Process Technician

GCS Recruitment; Saint Paul (MN); On-site; USD 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

GCS Recruitment is seeking a hands-on Process Technician to join a Shakopee, MN pilot line on a development-focused team. You will run prototype systems, collect data, and provide feedback that shapes equipment and processes for eventual production.

In this role you will work daily with engineers, perform precision measurements, and help ensure clean, audit-ready documentation for validation activities. Local candidates in the Twin Cities area are preferred.

Qualifications

• Hands-on technician with manufacturing or R&D/lab background.
• Experience running pilot, prototype, or development equipment.
• Strong mechanical and electrical troubleshooting skills.
• Experience collecting and reporting test data during validation.
• Clear communication with engineers in a fast-iterating environment.
• Local to Twin Cities; onsite in Shakopee daily.

Responsibilities

• Set up, run, and monitor pilot line and prototype process systems during development and qualification runs.
• Collect, log, and report process and performance data; work with engineers to analyze results and identify issues.
• Troubleshoot mechanical and electrical issues; perform maintenance and adjustments to keep systems running.
• Assemble and test systems and sub-assemblies during builds and rebuilds.
• Perform precision inspection and measurement, including optical/vision inspection systems (e.g., Keyence).
• Support equipment and process validation and qualification activities with clean, audit-ready documentation.
• Work side-by-side with the engineering team daily, providing structured feedback on system performance.

Skills

Hands-on technical background

Data logging & analysis

Fabrication/assembly experience

Mechanical & electrical Troubleshoo​​t

Tools

Pilot line equipment

Metrology tools

Optical inspection (Keyence)

Job description

The Opportunity

Our client, a global network infrastructure manufacturer, is expanding its U.S. production of fiber optic connectors - the precision components at the heart of the AI data center boom. At their Shakopee, MN campus, an in-house engineering team designs and builds its own custom automated manufacturing equipment, and a brand-new production process is now in the pilot line phase.

They need a hands-on Process Technician to be the backbone of that pilot line: running prototype systems, capturing the data that drives engineering decisions, and helping shape a process that will scale into full production. This is a development role, not a production-operator job - your observations and feedback will directly influence how the equipment and process are designed.

What You'll Do

Set up, run, and monitor pilot line and prototype process systems during development and qualification runs

Collect, log, and report process and performance data; work with engineers to analyze results and identify issues

Troubleshoot mechanical and electrical issues; perform maintenance and adjustments to keep systems running

Assemble and test systems and sub-assemblies during builds and rebuilds

Perform precision inspection and measurement, including optical/vision inspection systems (e.g., Keyence)

Support equipment and process validation and qualification activities with clean, audit-ready documentation

Work side-by-side with the engineering team daily, providing structured feedback on system performance

What You'll Bring

Hands-on technician or hands-on engineering background in manufacturing, product development, or R&D/lab environments

Experience running and monitoring process, test, or lab equipment - ideally in pilot, prototype, or development settings

Mechanical and electrical troubleshooting skills - you diagnose problems, not just report them

Experience collecting and reporting data during testing, validation, or qualification

Clear communication and comfort working directly with engineers in a fast-iterating environment

Local to the Twin Cities area and able to work onsite in Shakopee daily

Nice to Have

Optical/vision inspection (Keyence or similar) and metrology tools - calipers, micrometers, CMM, vision systems

Validation/qualification experience (IQ/OQ/PQ) or regulated-environment discipline (GMP, QMS, SOPs)

Fiber optics, photonics, connectors, or other micro-precision assembly experience

Exposure to custom automation equipment or cleanroom environments

Why This Role

Ground floor of a new manufacturing process on a high-visibility, well-funded program

Demand driven by AI data center growth - one of the strongest growth stories in manufacturing today

Daily collaboration with design engineers; your feedback shapes the machines, the process, and the product

Hands-on, technical, varied work - no two days on a pilot line are the same