Manufacturing Technician - 2nd Shift

Coherent; Budd Lake (NJ); On-site; USD 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

Coherent Corp. in Budd Lake, NJ seeks an experienced 2nd shift Manufacturing Technician to operate grinding, lapping, and polishing equipment for optical crystals and components.

You will set up equipment, fixture parts, prepare tooling, perform inspections, document results, and follow safety and quality procedures. Responsibilities include crystal fabrication and polishing, thin-film coating, optical inspection, and assembly of optical isolators and photonic products.

Qualifications

• Associate's degree preferred.
• 1–3 years' experience in a complex high-mix environment.
• Strong mechanical aptitude and troubleshooting skills for automated equipment.

Responsibilities

• Operate manual and automated grinding, lapping, and polishing equipment for optical crystals and components.
• Perform optical inspections and assemble crystals into photonic products.
• Document results, travelers, and electronic records; report defects and deviations.
• Maintain cleanroom/EHS compliance and equipment maintenance within limits.
• Support process improvements and engineering builds as needed.

Skills

Mechanical aptitude

Troubleshooting

Automated equipment

Education

Associate's degree preferred

Tools

Microscopes

Gauges

Interferometers

Spectrometers

Job description

Job Summary:

We are seeking an experienced 2nd shift Manufacturing Technician [~ 2 pm to 10.30 pm] to join our Operations group in Budd Lake, NJ. This role involves operating manual and automated grinding, lapping, and polishing equipment to fabricate and finish optical crystals and components. The technician will set up equipment, fixture parts, prepare tooling and abrasives, perform inspections and measurements, document results, and follow established safety and quality procedures.

Primary Duties & Responsibilities

• Crystal Fabrication: Saw, core, grind, drill, shape, lap, and dimension optical crystals using precision equipment, tooling, and fixtures.
• Crystal Polishing: Prepare polishing tools and slurries; polish crystals to meet specified dimensions, surface finish, flatness, parallelism, radius, and optical quality.
• Thin-Film Coating: Clean and fixture components; verify part numbers and coating recipes; operate coating equipment and optical monitoring systems; perform post-coating inspection and testing.
• Optical Inspection: Perform visual, dimensional, surface-quality, spectral, adhesion, and other required inspections using microscopes, gauges, interferometers, spectrometers, and related equipment.
• Optical Assembly: Assemble crystals and components into optical isolators, modulators, and related photonic products, including cleaning, bonding, soldering, alignment, and precision mechanical assembly.
• Documentation and Quality: Complete travelers, inspection records, and electronic manufacturing records accurately; identify and report defects, nonconformances, and process deviations.
• Equipment and Process Control: Perform equipment setup, routine checks, basic troubleshooting, preventive maintenance, and process adjustments within authorized limits.
• Safety and Cleanroom Compliance: Follow cleanroom, ESD, laser-safety, chemical-handling, contamination-control, and all applicable environmental, health, and safety requirements.
• Team Collaboration and Improvement: Support engineering builds, new product introduction, process qualification, root-cause investigations, training, and continuous-improvement activities while meeting production, quality, yield, and schedule requirements.

Education & Experience

• Associate's degree preferred
• 1-3 years' experience in complex high mix environment.

Skills

Strong mechanical aptitude and troubleshooting skills for automated equipment.

Working Conditions

• This role will be based 100% on-site in Budd Lake, NJ
• Regular use of a computer and other office equipment is necessary.
• Regular use of equipment and machinery in an industrial environment.

Physical Requirements

• Ability to stand for prolonged period in production environment
• Ability to occasionally lift and move up to 40 lbs. of material/equipment on manufacturing floorAdhere to all safety requirements for the job task including but not limited to safety shoes, fire retardant suites, full face respirators and Hot Work PPEs for handling molten material in furnace.Sitting for extended periods while working on a computer or in meetings.Use of hands and fingers for typing, writing, and handling documents.Occasional lifting of objects or materials up to 20 pounds for administrative tasks.

  Safety Requirements

  All employees are required to follow the site EHS procedures and Coherent Corp. Corporate EHS standards.

  Quality and Environmental Responsibilities

  Depending on location, this position may be responsible for the execution and maintenance of the ISO 9000, 9001, 14001 and/or other applicable standards that may apply to the relevant roles and responsibilities within the Quality Management System and Environmental Management System.

  Culture Commitment

  Ensure adherence to company's values (ICARE) in all aspects of your position at Coherent Corp.:

  • I ntegrity - Create an Environment of Trust
  • C ollaboration - Innovate Through the Sharing of Ideas
  • A ccountability - Own the Process and the Outcome
  • R espect - Recognize the Value in Everyone
  • E nthusiasm - Find a Sense of Purpose in Work

  Equal Opportunity

  Coherent Corp. is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, color, religion, national origin, disability, protected Veteran status, age, or any other characteristic protected by law.

  Contact

  If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, you may contact us at [e-mail].