NPI Engineer

Gooch & Housego Pal Alto•Fremont, CA

2d•$140,000 - $165,000

About The Position

As an NPI Engineer, you will play a critical role in bridging Research & Development and Operations by leading the industrialization and successful transfer of new photonic products from concept and prototype through manufacturing scale-up and product maturity. You will partner closely with R&D, Manufacturing, Quality, Supply Chain, and Program Management teams to ensure products are robust, manufacturable, cost-effective, and ready for volume production. This role is ideal for an engineer who thrives in a highly technical environment, enjoys solving complex manufacturing challenges, and is passionate about enabling innovative products to transition successfully from development into sustained manufacturing.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Manufacturing, Industrial, Optical, Electrical Engineering, or related discipline.
5+ years of experience in New Product Introduction, Manufacturing Engineering, Process Engineering, or Product Development in a high-technology manufacturing environment.
Demonstrated experience leading product industrialization and transferring products from R&D/prototype phases into production manufacturing.
Strong understanding of DFM/DFA principles, process validation, and product industrialization.
Experience with engineering change management, configuration control, and product lifecycle management (PLM) systems.
Knowledge of Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, PFMEA, Control Plans, and structured problem-solving methodologies.
Experience with process qualification, risk assessment, manufacturing readiness reviews, and production ramp activities.
Excellent project management, communication, and cross-functional collaboration skills.

Nice To Haves

Experience within photonics, optics, aerospace, semiconductor, medical device, or other precision manufacturing environments.
Experience supporting high-mix, low-volume manufacturing environments.
Experience with statistical analysis, DOE, process capability studies, and process characterization techniques.

Responsibilities

Lead the transfer and industrialization of new products and technologies from R&D into manufacturing, ensuring technical readiness, documentation completeness, and successful production release.
Drive Design for Manufacturability (DFM), Design for Assembly (DFA), and Design for Excellence (DFX) activities to optimize product performance, quality, manufacturability, and cost.
Plan and execute prototype builds, pilot runs, process characterization activities, and manufacturing trials to validate product designs and production processes.
Develop and execute product maturation plans to improve yield, reliability, manufacturability, and cost throughout the product lifecycle.
Establish, qualify, and validate manufacturing processes, tooling, fixtures, work instructions, and test methods required for successful production ramp and sustained manufacturing.
Analyze manufacturing, quality, and yield data to identify trends, resolve technical issues, and drive continuous process improvements.
Serve as the technical liaison between R&D, Manufacturing, Quality, Supply Chain, and Operations throughout the NPI lifecycle.
Lead cross-functional manufacturing readiness reviews and provide status updates on product launch, risk mitigation, capacity planning, and production readiness.
Manage engineering changes, Bills of Material (BOMs), product documentation, and configuration control activities to support successful product launches.
Support products following launch by driving yield improvements, cost reduction initiatives, and corrective actions for manufacturing and field performance issues.
Apply structured problem-solving methodologies to identify root causes and implement sustainable corrective actions.
Champion continuous improvement initiatives that enhance product quality, operational efficiency, manufacturability, and customer satisfaction.