Senior Laser Engineer

MKS Instruments•Milpitas, CA

23h•Onsite

About The Position

A Day in Your Life at MKS: Spectra-Physics is the Lasers Business Unit of MKS Instruments. We have an excellent opportunity for a Senior Laser Engineer to join our innovative product development engineering team and contribute to the development, improvement, and lifecycle management of advanced laser systems. In this role, you will work primarily with low-power continuous-wave (CW), single-frequency, tunable diode laser systems supporting OEM and semiconductor customers, with both free-space and fiber-based configurations. You will have the opportunity to work across the full product lifecycle, from end-to-end R&D design and new product introduction (NPI) through production and sustaining engineering, while collaborating with cross-functional teams to solve complex technical challenges and support customer needs. You will work with electro-optical systems involving diode lasers, optics, electronics, thermal management, software, and precision opto-mechanical assemblies. While the primary focus of this role is tunable diode laser technology, there is also an opportunity to contribute to other products within the Spectra-Physics portfolio, including ultrafast laser technologies. Strong system-level engineering skills, practical problem-solving ability, and excellent interpersonal and communication skills are essential for success in this role.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Optical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Physics, Photonics, Mechanical Engineering, or a related technical discipline and 5+ years of industry experience.
Strong system-level troubleshooting, diagnostic skills, and experience with root-cause analysis methodologies.
Hands-on experience developing, testing, integrating, manufacturing, or supporting advanced laser systems, photonics products, or electro-optical instruments, working with advanced laser laboratory equipment and optoelectronic test instrumentation.
Strong written and verbal technical communication skills; comfortable presenting to cross-functional teams and customers.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree or PhD in relevant engineering discipline Optical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Physics, Photonics, Mechanical Engineering, or a related technical discipline and 2+ years of industry experience.
Experience with diode, fiber, solid-state, or tunable laser systems.
Experience characterizing laser performance, stability, reliability, and manufacturability.
Experience supporting manufacturing, NPI, and sustaining engineering.
Familiarity with reliability and quality frameworks (FMEA, DOE, SPC, ISO 9001).
Experience using engineering automation and modeling tools (e.g., Python, MATLAB, LabVIEW, or Zemax).

Responsibilities

Supporting the design, integration, testing, and qualification of laser products and subsystems.
Perform system-level analysis (optical, electrical, thermal, mechanical, and software interactions) to improve performance, reliability, and manufacturability.
Participate in design and drive engineering change activities during product transfer to production, create and maintain engineering documentation, including specifications, test procedures, validation reports, and work instructions.
Lead structured root-cause investigations for product, manufacturing, and field failures, diagnose complex technical issues and analyze reliability, yield, and performance data to identify trends and implement corrective actions (CAPA).
Provide direct engineering support to manufacturing and operations teams.
Support customer qualification, evaluation, and acceptance testing activities, investigate customer-reported issues and communicate technical findings to customers and internal stakeholders.