Technical Account Manager
BAY AREA · NORTHERN CALIFORNIA FULL-TIME BASE + MILESTONE BONUSES + UNCAPPED COMMISSION
01. ABOUT US
Trilion Quality Systems is a precision metrology and NDE company based in King of Prussia, PA, and the US representative for ZEISS IQS optical testing systems. Our sister company, Xi Analytics, develops real-time optical metrology and AI-based measurement technology for advanced material testing and aerospace structural applications.
As the exclusive ZEISS Certified Metrology Partner in North America, Trilion’s experienced team of thirty people has spent the last 30 years doing one thing: connecting physical measurement with certified digital insight. More than 90% of the top ten US aerospace, automotive, biomechanics, and electronics companies work with us as their ZEISS DIC partner. This means that you will spend most weeks on innovative projects at Fortune 100 aerospace, defense, automotive, and consumer electronics companies, on test articles that are usually confidential, and you will be the person they call first. We’re an agile team and you won’t waste months waiting on committees and layers of management.
02. ABOUT THE ROLE
Trilion is opening a Bay Area office around San Mateo in 2026 and hiring a Technical Account Manager to carry Northern California. This is a quota-carrying, field-based role, and you will be the primary technical and commercial contact for customers in the territory from the first conversation through demonstration, proposal, purchase order, and long-term account growth.
You will spend most of your week in front of engineers in their test labs, not behind a desk. Optical metrology is sold by showing it, so much of the job is setting up a system on a customer's test article and letting the data make the argument. Strain gauges read a handful of points and miss the concentrations and asymmetries that decide whether a design passes certification. Full-field DIC makes every pixel a measurement point, in 3D, NIST-traceable, and ready for FEA correlation in minutes.
You will not be just a coordinator who forwards technical questions. Once ramped, you are expected to be able to run standard demonstrations and beginner trainings yourself, with our expert engineering team behind you for complex projects, dedicated multi-day training, and on-site service work. The technical credibility that comes with it is how you sell on results and direct knowledge rather than on a brochure.
You will not be working a blank list. Leads reach you through ZEISS and through Trilion’s own marketing, and you will generate the rest yourself at proven trade shows, through customer referrals, and by developing accounts we already serve. Revenue splits close to evenly three ways: new accounts, new teams inside existing accounts, and recurring business from our customer base. This means that a majority of projects will come from customers who already know and trust us, which is why account management matters here as much as new business. The ramp is deliberate: expect full autonomy over the territory within 6 to 8 months, backed by milestone bonuses while the funnel builds. Your first three months will follow a structured onboarding plan with active coaching, defined milestones and hands-on time alongside our engineers, so you are not left to work it out on your own. Capital equipment cycles are long, but we don’t starve a good engineer waiting for the first sale to close.
03. KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
Territory and accounts
- Own the Bay Area and Northern California territory across aerospace, microelectronics and consumer electronics, space and defense, automotive and EV, medical device, and industrial and civil structures
- Work inbound leads from ZEISS and our digital marketing through qualification to first meeting
- Generate the rest of your pipeline yourself: trade show and conference follow-up, referrals, and prospecting into new groups inside accounts we already serve
- Support existing accounts and identify follow-on system, software, and service opportunities
- Forecast territory opportunities accurately and keep management updated on a regular cadence
Technical selling and delivery
- Present and demonstrate ARAMIS, ATOS, TRITOP, and the wider ZEISS portfolio at customer test labs and trade shows
- Run standard demonstrations and basic software training independently once ramped, including specimen preparation and system setup
- Process and present measurement results, and run proof-of-concept engagements and ROI analyses tied to the customer's test program
- Bring in our engineering team for complex projects, multi-day training, and service work
Deal execution
- Design and develop tailored proposals and system configurations
- Manage the full sales process from first contact through purchase order
- Maintain accurate account, contact, and opportunity records in HubSpot CRM and Odoo ERP
04. ABOUT YOU
- 2 to 3 years of experience in technical sales, applications engineering, or hands-on test and measurement work, in aerospace & defense, electronics & AR/VR hardware, automotive & EV, robotics, biomechanics, material science or an adjacent field
- MS/BS in Mechanical/Aerospace Engineering, Material Science or similar Engineering Major
- Comfortable with mechanical engineering fundamentals: strain, stress, fatigue, and structural test
- Comfortable explaining technical concepts clearly and concisely to test engineers and executives
- Hands-on experience with test equipment or measurement instrumentation, and the confidence to run a live system demonstration in front of a customer without support
- Willing and able to generate your own pipeline: outbound calls and emails, trade show and conference follow-up, and prospecting into adjacent groups at existing accounts
- Organized and self-directed; this territory runs on a plan you build yourself
- Excellent computer skills including AI usage for day-to-day sales engineering activities
- Willing to travel approximately 50%, predominantly 1-3 day trips within California and West Coast
- This role requires access to export-controlled technical data. Applicants must qualify as a U.S. person as defined by 22 CFR 120.62 (ITAR) and 15 CFR 772.1 (EAR)
05. NICE TO HAVE
- Demonstrated interest in materials science, aerospace engineering, microelectronics, or biomechanics, through coursework, research, personal projects, or on your own time
- Exposure to Digital Image Correlation (DIC), photogrammetry, or optical metrology, which shortens the technical ramp considerably
- A working understanding of optics and imaging: lens selection, focal length, depth of field, sensor and resolution limits. Photography, professional or serious hobby, is genuinely useful here
- Structural or mechanical testing, Finite-Element Analysis (FEA) and simulation correlation, or NDE background
- Biomechanics or medical device testing experience
- Capital equipment or scientific instrument sales experience
- Track record of attaining a sales quota
06. ABOUT THE OFFER
- Base salary of $90,000 to $105,000, depending on years of experience, plus first-year milestone bonuses tied to demonstrations, quotes, and your first system sale, and uncapped commission on equipment and maintenance revenue. First-year total compensation of approximately $125,000 to $150,000.
- Full-time, field-based across Northern California, out of our Bay Area office opening in San Mateo in 2026 with approximately 50% travel
- 15 days of vacation and 10 company holidays
- Medical, dental, and vision insurance (employee covered 100%, family covered 50%)
- 401(k) plan with 3% employer contribution, plus eligibility for additional profit-share retirement contribution (eligibility after 9 months of employment)
Trilion is an equal opportunity employer. We consider all qualified applicants consistent with legal requirements. If you need assistance or a reasonable accommodation during the application or recruiting process, let us know when applying.