Principal Manufacturing Engineer

Lumentum Operations LLC; Penang; On-site; MYR 170,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

Lumentum Penang seeks a Principal Manufacturing Engineer to lead manufacturing engineering across the product lifecycle, from NPI to high-volume production at contract manufacturers.

You will drive process development, technology transfer, and continuous improvement, partnering with R&D, Quality, Operations, Supply Chain, and CM teams to ensure manufacturing excellence and product commercialization.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or higher in Mechanical/ Manufacturing/ engineering.
• 12+ years of experience in manufacturing engineering.
• Experience in New Product Introduction (NPI) and high-volume manufacturing.
• Strong knowledge of SPC, Cp/Cpk, DOE, and data analysis.
• Willingness to travel abroad and collaborate with global teams.
• Excellent English communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead manufacturing engineering activities from NPI to high-volume production at CM sites.
• Develop/modify process formulations; define equipment requirements and specs.
• Plan and execute process qualification activities (FAI, CM qualification, manufacturing validation).
• Drive process improvements: cycle time reduction, automation, cost reduction.
• Provide technical leadership for development transfer and tech transfer to CM partners.
• Mentor junior engineers and lead cross-functional projects.

Skills

Manufacturing engineering

NPI experience

SPC & DOE

Data analysis

Cross-functional leadership

Travel flexibility

English communication

Education

Bachelor’s degree or higher in Mechanical/ Manufacturing/ engineering

Job description

It's fun to work in a company where people truly BELIEVE in what they're doing! We're committed to bringing passion and customer focus to the business. If you like wild growth and working with happy, enthusiastic over-achievers, you'll enjoy your career with us! The Principal Manufacturing Engineer at Lumentum Penang is responsible for leading the manufacturing engineering activities throughout the product lifecycle, from New Product Introduction (NPI) to high-volume production at Lumentum's contract manufacturers. The role focuses on achieving product performance, quality, cost, and manufacturability targets while providing technical leadership for process development, technology transfer, and continuous improvement. The successful candidate will serve as the technical owner for manufacturing processes, working closely with R&D, Quality, Operations, Supply Chain, and Contract Manufacturers to ensure successful product commercialization and sustained manufacturing excellence.

Job Description

• Transfer of new products from R&D into contract manufacturing (CM), ensuring manufacturing readiness and successful production ramp-up.
• Develops new or modified process formulations, defines processing or handling equipment requirements and specifications, and reviews processing techniques and methods applied in the manufacturing, fabrication, and evaluation of products.
• Compiles and evaluates test data to determine appropriate limits and variables for process or material specifications.
• May conceive and plan projects involving definition and selection of new concepts, equipment automation technology, and approaches in the processing or development of new or improved processes.
• Technical support for product already transferred to MFG (validate process changes and second level engineering support to manufacturing line).
• Generate, review, and maintain manufacturing documentation, work instructions, process specifications, and engineering change documentation.
• Plan and execute process qualification activities, including FAI, engineering builds, CM qualification, and manufacturing validation.
• Analyze manufacturing data, SPC trends, yield performance, and process capability to identify opportunities for continuous improvement.
• Lead root cause investigations using structured problem-solving methodologies (8D, 5 Why, Fishbone, DOE, SPC) and implement effective corrective and preventive actions.
• Drive cycle time reduction, productivity improvements, automation initiatives, and cost reduction projects.
• Influencing product roadmaps by providing DFM feedback to R&D during early-stage design.
• Lead cross-functional projects involving new manufacturing technologies, equipment, and automation.
• Mentor junior engineers and provide technical leadership on complex manufacturing challenges.

Qualifications

• Strong manufacturing engineering knowledge of optoelectronic devices and optical module assembly.
• Experience in New Product Introduction (NPI) and transferring products into high-volume manufacturing.
• Strong knowledge of statistical process control (SPC), process capability (Cp/Cpk), Design of Experiments (DOE), and data analysis.
• Familiarity with optical communication products, optical transceivers, tunable lasers, optical receivers, and related optoelectronic assemblies.
• Proven experience qualifying and optimizing manufacturing processes involving Soldering, Die Bond, Wire Bond, Active Optical Alignment (Auto Aligner), and Mechanical Assembly.
• Ability to travel abroad is required.
• Good English communication skills are required.
• Education Bachelor’s Degree or higher in Mechanical/ Manufacturing/ engineering or equivalent with min 12+ years experiences.

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.

Lumentum is illuminating the networks of tomorrow with advanced photonic technologies that enable AI, data centers, telecom, industrial, and sensing applications. As AI accelerates the global demand for bandwidth and energy efficiency, we deliver the building blocks that keep data moving reliably, efficiently, and at massive scale. Our optical products support AI and compute infrastructure, cloud and DCI environments, metro and long-haul networks, while our lasers drive breakthroughs in precision manufacturing and sensing. For nearly five decades, Lumentum has been at the intersection of light and innovation. What began as a vision with JDS Uniphase to harness the power of photonics has evolved into a global force driving the communication infrastructure of tomorrow. At Lumentum, we’re building more than a business—we’re building a team of passionate innovators whose drive to collaborate, create, and connect the world fuels everything we do. We are part of the AI technology revolution and we are illuminating the path forward.

Headquartered in San Jose, California, we operate worldwide through a network of R&D, manufacturing, and sales locations.