Supplier Development Engineer, Brittles

Ōura; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 151,000 - 203,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity

Health insurance

Employee discounts

Paid time off and holidays

Parental leave

Job summary

Ōura is seeking a Supplier Development Engineer in the San Francisco Bay Area to design and optimize manufacturing processes for ceramic, sapphire crystal, and glass components. You will collaborate with design, QA, and materials teams to ensure cost, aesthetics, and reliability targets are met.

You will lead global supplier engagement, drive DFMs, and establish process specifications for brittle substrates, with travel up to 15% and a focus on high-quality cosmetic parts for health wearable

Qualifications

• Direct experience in mechanical manufacturing (4+ years)
• Experience driving global suppliers from NPI to mass production
• Hands-on knowledge of brittle-material processes (ceramic, sapphire, glass)

Responsibilities

• Define best-in-class processes for brittle components
• Collaborate with QA, Materials, and Design teams on design-for-manufacturing
• Drive global suppliers to optimize brittle-material manufacturing
• Lead DFMs reviews and establish acceptance criteria for brittle materials
• Support manufacturing sites during development and ramp-up

Skills

Mechanical manufacturing

Global supplier management

Critical thinking

Communication to leadership

Travel readiness

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or related field

Tools

Ceramic Injection Molding (CIM)

Sintering

CNC grinding

Lapping/polishing

Edge chamfering

Laser cutting/drilling

PVD/coating adhesion

Failure analysis (fractography)

DOE

Cpk & GD&T

Job description

Our mission at Oura is to empower every person to own their inner potential. Our award-winning products help our global community gain a deeper knowledge of their readiness, activity, and sleep quality by using their Oura Ring and its connected app. We've helped millions of people understand and improve their health by providing daily insights and practical steps to inspire healthy lifestyles.

Empowering the world starts with living our values and empowering our team. As a quickly growing company focused on helping people live healthier and happier lives, we ensure that our team members have what they need to do their best work — both in and out of the office.

We are looking for a Supplier Development Engineer, Brittles based in the San Francisco Bay Area who will provide concepting and end-to-end manufacturing and process solutions for the key design features in Oura's new hardware products.. This includes close collaboration with industrial designers on achieving design intent, scoping manufacturing process development and capability, new supplier bring-up, automation development, and process technology R&D across our mechanical components.

This is a hybrid role; the candidate should be based in the San Francisco Bay Area and able to come into the San Francisco office 2+ days per week.

What you will do:

• Define best-in-class processes for ceramic, sapphire crystal, glass, and other brittle components that meet all Oura design and operational requirements
• Partner with Quality Engineers, Material Engineers, and Product/Industrial Designers to optimize brittle-material component design and manufacturing for cost, cosmetics, reliability, and fracture resistance
• Use data (Cpk, GD&T, strength/fracture testing) to drive process decisions and influence product and industrial design, including part tolerances and specifications for brittle substrates
• Drive suppliers globally to establish and optimize manufacturing processes for Oura's ceramic, sapphire crystal, and glass components — including CIM, sintering, precision CNC grinding, lapping/polishing, edge chamfering, laser cutting/drilling, and coating adhesion on brittle substrates — ensuring best-in-class quality and resolving production issues
• Lead Design for Manufacturing (DFM) reviews and set acceptance criteria specific to brittle materials (chip/crack defects, edge integrity, cosmetic standards) for tooling and processes entering development builds and production ramp
• Develop and document processes, parameters, consumables, and secondary-operation requirements (grinding, polishing, coating, laser marking) to meet defined specifications
• Provide leadership and support at manufacturing sites during development and production ramp, driving brittle-material-specific issues (cracking, chipping, warpage, thermal shock failures) to resolution with cross-functional teams

Requirements

• 4+ years of direct experience in a mechanical manufacturing environment as a Supplier Development Engineer, Supply Base Engineer, Manufacturing Engineer, Manufacturing Design Engineer, Supplier Industrialization Engineer, or equivalent role with 2 or more years focused on brittle materials
• Experience driving global suppliers to establish and qualify brittle-material manufacturing processes from NPI to mass production, including DFM reviews that surface brittle-specific risks (cracking, chipping, thermal shock) before build start
• Hands-on knowledge of ceramic, sapphire crystal, and glass manufacturing processes (e.g., ceramic injection molding (CIM), sintering, CNC grinding, lapping/polishing, edge chamfering, laser cutting/drilling, PVD/coating adhesion on brittle substrates) plus failure analysis (fractography), design of experiments (DOE), and dimensional capability (Cpk, GD&T)
• Working understanding of brittle fracture mechanics and relevant strength/reliability testing (e.g., 4-point bend, ring-on-ring, thermal shock/cycling) and cosmetic defect standards for ceramics, sapphire crystal, or glass
• Ability to travel internationally, up to ~15% of the time
• Excellent critical thinking and problem-solving skills, with the ability to communicate challenges clearly to leadership and cross-functional partners
• A positive, high-urgency mindset with a willingness to learn and challenge the status quo; direct experience with ceramics, sapphire crystal, or glass on highly cosmetic parts or health wearable devices strongly preferred

We would love to consider you for this role if you have:

• 4+ years of direct experience in a mechanical manufacturing environment as a Supplier Development Engineer, Supply Base Engineer, Manufacturing Engineer, Manufacturing Design Engineer, Supplier Industrialization Engineer, or equivalent role with 2 or more years focused on brittle materials
• Experience driving global suppliers to establish and qualify brittle-material manufacturing processes from NPI to mass production, including DFM reviews that surface brittle-specific risks (cracking, chipping, thermal shock) before build start
• Hands-on knowledge of ceramic, sapphire crystal, and glass manufacturing processes (e.g., ceramic injection molding (CIM), sintering, CNC grinding, lapping/polishing, edge chamfering, laser cutting/drilling, PVD/coating adhesion on brittle substrates) plus failure analysis (fractography), design of experiments (DOE), and dimensional capability (Cpk, GD&T)
• Working understanding of brittle fracture mechanics and relevant strength/reliability testing (e.g., 4-point bend, ring-on-ring, thermal shock/cycling) and cosmetic defect standards for ceramics, sapphire crystal, or glass
• Ability to travel internationally, up to ~15% of the time
• Excellent critical thinking and problem-solving skills, with the ability to communicate challenges clearly to leadership and cross-functional partners
• A positive, high-urgency mindset with a willingness to learn and challenge the status quo; direct experience with ceramics, sapphire crystal, or glass on highly cosmetic parts or health wearable devices strongly preferred

Benefits

At Oura, we care about you and your well-being. Everyone here at Oura has a ring of their own and we are continually looking to improve employee health.

What we offer:

• Competitive salary and equity packages
• Health, dental, vision insurance, and mental health resources
• An Oura Ring of your own plus employee discounts for friends & family
• 20 days of paid time off plus 13 paid holidays plus 8 days of flexible wellness time off
• Paid sick leave and parental leave
• Amazing culture of collaborative and passionate coworkers

Oura takes a market-based approach to pay, which may vary depending on your location. US locations are categorized into tiers based on a cost of labor index for that geographic area. While most offers will be closer to the starting range, successful candidates' pay will be determined based on job-related skills, experience, qualifications, work location, internal peer equity, and market conditions. These ranges may be modified in the future.

• Region 1 $151,300 - $203,000

Oura is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. Individuals seeking employment at Oura are considered without regard to age, ancestry, color, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, mental or physical disability, national origin, protected family care or medical leave status, race, religion (including beliefs and practices or the absence thereof), sexual orientation, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws. We will not tolerate discrimination or harassment based on any of these characteristics.

We will work to ensure individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment.