Senior Manufacturing Engineer – Photonics Manufacturing & NPI

PsiQuantum•Milpitas, CA

About The Position

The Senior Manufacturing Engineer serves as the manufacturing engineering owner responsible for transitioning advanced photonic hardware from research and development into pilot manufacturing, production, and eventual high-volume manufacturing. Working cross-functionally with Process Engineering, Design Engineering, Test Validation Engineering, Supply Chain, and Operations, the role develops scalable manufacturing processes for hardware and subassemblies that incorporate photonic integrated circuits (PICs), precision fiber optic assemblies, electro-optical systems, and cryogenic hardware for PsiQuantum’s quantum computing platform. The position requires hands-on experience with precision optical assembly, fiber optic manufacturing, cleanroom operations, and New Product Introduction (NPI). The engineer establishes manufacturing processes to meet quality, reliability, throughput, optical performance, and cost objectives; supports production and process improvement; and prepares mature processes for transfer to contract manufacturing partners.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Physics, or a related discipline.
8 or more years of manufacturing engineering experience supporting complex photonic, semiconductor, optical, precision electromechanical, or other high-reliability products.
Demonstrated success transitioning products from R&D through NPI, pilot production, manufacturing ramp, and sustained production.
Hands-on experience with fiber stripping, precision cleaving, fusion splicing, fiber routing, handling, inspection, and connectorization.
Experience supporting manufacturing of photonic hardware.
Experience supporting cleanroom manufacturing operations.
Experience driving production support, process maturity, yield improvement, and continuous process improvement.
Experience developing manufacturing documentation, PFMEAs, Control Plans, SPC, process validation, and DFM/DFA.
Experience preparing manufacturing processes for contract manufacturer transfer.
Excellent project management and cross-functional communication skills.

Nice To Haves

Experience with silicon photonics, quantum technologies, optical communications, semiconductor manufacturing, or precision optical instrumentation.
Experience with PIC-based hardware, optical packaging, fiber attach, active optical alignment, or electro-optical assembly.
Experience with automated optical inspection, production test equipment, or manufacturing automation.
Experience supporting cryogenic and/or vacuum hardware.
Experience with Manufacturing Readiness Reviews (MRRs), Production Transfer Gate Reviews, or similar phase-gate processes.
Experience implementing Lean Manufacturing, 5S, and visual management.
Experience managing manufacturing equipment qualification, calibration, and preventive maintenance.
Working knowledge of ISO 9001, AS9100, CAPA, engineering change management, document control, and risk management.
Experience working with Contract Manufacturers.

Responsibilities

Lead manufacturing process development for PIC-based photonic hardware, fiber optic assemblies, electro-optical hardware, and precision opto-mechanical systems from R&D through pilot production and manufacturing scale-up.
Serve as the Manufacturing Engineering lead during New Product Introduction (NPI), bridging research prototypes into robust, production-ready manufacturing processes.
Develop scalable manufacturing methods that support increased production volumes while maintaining quality, reliability, and optical performance.
Collaborate with Process Engineering and Design Engineering using DFM/DFA principles.
Develop and optimize manufacturing processes for precision photonic hardware incorporating PICs.
Own precision fiber optic manufacturing processes, including fiber stripping, cleaving, fusion splicing, handling, routing, connectorization, inspection, and strain relief.
Develop manufacturing processes for optical packaging, precision optical alignment, electro-optical integration, and final assembly.
Support cleanroom manufacturing and assembly/integration of cryogenic hardware.
Design, qualify, and optimize tooling, fixtures, workstations, and specialized assembly equipment.
Establish and maintain workstations, calibration, equipment maintenance, and preventive maintenance schedules.
Drive 5S and visual management initiatives.
Develop manufacturing documentation, including work instructions, process flows, travelers, tooling documentation, and training materials.
Support production through troubleshooting, root cause analysis, corrective actions, and engineering changes.
Drive Continuous Process Improvement (CPI) focused on yield, throughput, quality, cycle time, ergonomics, and cost.
Develop process controls, inspection methods, acceptance criteria, PFMEAs, Control Plans, SPC, DOE, MSA, and process validation.
Lead manufacturing readiness activities and support Manufacturing Readiness Reviews (MRRs) and Production Transfer Gate Reviews.
Prepare and transfer mature manufacturing processes to Contract Manufacturing (CM) partners.