Manufacturing Engineer II

Applied Physics Technologies; McMinnville (OR); On-site; USD 85,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Applied Physics Technologies in McMinnville, Oregon, seeks a Manufacturing Engineer II to own and improve critical manufacturing processes. You will diagnose line issues, implement corrective actions, and support continuous improvement across vacuum, high‑voltage, and precision assembly workflows.

You will work hands‑on with production teams to reduce defects, improve safety, and optimize throughput, yield, and cost.

Qualifications

• Working knowledge of vacuum systems and vacuum‑system operation.
• Strong engineering fundamentals with hands‑on mechanical and electrical aptitude.
• Ability to stay calm and urgent during line‑down situations.
• Experience creating and maintaining SOPs, work instructions, and manufacturing specifications.

Responsibilities

• Provide hands‑on engineering support for manufacturing processes, including zone refining of borides and tungsten.
• Diagnose process, equipment, tooling, material, and product performance problems using structured troubleshooting and root‑cause analysis.
• Respond to line‑down and production‑limiting conditions with safety, quality, and documentation in mind.
• Lead or support containment, investigation, corrective actions, verification of effectiveness, and recurrence prevention.
• Work with production technicians and supervisors to resolve day‑to‑day manufacturing issues and improve process consistency.
• Establish process controls, inspection points, test requirements, and reaction plans.

Skills

Vacuum science

Electrical knowledge

High-voltage safety

Root cause analysis

Structured troubleshooting

Technical documentation

Job description

Position Title and Location: Manufacturing Engineer II (McMinnville, OR)

Applied Physics Technologies is a leading manufacturer of thermionic and field-emission cathodes and related electron-source assemblies. Located in the heart of Oregon’s wine country, APT combines the global reach and resources of Hitachi High‑Tech with the close‑knit culture and individual impact of a smaller, growing manufacturing company.

Our products incorporate specialized materials, high‑vacuum processes, precision manufacturing, high‑voltage conditioning, and exacting assembly and test requirements. Because our engineering and production teams work closely together, Manufacturing Engineers at APT have a direct and visible impact on product quality, delivery performance, manufacturing capability, and customer satisfaction.

Position Summary

As a Manufacturing Engineer, you will be responsible for the technical health, reliability, and continuous improvement of assigned manufacturing processes. You will work directly with production personnel to diagnose process and equipment problems, restore production when interruptions occur, reduce recurring failures, and improve manufacturing safety, quality, delivery, productivity, and cost.

APT’s manufacturing processes include zone refining of boride materials and tungsten; micromachining and shaping of lanthanum hexaboride and cerium hexaboride crystals; Schottky emitter assembly; cathode and electron‑gun module assembly; tungsten etching; high‑voltage conditioning; and cathode and module testing.

The successful candidate will develop sufficient knowledge of these processes to serve as a dependable technical resource when problems arise. This requires strong engineering fundamentals, hands‑on mechanical and electrical aptitude, experience with vacuum systems and high voltage, disciplined troubleshooting skills, and the ability to work calmly but urgently during line‑down situations.

Production Process Ownership and Support

• Develop a detailed working knowledge of assigned products, equipment, materials, manufacturing processes, process parameters, test methods, and acceptance criteria.
• Provide hands‑on engineering support for manufacturing processes, including:

- Zone refining of borides and tungsten.

- Micromachining and shaping of lanthanum hexaboride and cerium hexaboride crystals.

- Schottky emitter assembly.

- Cathode and electron‑gun module assembly.

- Tungsten etching and related chemical processes.

- High‑voltage conditioning of electron‑gun modules.

- Electrical, emission, vacuum, cathode, and module testing.

• Diagnose process, equipment, tooling, material, and product‑performance problems using structured troubleshooting and root‑cause analysis.
• Respond promptly to line‑down and production‑limiting conditions, balancing the need to restore production with safety, quality, and documentation requirements.
• Lead or support immediate containment, technical investigation, corrective action, verification of effectiveness, and prevention of recurrence.
• Work closely with production technicians and supervisors to resolve day‑to‑day manufacturing issues and improve process consistency.
• Provide clear and timely communication regarding production problems, technical risks, recovery plans, corrective actions, and expected completion dates.
• Establish appropriate process controls, operating limits, inspection points, test requirements, and reaction plans.
• Train and support production personnel in manufacturing methods, troubleshooting practices, process changes, and new equipment.

In support of continuous improvement, you will:

• Evaluate manufacturing processes and workflows to identify opportunities to improve safety, quality, delivery, productivity, capacity, repeatability, and cost.
• Lead process‑improvement projects from problem definition through implementation and verification.
• Apply manufacturing, industrial, mechanical, electrical, materials, and systems‑engineering principles to improve product flow and process performance.
• Conduct time studies, capacity analyses, workflow evaluations, and line‑balancing activities as appropriate.
• Develop and monitor meaningful manufacturing metrics, including yield, throughput, cycle time, rework, scrap, downtime, process capability, and recurring defect trends.
• Use production data and statistical methods to distinguish normal process variation from meaningful changes requiring investigation.
• Identify and eliminate sources of process variation, waste, rework, bottlenecks, and avoidable operator dependence.
• Implement improvements through APT’s established engineering‑change, validation, documentation, training, and quality‑system processes.
• Promote practical application of Lean manufacturing, mistake‑proofing, standard work, workplace organization, and other continuous‑improvement tools.

In support of quality systems and documentation, you will:

• Create, revise, and maintain:

- Standard operating procedures.

- Work instructions.

- Manufacturing specifications.

- Inspection and test procedures.

- Equipment operating and maintenance procedures.

- Training materials.

- Process‑flow diagrams and manufacturing records.

• Initiate and process Engineering Change Orders and ensure that approved changes are fully implemented in production.
• Lead or support Corrective and Preventive Actions, Material Deviation Notices, nonconformance investigations, and other quality‑system activities.
• Prepare and execute Installation Qualification, Operational Qualification, and Performance Qualification protocols and reports for new or modified manufacturing equipment and processes.
• Ensure that process changes are appropriately evaluated, documented, validated, approved, communicated, and incorporated into controlled production documentation.
• Participate in internal audits, customer audits, and quality reviews as needed.
• Support risk assessments, failure analysis, process validation, and verification of corrective‑action effectiveness.
• Maintain accurate, complete, and traceable engineering records.

In support of equipment, tooling, and manufacturing systems, you will:

• Design, develop, specify, or improve manufacturing equipment, test stands, assembly fixtures, vacuum systems, tooling, and process controls.
• Troubleshoot electrical, mechanical, vacuum, high‑voltage, thermal, motion‑control, instrumentation, and process‑equipment problems.
• Develop equipment requirements and work with internal personnel, suppliers, and contractors to procure, install, qualify, and maintain manufacturing systems.
• Improve equipment reliability and maintainability through preventive‑maintenance requirements, critical‑spares planning, failure analysis, and equipment upgrades.
• Evaluate opportunities for appropriate automation, data collection, error‑proofing, and process monitoring.
• Ensure that equipment and tooling meet applicable safety, quality, ergonomic, and production requirements.

In support of new products and process transfers, you will:

• Support the introduction of new products and the redevelopment or improvement of existing products.
• Participate in design reviews and provide recommendations regarding manufacturability, testability, process capability, materials, tooling, assembly methods, and production risk.
• Work with Research and Development to define production processes, performance specifications, acceptance criteria, and test methods.
• Develop the equipment, tooling, documentation, training, and process controls required to transfer new or modified products into routine production.
• Support prototype and pilot builds, analyze results, and resolve issues before production release.
• Help ensure that transferred processes are stable, repeatable, adequately documented, and capable of meeting production requirements.

Necessary Skills

• Working knowledge of vacuum science and vacuum‑system operation, including pumps, gauges, seals, leak detection, contamination control, and vacuum troubleshooting.
• Strong electrical knowledge, including the ability to read electrical schematics, use standard electrical test equipment, and troubleshoot electrical and electromechanical systems.
• Experience working with high‑voltage equipment and a strong understanding of associated hazards and safe work practices.
• Demonstrated ability to troubleshoot complex manufacturing problems systematically and determine root cause.
• Experience of responding to urgent production problems or line‑down conditions.
• Experience creating and maintaining SOPs, work instructions, manufacturing specifications, and other controlled technical documentation.
• Experience with engineering changes, nonconformance investigations, corrective actions, process validation, and formal qualification documentation.

Preferred Skills

• Experience