Manufacturing Engineer- Optical Systems & Sustaining Engineer
About The Position
The Manufacturing Engineer – Optical Systems & Sustaining Engineering is a technical resource for optical and laser-based manufacturing technologies, supporting both new product introduction (NPI) and sustaining engineering. The role transfers advanced optical technologies from concept and prototype into scalable, high-quality production, and contributes to developing, deploying, and continually improving optical systems, laser illumination systems, and precision opto-mechanical assemblies. The engineer leads the development, optimization, and sustaining of manufacturing processes for optical products and systems. The position works across R&D, Operations, Quality, Supply Chain, and Production to establish manufacturing readiness, develop processes, support successful product launches, troubleshoot production challenges, and optimize existing systems. It also provides technical leadership, workforce training, and mentorship to technicians and manufacturing personnel. The role supports multiple active product development programs and existing production lines. Success includes reliable product launches, operational excellence, continuous improvement, and scalable manufacturing performance. The successful candidate has strong technical knowledge in optics, lasers, or optical assemblies, an emphasis on precision manufacturing, and the ability to learn new technologies and lead their transition into production. Team members are expected to embody the company values of Team, Trust, and Excellence.
Requirements
- Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Optics, Optical Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
- At least 5 years of manufacturing engineering experience maintaining existing products and scaling up production throughput.
- Experience leading technology transfer from development into manufacturing.
- Experience developing manufacturing processes, documentation, and training programs.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
- Excellent communication and cross-functional collaboration skills.
- Ability to lead projects and manage multiple priorities simultaneously.
Nice To Haves
- Experience in optical assembly, alignment, and metrology.
- Experience in precision lens manufacturing and optical system production.
- Experience with laser illumination systems.
- Experience with opto-mechanical assemblies.
- Experience with optical tabletop setup and alignment.
- Experience with optical testing, detectors, and data acquisition systems.
- Experience with New Product Introduction, production ramp-up, and manufacturing readiness activities.
- Experience in sustaining engineering in a production environment.
Responsibilities
- Lead the transition of new optical and laser-based products into manufacturing.
- Implement manufacturing processes, work instructions, test methods, and training.
- Collaborate with R&D during product development to ensure manufacturability and production scalability.
- Support stage-gate development activities and manufacturing readiness reviews.
- Support qualification and validation of manufacturing processes and test stations before release.
- Align and optimize optical tabletop systems and production optical assemblies.
- Support optical system integration, metrology, testing, and performance verification.
- Apply optical principles, system tolerancing, and opto-mechanical integration expertise.
- Support laser illumination systems, optical alignment techniques, and detector-based measurements.
- Develop fixtures, tooling, and automation to improve manufacturing efficiency and quality.
- Support existing products through continuous improvement, cost reduction, quality improvement, and obsolescence mitigation.
- Investigate and resolve manufacturing, supplier, and quality issues.
- Drive corrective and preventive actions (CAPA) and root cause analysis activities.
- Partner with Operations and Quality to improve production performance and customer satisfaction.
- Maintain work instructions, process specifications, and manufacturing standards.
- Provide technical support for production ramp activities and manufacturing operations.
- Mentor technicians and production personnel in troubleshooting, process execution, and continuous improvement.
- Identify and implement productivity improvements through Lean Manufacturing.
- Improve production throughput, yield, labor efficiency, and operational performance.
Benefits
- Health benefits.
- 401(k) retirement savings program with company match.
- Paid time off (PTO).
- The position may be eligible for a performance-based bonus plan.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
