NPI Engineer

LightPath Technologies; Plano (TX); On-site; USD 85,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

LightPath Technologies in Plano, TX is seeking a Manufacturing Engineer to lead development, optimization, and validation of manufacturing processes for new and existing products. The role bridges Engineering and Operations, supporting NPI, process development, factory optimization, and transition from prototype to full-rate production.

The ideal candidate has strong Lean, process simulation, statistical analysis, and GD&T knowledge within regulated environments, with 5–7 years of manufacturing

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in manufacturing engineering, industrial engineering, mechanical engineering, or related technical discipline.
• 5–7 years of manufacturing engineering experience in DoD, aerospace, defense, or highly regulated environments.
• Experience developing manufacturing processes from concept through production.
• Strong understanding of manufacturing system design and process optimization.
• Experience supporting New Product Introduction (NPI).
• Working knowledge of Lean Manufacturing principles.
• Experience with statistical analysis and process capability.
• Ability to interpret engineering drawings and GD&T.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent communication and cross-functional collaboration skills.
• Must qualify as a U.S. Person under ITAR.
• Travel 4 – 6 times per year.

Responsibilities

• Develop, document, and validate manufacturing processes for new and existing products.
• Design manufacturing workflows that maximize quality, throughput, and repeatability.
• Develop manufacturing routings, work instructions, process specifications, and standard work.
• Lead process qualification and production readiness activities.
• Support DFM, DFA, and concurrent engineering efforts.
• Build analytical and simulation models to evaluate capacity, labor, equipment utilization, bottlenecks, and flow.
• Perform cycle time analysis, line balancing, takt time development, and capacity planning.
• Utilize discrete-event simulation and IE tools to optimize production systems.
• Perform 'what-if' analyses supporting production planning and growth initiatives.
• Lead Lean Manufacturing initiatives focused on waste elimination and productivity.
• Perform Value Stream Mapping (VSM).
• Conduct root cause investigations using structured problem-solving methodologies.
• Apply Six Sigma tools including DOE, SPC, capability studies, and statistical analysis.
• Identify automation opportunities to improve safety, quality, and efficiency.
• Resolve manufacturing issues affecting safety, quality, delivery, or cost.
• Collaborate with Quality Engineering on corrective and preventive actions.
• Support supplier process development and production transfers when required.
• Provide technical guidance to production personnel during process implementation.
• Develop and maintain: Manufacturing Process Instructions, Standard Work, PFMEA, Process Flow Diagrams, Control Plans.

Skills

Lean Manufacturing

Process simulation

Statistical analysis

Root cause analysis

Six Sigma

DOE

GD&T

Problem solving

Cross-functional collaboration

NPI knowledge

Education

Bachelor's degree in manufacturing engineering, Industrial Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related technical discipline

Job description

LightPath Technologies is seeking a highly motivated Manufacturing Engineer supporting manufacturing programs. The successful candidate will lead the development, optimization, and validation of manufacturing processes while utilizing analytical modeling and industrial engineering techniques to improve production capability, throughput, quality, and cost.

This position bridges Engineering and Operations, supporting New Product Introduction (NPI), process development, factory optimization, and transition from prototype to full-rate production. The ideal candidate possesses a strong understanding of Lean Manufacturing, process simulation, statistical analysis, and manufacturing system design within an AS9100 or ISO-regulated environment.

Responsibilities:

Process Development

• Develop, document, and validate manufacturing processes for new and existing products.
• Design manufacturing workflows that maximize quality, throughput, and repeatability.
• Develop manufacturing routings, work instructions, process specifications, and standard work.
• Lead process qualification and production readiness activities.
• Support Design for Manufacturability (DFM), Design for Assembly (DFA), and concurrent engineering efforts.

Manufacturing Process Modeling

• Build analytical and simulation models to evaluate manufacturing capacity, labor requirements, equipment utilization, bottlenecks, and factory flow.
• Perform cycle time analysis, line balancing, takt time development, and capacity planning.
• Utilize discrete-event simulation and industrial engineering tools to optimize production systems.
• Perform "what-if" analyses supporting production planning and growth initiatives.
• Lead Lean Manufacturing initiatives focused on waste elimination and productivity improvement.
• Perform Value Stream Mapping (VSM).
• Conduct root cause investigations using structured problem-solving methodologies.
• Apply Six Sigma tools including DOE, SPC, capability studies, and statistical analysis.
• Identify automation opportunities to improve safety, quality, and efficiency.

Production Support

• Resolve manufacturing issues affecting safety, quality, delivery, or cost.
• Collaborate with Quality Engineering on corrective and preventive actions.
• Support supplier process development and production transfers when required.
• Provide technical guidance to production personnel during process implementation.

Documentation

• Develop and maintain:
• Manufacturing Process Instructions
• Standard Work
• PFMEA
• Process Flow Diagrams
• Control Plans

Required

• Bachelor's degree in manufacturing engineering, Industrial Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related technical discipline.
• 5–7 years of manufacturing engineering experience supporting DoD, aerospace, defense, or highly regulated manufacturing environments.
• Experience developing manufacturing processes from concept through production.
• Strong understanding of manufacturing system design and process optimization.
• Experience supporting New Product Introduction (NPI).
• Working knowledge of Lean Manufacturing principles.
• Experience with statistical analysis and process capability.
• Ability to interpret engineering drawings and GD&T.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent communication and cross-functional collaboration skills.
• Must qualify as a U.S. Person under ITAR.
• Travel 4 – 6 times per year.

Preferred

• Active Security Clearance.
• Six Sigma Green Belt or Black Belt certification.
• Experience supporting AS9100D or ISO 9001 Quality Management Systems.
• Experience with Model-Based Manufacturing.
• Knowledge of Industry 4.0 concepts and digital manufacturing.
• Experience supporting prototype and low-rate initial production (LRIP) environments.
• Familiarity with manufacturing execution systems (MES) and ERP platforms.
• Experience supporting federally funded manufacturing programs.

Technical Skills

Preferred experience with one or more of the following: