Production Technician, Precision Mechanical and Metrology

Photonic Inc.; Coquitlam; On-site; CAD 105,000 - 144,000; Full time

Job summary

Photonic Inc. in British Columbia, Canada, is seeking a Production Technician for Precision Mechanical and Metrology to join the on-site Operations team in Coquitlam.

You will qualify stages, mounts, and cryogenic assemblies, and design fixtures for fast, repeatable alignment of photonic hardware. Responsibilities include CAD‑driven jig design, CNC/milling fabrication, and meticulous documentation; collaboration with engineers and techs ensures high‑precision assembly and readiness for

Qualifications

• Three or more years in precision mechanical assembly, machining, toolmaking or metrology.
• Diploma or certification in mechanical technology or equivalent experience.
• Experience with machine shop tools and standard practices.
• CAD (SolidWorks or Fusion 360) and CAM for CNC milling experience.
• Ability to align vises and 4‑jaw independent lathe chucks.
• Proficiency with surface plates, dial test indicators, height gauges, and precision measurement tools.
• Experience with surface grinding, polishing, deburring, and fabrication.
• Strong attention to detail and ability to work to tight tolerances.

Responsibilities

• Qualify low-temperature translation stages: inspect parallelism, travel, and specs.
• Test attocube stages for travel, encoder performance, and load ratings.
• Perform bake-out procedures for vacuum/heat stages.
• Align X and Y translation stages for orthogonality.
• Maintain pre-qualified stage inventory.
• Qualify chip mounts and precision parts: measure flatness and dimensions.
• Inspect with surface plate, dial test indicators, and CMM; apply serialization.
• Gold plate mounts and coordinate with vendors for plating.
• Clean and pack parts for cleanroom use; maintain chip mounts inventory.
• Assemble and align cryogenic sample assemblies; verify alignment without a sample.
• Verify tolerance stack-up before hand-off; ensure readiness.
• Design jigs/fixtures in CAD; fabricate using CNC milling, drilling, 3D printing.
• Perform surface grinding, polishing, deburring; collaborate with machine shop.
• Write and maintain alignment sequences, inspection procedures, and qualification records.
• Improve procedures from hands-on experience; track qualification status and inventory.

Skills

Hands-on precision assembly

Machining experience

Metrology

CAD/CAM (SolidWorks/Fusion 360)

CMM familiarity

Attention to detail

GDT understanding

Education

Diploma in mechanical engineering technology

Machinist certification

Toolmaker certification

Equivalent experience

Tools

SolidWorks

Fusion 360

CNC milling

3D printing

Surface plates

Dial indicators

Job description

Production Technician, Precision Mechanical and Metrology

Department: Operations

Employment Type: Full Time

Location: British Columbia, Canada (Onsite)

Compensation: CA$105,000 - CA$144,400 / year

Description

Production Technicians in Precision Mechanical and Metrology at Photonic ensure that every mechanical part influencing the relative position between a fiber array and a photonic chip is within specification. This role is part of the Operations Team and supports the deployment of Photonic chips and chip assemblies into our measurement and computer systems.

You will qualify low-temperature translation stages, chip mounts, and other precision parts, assemble and align cryogenic sample assemblies, and design the jigs, fixtures, and alignment sequences that make this work fast and repeatable. You will work closely with the Optical Integration and Test Technician, TPI technicians, our machine shop, cryogenic technicians, and engineering teams.

This is a permanent, full-time position, on-site at Photonic's Coquitlam, BC facilities.

WHAT WE NEED YOU TO DO

Qualify Low-Temperature Translation Stages

• Inspect incoming stages for parallelism of movement, travel range, and conformance to specification
• Execute routine testing of attocube stages, including travel extents, encoder performance, and load ratings
• Perform bake-out procedures for attocube stages (vacuum and heat)
• Align X and Y translation stages for orthogonality
• Maintain an inventory of pre-qualified and pre-assembled stages ready for deployment

Qualify Chip Mounts and Precision Parts

• Perform flatness and dimensional measurements on chip mounts and other mechanical parts
• Perform surface plate, dial test indicator, and CMM-style inspection
• Apply serialization and part identification markings
• Gold plate chip mounts and parts in-house, and coordinate with vendors when plating is outsourced
• Clean and pack parts for cleanroom use
• Maintain an inventory of pre-qualified and pre-assembled chip mounts

Cryogenic Sample Assemblies

• Assemble and align cryogenic sample assemblies
• Perform sample space alignment without a sample installed, so assemblies are ready for chip installation
• Verify that the tolerance stack-up between stages, mounts, and sample space is within specification before hand-off

Fabrication, Jigs, and Fixtures

• Design jigs and fixtures in CAD to improve productivity, repeatability, and quality
• Fabricate parts and fixtures using CNC and manual milling, drill press, 3D printing, and handwork
• Perform surface grinding, polishing, and deburring as required
• Work with our machine shop on parts that require additional capacity or capability

Documentation and Process

• Write and maintain alignment sequences, inspection procedures, and qualification records
• Improve procedures based on hands‑on experience and recurring issues
• Track qualification status and inventory so qualified hardware is ready when systems need it

WHAT YOU BRING TO OUR TEAM

• Three or more years of hands‑on experience in precision mechanical assembly, machining, toolmaking, or metrology
• Diploma in mechanical engineering technology, a machinist or toolmaker certification, or equivalent experience
• Experience with machine shop tools and common practices, including milling machines, drill presses, and handwork
• Experience with CAD (SolidWorks or Fusion 360) and CAM for CNC milling
• Experience aligning vises and 4‑jaw independent lathe chucks
• Proficiency with surface plates, dial test indicators, height gauges, and other precision measurement tools
• Experience with surface grinding, polishing, deburring, and general fabrication
• Experience using 3D printing to design solutions to practical problems
• Strong attention to detail and comfort working to tight tolerances

An exceptional candidate will bring:

• CMM programming or operation
• Experience with precision positioners, piezo stages, or motion control (e.g. attocube, PI, Newport)
• Exposure to vacuum or cryogenic systems, including bake‑out procedures
• Experience with gold or other electroplating processes
• Understanding of GD&T and tolerance stack‑up analysis
• Experience working in a cleanroom or under contamination controls
• Familiarity with optomechanics or photonics hardware
• Familiarity with PLM and ERP systems (e.g. Arena and Oracle NetSuite)

WHY YOU SHOULD WORK WITH US

• Work closely with some of the brightest innovators in quantum technologies to drive breakthroughs that redefine computing
• Apply precision machining and metrology skills to first‑of‑the‑kind quantum hardware
• Design the fixtures and processes that make our alignment work faster and more repeatable
• Work directly with engineers and scientists in an inclusive, collaborative environment where your input influences how systems are designed, built, and deployed

The description above is what we think an ideal candidate would look like for this role. At Photonic, we understand that everyone has a different work and life journey. All roles listed are for current vacancies. While artificial intelligence (AI) tools may be used to assist in reviewing applicant profiles, they do not determine candidate outcomes. Our hiring decisions are made by people, not algorithms. We are committed to fostering, cultivating, and preserving a culture of equity, diversity, and inclusion. We embrace and encourage our employees' differences, knowing that these very differences inspire innovation and build better teams. If there are any accommodations our team can make throughout our hiring process, please let us know.