline and data literacy.
• Based within regular reach of Rochester, NY, or willing to relocate; fully remote arrangements are not available.
• Willingness to travel to customer sites across North America and periodically to Europe (25-30% travel).

• Must be authorized to work in the United States - citizenship OR green card strongly preferred