Manufacturing/NPI Engineer - Optics

NextGenEnergyJobs; Austin, Northern (TX, KY); Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

NextGenEnergyJobs seeks an experienced Optical/NPI Manufacturing Engineer to own new product introduction for optical components and assemblies. You will develop, validate, and scale manufacturing processes, define metrology and quality controls, and drive supplier qualifications and cost improvements.

Travel to domestic and international sites is required. Qualifications include 4+ years in precision optics manufacturing, hands-on metrology experience, and a degree in

Qualifications

• 4+ years of manufacturing, process, or NPI engineering experience with precision optical components or optomechanical assemblies
• Knowledge of optical fabrication and assembly processes and volume manufacturing implications
• Hands-on experience with optical metrology tools and methods
• Experience taking hardware through NPI phase gates into volume production
• Supplier-facing experience: qualification builds, audits, first article inspection, corrective actions
• Fluency with GD&T, SPC, PFMEA, control plans, and structured root cause methods
• Bachelor's degree in Optical, Mechanical, Manufacturing, or Industrial Eng, Physics, or related field
• Willingness to travel domestically and internationally
• Experience manufacturing optics for cost-driven high-volume applications
• Familiarity with Fresnel lenses, lamination, reflector/concentrator optics, or non-imaging optics

Responsibilities

• Own new product introduction (NPI) for optical components and assemblies from development through pilot builds, qualification, and ramp
• Develop, document, and validate manufacturing and assembly processes for precision optics including alignment, bonding, coating, cleaning, and handling
• Define and implement optical metrology and quality controls and acceptance criteria for suppliers
• Qualify and develop optics suppliers domestically and internationally: audits, first article inspections, PPAP/qualification builds
• Collaborate with design engineering to translate optical requirements into manufacturable specs and tolerances
• Lead root cause analysis and corrective actions for yield, quality, and reliability issues
• Drive cost reduction and yield improvement as production scales
• Build documentation backbone: work instructions, control plans, PFMEAs, process diagrams
• Travel to supplier and manufacturing sites to support builds and issue resolution

Education

Bachelor's degree in Optical/Mechanical/Manufacturing/Industrial Eng or Physics

Tools

Optical metrology tools

CMM

Interferometer

Spectrophotometer

Job description

Own new product introduction (NPI) for optical components and assemblies - from design-for-manufacturing feedback during development through pilot builds, qualification, and volume ramp

Key Responsibilities

• Own new product introduction (NPI) for optical components and assemblies - from design-for-manufacturing feedback during development through pilot builds, qualification, and volume ramp
• Develop, document, and validate manufacturing and assembly processes for precision optics, including alignment, bonding, coating, cleaning, and handling procedures
• Define and implement optical metrology and quality controls - surface figure, transmittance/reflectance, alignment tolerances, coating durability - and the acceptance criteria suppliers are held to
• Qualify and develop optics manufacturing and assembly suppliers domestically and internationally: run process audits, first article inspections, PPAP/qualification builds, and drive corrective actions to closure
• Partner with design engineering to translate optical performance requirements into manufacturable specifications, realistic tolerances, and scalable processes
• Lead root cause analysis and corrective action for optical yield, quality, and reliability issues across pilot and production builds
• Drive cost-reduction and yield-improvement initiatives as production scales, balancing optical performance against manufacturability and cost
• Build the documentation backbone for scale: work instructions, control plans, PFMEAs, and process flow diagrams for optical manufacturing and assembly
• Travel to supplier and manufacturing sites (domestic and international) to support builds, qualifications, and issue resolution

Requirements

• 4+ years of manufacturing, process, or NPI engineering experience with precision optical components or optomechanical assemblies - lenses, mirrors, coatings, concentrators, or comparable high-precision hardware
• Working knowledge of optical fabrication and assembly processes (molding, polishing, coating, replication, precision alignment and bonding) and where they break at volume
• Hands-on experience with optical metrology tools and methods (interferometry, spectrophotometry, CMM, imaging-based alignment verification, or equivalent)
• Experience taking hardware through NPI phase gates - prototype, EVT/DVT/PVT or equivalent - into volume production
• Demonstrated supplier-facing experience: qualification builds, audits, first article inspection, and driving corrective action with external partners
• Fluency with core quality tools: GD&T, SPC, PFMEA, control plans, and structured root cause methods (8D, 5-Why, or similar)
• Bachelor's degree in Optical, Mechanical, Manufacturing, or Industrial Engineering, Physics, or a related field - or equivalent demonstrated engineering depth
• Willingness to travel domestically and internationally as needed
• Experience manufacturing optics for solar, automotive, lighting, display, or other cost-driven high-volume applications (vs. low-volume scientific/aerospace optics)
• Familiarity with Fresnel lenses, lamination process, reflector/concentrator optics, or non-imaging optics
• Knowledge of optical coating processes and environmental durability testing (abrasion, humidity, thermal cycling, UV exposure)
• Experience standing up new production lines or transferring processes between suppliers or geographies, including in Asia
• Working knowledge of injection molding, glass forming, or roll-to-roll replication for optical surfaces
• Experience in an early-stage or fast-ramp hardware environment where you built the process rather than inherited it