Microbiology Science Lead

Do you want to be part of a business that genuinely values entrepreneurialism, innovation and individual accountability? We focus on our customers and are proud of the difference our technology makes. We partner with some of the biggest manufacturing companies in the world and our technical innovations are used to enhance well-known brands across multiple industries.

Particle Measuring Systems (PMS) sets the standard for cleanroom contamination monitoring. With more than 60 patents, we create the technology that enables our customers to make fact-based decisions, improve process yields and comply with ever-changing regulatory requirements.

The Role

We are seeking an applied research Science Lead with expertise in microbiology, to drive hands-on research and innovation within a growing interdisciplinary team. This role will help shape innovations that influence our business strategy and deliver world-class solutions to our clients.

This position will lead significant technical initiatives, ensuring technical excellence, alignment with corporate goals, and will contribute to the development of the R&D department. As a member of the research staff, this position will report to the Research Director and will lead R&D efforts in microbial particle counting while collaborating with aerosol and liquid teams. While primarily an individual contributor role, this position includes supervising a small, high-performing team of interdisciplinary researchers on RMM particle counting development, guiding their development and ensuring strong alignment with goals.

The role will focus on industrial research projects, with a path toward productization solutions and validating their efficacy in BSL 2-3 lab and customer environments. Beyond research, this position is involved throughout the entire lifecycle from applied research to product, translating complex challenges to impactful solutions for customers.

Specific Job Responsibilities

• Provide expert input of advanced microbial particle counting, lead microbiology methods, create cutting-edge technology for cleanroom environments and collaborate with engineering teams
• Subject matter expert to key clients, with an in-depth understanding of clients' business and technical challenges. Apply advanced understanding and expertise of customer environments and challenges to product and technology design, functionality, and optimization
• Communicate and collaborate effectively with key stakeholders at each stage of research and technology development, facilitate meaningful discussions around complex issues to drive progress towards tangible productized outcomes
• Build collaborative relationships cross-functionally and with key contacts, may serve as an external spokesperson for the organization ensuring brand compliance, effective message delivery within all promotional and educational channels (i.e., speaker programs, tradeshows, career fairs, educational outreach, Particle College, product and technology demos and spotlights, etc.)
• Collaborate with and utilize existing technology, customer needs, and scientific principles in microbiology, optics, and physics ensuring cutting-edge innovations translate into real-world production solutions
• Develop disruptive innovations in traditional optical particle counting
• Provide day-to-day guidance and technical mentorship to one or more interdisciplinary researchers. Coordinate project assignments, support professional development, and foster a collaborative, inclusive team environment that encourages innovation and accountability

Research Scientist Responsibilities

• Build a strong scientific acumen and understanding of customer market and competitor landscape, actively collecting, analyzing, and synthesizing information on competitor technology
• Keep up to date on the latest field specific and industry specific problems and research to identify novel approaches to explore for application to our domain, including identification and evaluation of novel technologies that could enhance RMM particle detection
• Advance intellectual property development, contributing to patents and proprietary processes that secure a competitive edge
• Develop strategies to assess and progress existing technology and our internal product and technology pipeline
• Maintain strategic vision and perspective to oversee work that affects one or more complex systems and mission-critical areas
• Complete large scope, highly complex projects resulting in improvements to product performance and risk management
• Make design decisions, identify and proactively manage risks of developing technology
• Create and manage multiple projects simultaneously, exercising judgement in the methods, techniques, and evaluation of criteria for determining results
• Design and conduct experiments to evaluate developing technology, improve simulations, and evaluate the success of new models in a live environment
• Lead and shape RMM particle counting research to develop new, cost-effective technologies beyond traditional microbiology methods in cleanroom operations

Additional Responsibilities

• Communicate research strategy and results across organization at executive and engineering team levels
• Collaborate with the Engineering department to recruit exceptional talent, mentoring team of researchers, and provide technical guidance, coaching, and feedback to support career growth of staff
• Collaborate and coordinate closely with marketing to identify partnering opportunities with customers for early adoption of new RMM technology, responsible for leading, building, and nurturing successful strategic internal and external partnerships
• Oversee trials in research and manufacturing, ensuring smooth technology transfer while troubleshooting potential scalability challenges
• Assign and clearly communicate operational priorities, allocate lab resources
• Perform other duties as assigned

Required Qualifications and Experience

• PhD or MS in Microbiology, Environmental Science or Bioengineering with at least 4 years of relevant experience, or least 6 years relevant experience with MS in scientific field
• Expertise in bioaerosol detection, generation, and sampling in laboratory and field environments with demonstrated success leading scientific R&D projects involving high-concentration aerosolized biological materials
• Experience in translating biosafety and microbial monitoring requirements into robust instrumentation designs
• Project management and team leadership skills in multidisciplinary environments.
• Collaboration skills with strong attention to detail and the ability to multi-task and manage complexity
• Strong technical communication and cross-functional collaboration skills, effectively communicating complex technical issues simply and transparently, including writing insightful documentation
• Strong mathematical understanding and ability

Desired Qualifications

• Familiar with cleanroom and contamination control standards in pharmaceutical or semiconductor environments
• Experience working under ISO 9001, ISO 17025, or GLP/GMP conditions
• Knowledge of relevant standards such as ISO 14698 and regulatory expectations for environmental monitoring
• Experience managing a small team of professionals

The Details

Location - This is an "in-office" position 75% - 100% of the time. The remainder of the time you may work from home. These percentages are targets with the actual schedule to be determined in conjunction with the manager's expectations for the position. The location of this position is in Boulder, CO, moving to Niwot, CO in 2025. Relocation may be offered for this role, but local candidates will receive first consideration.

2025 Benefits At-a-Glance

Our benefit package is provided through our parent company, Spectris.

• Medical
• Dental
• Vision
• 401(k)
• Flexible Spending Account
• Onsite Wellness Clinic (Colorado Employees)

Pay Range

$85000 - 130000 depending upon experience

How we determine what we pay (compensation philosophy)

Particle Measuring Systems determines pay for positions using local, national, and industry-specific survey data, for the Boulder, Colorado area. We will evaluate external equity, which is the relative marketplace job worth of jobs directly comparable to jobs within our company.

For new hires, we make competitive offers between the minimum and the midpoint of the range. There may be times when we will offer above the midpoint. The decision to do so will be based on the applicant's level of experience, education, and specialized knowledge and skills. Additionally, we consider the external market rate, the amount we have budgeted internally, and the compensation rates of the employees within the company doing the same position.

Particle Measuring Systems is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer.