OEM Applications Engineer

Headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, Evident employs around 4,500 people at a total of 57 locations worldwide. Evident Europe, headquartered in Hamburg, Germany, employs approximately 770 people in 16 countries. The product portfolio includes a wide range of microscope systems used in clinical diagnostics, medical and basic research, as well as in various industrial areas.

At Evident, we deliver optical technology that pushes the limits of scientific discovery. Through advanced microscopy solutions, we help researchers and innovators illuminate the unseen.

Tasks

We’re looking for an OEM Applications Engineer, who plays a critical role in securing long-term design wins by engaging with OEM customers early in the development of next-generation instruments. This role combines deep technical expertise in optical systems with a strong consultative approach to influence system architecture decisions and position optical solutions as enabling technologies within customer platforms.

Working closely with OEM Sales, Product Management, and R&D, the Applications Engineer acts as a trusted technical advisor to customer engineering teams, helping define system requirements, evaluate optical architectures, and optimize instrument performance.

The role focuses on early design-cycle engagement, platform influence, and long-term OEM partnerships, ensuring that optical solutions become an integral part of customer instruments across life science and industrial markets.

PRIMARY DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Early Design-Cycle Engagement

• Engage with customer R&D teams during concept and architecture phases of instrument development.
• Influence optical system design to ensure optimal integration of optical solutions.
• Identify opportunities where optical performance can enable new instrument capabilities.

Design-Win Development

• Support OEM sales teams in securing strategic design wins within key accounts.
• Develop technical solution strategies tailored to customer system architectures.
• Provide technical leadership during design reviews and feasibility discussions.

System Architecture Consulting

• Work with customer engineering teams to define optimal optical configurations, including objectives, illumination systems, and imaging pathways.
• Evaluate trade-offs in optical performance, system cost, manufacturability, and integration complexity.
• Support prototype development and system validation.

Strategic Customer Partnerships

• Build trusted relationships with customer R&D leaders and system architects.
• Act as a long-term technical partner throughout the lifecycle of customer platforms.
• Provide insights into emerging technology trends and application needs.

Market & Technology Intelligence

• Capture insights on emerging applications, instrument architectures, and technology requirements.
• Provide structured feedback to Product Management and R&D to influence future product development.

Cross-Functional Leadership

• Collaborate with global applications engineering, product management, and R&D teams to develop integrated solutions.
• Support the creation of reference architectures and application frameworks for OEM customers.
• Collaborate and consult with commercial team on account strategy planning and design win positioning.

Requirements

Education:

Advanced degree (MS or PhD) in Optical Engineering, Physics, Photonics, Biomedical Engineering, Imaging Science, or related discipline.

Experience:

• 5 - 10 years experience in optical systems, microscopy, or scientific instrumentation.
• Experience working with OEM customers in instrument development environments.
• Demonstrated ability to support design-in or system architecture discussions with engineering teams.

Skills:

• Strong understanding of optical system design and performance, microscopy and imaging techniques, illumination and detection systems, and system-level performance optimization.
• Experience with optical design software (e.g., Zemax) is beneficial.

Other Considerations (travel/hours availability, etc.):

30–50% travel within EMEA to support customer design activities and strategic technical engagements.

Preferred locations include major European photonics and instrumentation hubs, such as:

• Germany (Munich, Jena, Oberkochen)
• Netherlands (Eindhoven)
• UK (Cambridge, Oxford)
• Switzerland
• France (Paris / Grenoble)

The role can be home-based with travel.

Core Evident Behaviors

• Think Big- Sets ambitious goals, thinks beyond the immediate and works outside of own area for insight and inspiration to excel
• Own the outcome- takes a high degree of personal accountability, ownerships and embraces a customer-centric approach to prioritization, planning and work
• Test. Decide. Go-Open minded, willing to try new things, balances risk with agility in a culture of learning and rapid growth, moves at pace to get the right things done
• Kaizen Everywhere, Everyday - Solicits feedback to enhance effectiveness, continually identifies and drives improvement and new ways of working, operating and thinking

• Flexible working hours, incl. mobile work
• 30 days of holiday time each year
• 13 salaries a year
• Regular training courses
• Extensive company pension scheme
• Payments towards an employee savings plan
• Preventive healthcare
• Joint company events and activities
• Interesting, diversified field of activity in an international working environment

Evident Europe GmbH is an equal opportunities employer and we look forward to receiving your application.