Senior Laser Process Engineer — Photonics & Manufacturing

Corning Inc.; Hickory (NC); On-site; USD 120,000 - 164,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Company-wide bonuses

401(k) match

Health benefits

Paid time off

Employee Assistance Program

Job summary

Corning is seeking a Senior Laser Process Development Engineer/Scientist to drive early-stage laser process development and optical solutions. You will design and build prototype stations, translate lab innovations into scalable manufacturing capabilities, and collaborate across R&D and engineering teams.

The role requires a graduate degree and 5+ years in laser processing or photonics, with strong analytical and communication skills. Immigration sponsorship is available.

Qualifications

• Graduate degree in a technical field with lab-focused research or hands-on work in laser processing, optics, or photonics.
• 5+ years of relevant experience in laser processing, optics, photonics, or related development; graduate research may count.
• Strong knowledge of laser theory, platforms, and light-material interaction.
• Understanding of optical theory, propagation, and system behavior.
• Hands-on experience building or operating lab setups and interpreting data.
• Ability to translate data into engineering decisions and communicate results clearly.
• Experience applying DOE, SPC, Six Sigma, or similar methods to development challenges.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and optimize laser-based processes for potential deployment across Corning facilities, scaling concepts to manufacturing‑ready capability.
• Build, refine, and troubleshoot benchtop and semi-automated prototype stations; design optical systems to support laser studies.
• Plan and execute structured experiments to establish process windows and characterize laser-material interactions.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with R&D, Research and engineering teams to translate lab work into scalable processes.
• Document technical work and contribute to patent submissions and process guidelines.

Skills

Laser processing

Optics

Photonics

DOE

SPC

Analytical thinking

Communication

Education

Master’s or PhD in Photonics Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Physics, Mechanical Engineering, or Materials Science

PhD in Photonics, Optics, Physics, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science

Tools

COMSOL

Zemax

Python-based simulations

SolidWorks / Creo

Minitab / JMP

Job description

Corning is seeking a Senior Laser Process Development Engineer/Scientist to drive early-stage laser process development and optical solutions. You will design and build prototype stations, translate lab innovations into scalable manufacturing capabilities, and collaborate across R&D and engineering teams.

The role requires a graduate degree and 5+ years in laser processing or photonics, with strong analytical and communication skills. Immigration sponsorship is available.