Product Engineer – Optical Fiber Manufacturing (Contract)

Coherent • East Granby, CT

5d • Onsite

About The Position

Coherent is seeking a Contract Product Engineer to support optical fiber production at its East Granby, Connecticut facility, which produces optical fiber and optical fiber-based components for industrial, instrumentation, and communications markets. The role supports production lines by analyzing process data, assisting with experiments, and working with Operations to improve yield, quality, and throughput.

The engineer will become familiar with Modified Chemical Vapor Deposition (MCVD), Over-collapse (OC), and Optical Fiber Draw processes and apply that knowledge to daily engineering work. The position also supports production documentation, procedure updates and implementation, training materials, continuous improvement, root-cause investigations, and exposure to the New Product Introduction (NPI) process. The position is full-time at 40 hours per week and is a temporary contract estimated to last six months, with possible extension based on business needs and performance.

Requirements

• Pursuing a B.S. and/or M.S. degree in Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science, Physics, or a related engineering or scientific discipline.
• Internship, co-op, or project experience in manufacturing, process engineering, or product engineering, including academic or lab-based projects.
• Fundamental understanding of data analytics, including knowledge of JMP or similar statistical software.
• Proficiency with the MS Office Suite.
• Experience writing technical reports, lab reports, or other documentation that clearly communicates methods, results, and conclusions.

Nice To Haves

• Exposure to manufacturing processes in optics, glass, materials, photonics, semiconductors, or similar industries.
• Familiarity with basic Lean and/or Six Sigma concepts; coursework, training, or certifications are a plus.

Responsibilities

• Learn and apply optical fiber fabrication techniques, including Modified Chemical Vapor Deposition (MCVD), Over-collapse (OC), and Optical Fiber Draw, to daily engineering tasks.
• Work with Operations, R&D, Quality, Supply Chain, and Maintenance to support production tasks and follow up on action items.
• Compile and analyze daily and weekly process metrics to identify trends, deviations, and improvement opportunities.
• Update Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), work instructions, and process documentation under the guidance of senior engineers.
• Collaborate with Operations to implement new or revised procedures in production.
• Support training activities by preparing materials and documentation.
• Support senior engineers in identifying, quantifying, and documenting potential process improvements involving yield, scrap, cycle time, or cost.
• Participate in root-cause investigations for process and product issues using standard problem-solving tools such as 5-Why and fishbone diagrams.
• Gain exposure to the New Product Introduction (NPI) process.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level