Prototyping Technician

ShineOn•Lutz, FL

About The Position

ShineOn is seeking a detail-oriented Prototyping Technician to join our production team. In this hands-on role you will operate laser and printing equipment, manage the end-to-end prototyping workflow inside our Admin production system, and serve as the key technical liaison between internal teams and vendor partners. You will drive prototype projects from concept through completion - conducting time studies, tracking material costs, managing tooling builds and pricing, running structured experiments, and delivering clear updates to leadership.

Requirements

Minimum 2-year technical degree (Engineering Technology, Manufacturing, Industrial Technology, or related field)
Hands-on experience with laser equipment and/or industrial printing equipment
Proficiency with or ability to quickly learn production management software (Admin system)
Understanding of DOE methodology and structured problem-solving techniques
Demonstrated ability to conduct time studies and apply findings to process improvement or labor costing
Experience tracking material costs and building or interpreting cost estimates
Experience with tooling builds, tooling pricing, or working with tooling vendors
Strong verbal and written communication skills; comfortable with email and electronic messaging platforms
Ability to manage competing priorities and escalate appropriately based on business impact
Self-starter with flexibility to take direction and adapt to evolving project needs
SOP creation and editing

Nice To Haves

Experience in a custom merchandise, print-on-demand, or e-commerce production environment
Familiarity with font design or graphic production workflows
Experience working with external vendors and managing vendor communications
Exposure to industrial engineering tools such as time-motion analysis or value stream mapping
Proficiency with Slack for team collaboration
Laser equipment proficiencies
Printing equipment proficiencies

Responsibilities

Operate and maintain laser engraving and printing equipment in a production environment
Execute prototype builds within the Admin production system, following established workflows and quality standards
Order required materials proactively; identify and resolve supply or inventory gaps before they impact timelines
Track and report material costs per prototype build, maintaining accurate cost records to support budgeting and purchasing decisions
Manage the end-to-end tooling build process, from specification and sourcing through fabrication and validation
Develop and maintain tooling cost estimates and pricing models, factoring in materials, labor and vendor quotes
Partner with vendor contacts to obtain competitive pricing and ensure tooling meets quality and production specifications
Maintain a tooling inventory log and flag aging, worn, or obsolete tooling for replacement
Serve as the primary technical contact for vendor-facing activities, including text and specification reviews on vendor-supplied equipment
Collaborate with font designers and other internal stakeholders to ensure prototypes meet brand and design requirements
Escalate vendor or supply issues promptly, prioritizing based on production impact
Design, execute and document Design of Experiments (DOE) to optimize processes and product outcomes
Conduct time studies on production and prototyping processes to establish accurate cycle times, identify bottlenecks, and support labor cost modeling
Use time study data to recommend process improvements and validate gains after changes are implemented
Identify process gaps and recommend improvements based on experimental data and hands-on observation
Maintain accurate records of test parameters, results and findings
Provide regular verbal and written project status updates to the production management team
Communicate cross-functionally using email and Slack (internal messenger); ensure all stakeholders are informed of progress, blockers, and priority changes
Escalate issues and re-prioritize workload based on impact, taking direction from the production management leadership chain
Adapt quickly to shifting priorities while maintaining quality and throughput
Assumes additional responsibilities and performs special projects as needed or directed