Engineering Technician 2

VIAVI Solutions•Santa Rosa, CA

1d•$21 - $39•Onsite

About The Position

VIAVI is seeking a hands-on, resourceful engineering technician to serve as the on-shift process and technical point of contact for their night-shift coating production team in Santa Rosa, CA. This role acts as the first responder for issues, diagnosing problems with Manufacturing Technicians, deciding on the appropriate action, and coordinating the response across various teams. The position involves troubleshooting complex thin-film vacuum deposition systems and supporting subsystems, escalating issues effectively, and training operators on troubleshooting techniques. The technician will also support root cause analysis, execute engineering experiments, and collaborate on new product and process introductions. Responsibilities include operating and maintaining deposition equipment, performing routine preventive maintenance, measuring and characterizing coatings, and maintaining documentation in compliance with AS9100 requirements.

Requirements

High school diploma or equivalent
Minimum of 4 years of hands-on experience in optical coatings, thin-film deposition, vacuum processing, cleanroom manufacturing, or a closely related precision manufacturing environment — with demonstrated experience troubleshooting equipment or process issues, not just running to recipe.
Working knowledge of vacuum systems, including pumps, gauges, gas delivery, and basic chamber maintenance.
Demonstrated ability to diagnose problems on complex electro-mechanical equipment: reading control signals, isolating a fault to a subsystem (vacuum, gas, power, controls, optical), and determining the next steps.
Strong communication skills across roles and shifts — comfortable directing operators on the floor, briefing on-call engineering by phone, and running a structured handoff to the oncoming shift.
Proficiency with optical metrology and QA testing equipment such as spectrophotometers, ellipsometers, profilometers, and thickness gauges; able to read and interpret coating spectra against design targets.
Optics handling, cleaning, and inspection experience.
Ability to read and follow written work instructions, blueprints, and engineering drawings — and to write up an issue clearly enough that day shift can pick it up cold.
Ability to work independently with minimal supervision during off-hours, prioritize across multiple parallel issues, and keep production moving against deadlines.
Strong data analysis skills — intermediate-to-advanced Excel, Word, and SPC/ statistical analysis tools.
Must be U.S. Persons as defined by ITAR. ITAR defines a U.S. Person as a U.S. Citizen, U.S. Permanent Resident (i.e. “Green Card Holder”), Political Asylee, or Refugee.

Nice To Haves

Associate degree or technical certificate in optics, photonics, materials science, vacuum technology, or electro-mechanical technology strongly preferred.
Direct experience with e-beam evaporation, ion-assisted deposition (IAD), and/or magnetron sputtering systems.
Experience operating coating equipment to defined recipes and interpreting in-process signals (optical and/or crystal monitoring).
Electro-mechanical troubleshooting depth — reading schematics, using a multimeter, interpreting PLC/HMI alarms, and working with equipment manuals to isolate faults.
Prior experience as a lead technician, shift lead, or first responder in a 24/7 or off-shift production environment.
Working knowledge of AS9100 and IATF16949.
Experience with statistical data analysis techniques and statistical process control (SPC).
Knowledge of Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma methodologies.
Prior experience training or mentoring operators in a production setting.
Aerospace, defense, semiconductor, or precision-optics manufacturing background.

Responsibilities

Acting as the first point of contact for the night-shift manufacturing team on any technical, process, or equipment issue — triaging in real time and driving the issue to resolution before handoff.
Troubleshooting both the process and the equipment — thin-film vacuum deposition systems and supporting subsystems.
Escalating effectively — knowing what to attempt on-shift, when to pull in on-call equipment, process, or product engineering, and how to brief them with the data they need to act quickly.
Coordinating the night-shift response across operators, EHS, facilities, and the oncoming day shift; running a clean handoff that captures what happened, what was tried, and what's still open.
Supporting root cause analysis and corrective/preventive action (CAPA) for coating defects, equipment failures, and process excursions — both on-shift containment and post-event investigation.
Training and directing coating operators during the shift on process troubleshooting techniques, recovery procedures, metrology, and quality standards.
Executing engineering experiments, qualification runs, and tooling trials on behalf of process, product, and equipment engineers during off-shift hours.
Collaborating with process and product engineering on special projects: new product, process, and material introductions; continuous improvement; FMEA; PCN creation and implementation.
Operating and maintaining deposition equipment and performing routine preventive maintenance when production load allows; loading and unloading chambers, preparing substrates and fixturing, and following cleanroom protocols.
Measuring and characterizing deposited coatings using spectrophotometers, ellipsometers, profilometers, and thickness gauges.
Maintaining SPC charts, run logs, batch records, and traceability documentation in compliance with AS9100 and internal quality system requirements.
Performing other assignments as needed.