Manufacturing Engineer - Photonics Products

Atlas Metrics; Eindhoven; On-site; EUR 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

Atlas Metrics is looking for a Manufacturing Engineer for photonics products based in Eindhoven. Your role will involve setting up and supporting high-volume production, driving yield improvements, and ensuring manufacturability during the Product Design Stage.

The ideal candidate holds a Bachelor's degree in Manufacturing Engineering and possesses 5+ years of related experience, with strong skills in problem-solving and communication. You will work closely with cross-functional teams and manufacturing partners to optimize processes and ensure product quality.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of manufacturing engineering experience in photonics or related fields.
• Demonstrated success in yield improvement.
• Experience in cleanroom manufacturing environments.

Responsibilities

• Set up and support the production of advanced photonics products.
• Analyze manufacturing data to identify root causes of defects.
• Lead yield improvement initiatives with manufacturing partners.

Skills

Yield improvement leadership

Process Optimisation

Root Cause Analysis

Statistical Data Analysis

Lean Manufacturing

Problem-solving skills

Communication

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Manufacturing Engineering or related field

Tools

Statistical analysis tools

SPC

DOE

MES systems

ERP platforms

Job description

EFFECT Photonics started as a spin‑off from Eindhoven University of Technology and has since grown into a production‑ready supplier for some of the most demanding optical network programs. We are a scale‑up with a hands‑on engineering culture – the kind of team where the people solving the hard problems are the same people you talk to. Our Indium Phosphide (InP) platform is based on established processes and a supply structure designed for continuity and intended to scale across product generations.

Manufacturing Engineer – Photonics Products

You will be responsible for setting up and supporting the production of advanced photonics products in a high‑volume manufacturing environment.

Key Responsibilities

• Pro‑active, self‑directed, able to work independently as well as being part of a cross‑functional team. Works together with Product Engineering, Quality, Supply Chain Management and suppliers.
• Ability to identify risks and drive risk mitigation plans
• Yield improvement leadership
• Process Optimisation
• Root Cause Analysis
• Statistical Data Analysis
• Continuous Improvement
• Cross‑Functional Collaboration
• Manufacturing Scalability
• Technical Problem Solving
• Operational Excellence
• Experienced with supplier interactions
• Excellent communication and teamwork
• Good writing and oral communication skills in English
• Understanding of Asia business culture

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Manufacturing Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Materials Science, Physics or a related technical discipline.
• 5+ years of manufacturing engineering experience in photonics, optoelectronics, semiconductor, or precision electronics manufacturing.
• Demonstrated success driving measurable yield improvement in a production environment.
• Strong understanding of photonics manufacturing processes and optical assembly techniques.
• Experience with statistical analysis tools, SPC, DOE, root cause analysis, and failure analysis methodologies.
• Familiarity with Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma principles.
• Experience in working in cleanroom manufacturing environments.
• Strong problem‑solving, analytical and data interpretation skills.
• Excellent communication and cross‑functional collaboration abilities.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with photonic integrated circuits (PICs), fiber optics, lasers, LiDAR, telecom optics, or optical transceivers.
• Six sigma green belt or black belt certification.
• Familiarity with automated optical alignment and test systems.
• Experience with MES systems, ERP platforms, and manufacturing data analytics tools.
• Knowledge of reliability testing and qualification standards for photonics products.
• Experience supporting NPI (New Product Introduction) and manufacturing scale‑up.

During the Product Design Stage

• Own the industrialisation and NPI (New Product Introduction) processes – from an Operations point of view – from product concept into mass production until End of Life.
  • Participate in the cross‑functional project team to ensure that proposed product designs are manufacturable and meet quality & margin requirements by driving design for manufacturability, assembly, test, reliability and cost principles.
  • Ensuring product readiness for manufacturing including BOM accuracy and availability of specifications, drawings, control plans.
  • Pushing the boundaries of the manufacturing processes to support product innovation.
  • Work with selected manufacturing partners to solicit early manufacturability feedback and ramp up assigned projects into mass production.

During the Mass Production Stage

• Prime contact for the selected manufacturing partners on technical matters. Act as the interface between Thailand manufacturing and Eindhoven engineer teams.
  • Lead yield improvement initiatives.
  • Analyze manufacturing data, defect paretos, SPC trends, and failure analysis results to identify root causes of yield loss and process variation.
  • Develop and implement corrective and preventive actions (CAPA) to improve first‑pass yield, throughput, reliability and product cost.
  • Optimize manufacturing processes including optical alignment, die attach, wire bonding, packaging, test, assembly, and burn‑in operations.
  • Drive continuous improvement activities using Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, DOE, PFMEA, and statistical analysis methodologies.
  • Establish/improve process controls, work instructions, manufacturing documentation, and validation protocols.
  • Support equipment qualification, process characterisation, and process capability improvement activities.
  • Work closely with suppliers and contract manufacturers to resolve process and quality issues.
  • Monitor KPIs related to cost, yield, scrap, cycle time, uptime, and overall equipment effectiveness (OEE).
  • Lead troubleshooting efforts for manufacturing excursions and customer‑return investigations.
  • Support automation and digital manufacturing initiatives to improve repeatability and manufacturing scalability.
  • Ensure compliance with quality standards, safety regulations, and industry best practices.