Senior Coating Engineer

What You Will Do

In this role, you will lead coating engineering activities supporting new product introduction from concept through production release. You will develop and optimize optical coating designs to meet customer performance requirements and manufacturing objectives using Essential Macleod or equivalent thin film design software. You will serve as the technical expert for optical coatings, thin film technologies, and deposition processes, while identifying and evaluating emerging materials, equipment, and technologies that can expand capability and improve manufacturability.

You will also lead the specification, acquisition, qualification, and implementation of coating chambers, metrology systems, and related process technologies. A major part of this role involves developing robust coating processes and manufacturing methods that support successful scale up, long term product performance, and reliable transfer to production. You will design and analyze experiments, investigate coating and product performance issues, support root cause and corrective action activities, and work closely with manufacturing and quality teams to improve performance, yield, and process stability.

In addition, you will collaborate with customers and internal stakeholders to define technical requirements, assess risk, and develop coating solutions that align with application needs and production realities. You will represent coating engineering in technical discussions, qualification reviews, issue resolution, and new business opportunities.

You have a bachelor’s degree in Optical Engineering, Physics, Materials Science, Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related technical field. An advanced degree is preferred. You also bring at least five years of experience in optical coatings, thin film technologies, photonics, semiconductor manufacturing, or another advanced optical manufacturing environment.

You have hands on experience developing optical coating designs and supporting coating technology development in a manufacturing setting. You have supported new product introduction, product qualification, and manufacturing transfer, and you are proficient with Essential Macleod or equivalent thin film design software. You also have practical experience with vacuum deposition, optical coatings, thin film process development, and technical problem solving related to coating performance and product quality.

You are comfortable leading failure analysis, root cause investigations, and corrective action efforts. You have experience supporting equipment qualification, validation, and implementation, and you can translate customer requirements into manufacturable coating solutions.

Experience in cleanroom, ISO regulated, semiconductor, photonics, aerospace, defense, or other highly controlled manufacturing environments is strongly preferred. Experience providing technical leadership, mentoring engineers or technicians, and engaging directly with customers is also preferred.

You have strong knowledge of optical coatings, thin film deposition processes, coating performance characteristics, and optical metrology techniques. You understand optical coating design, thin film modeling, spectral analysis, and the relationship between design intent and manufacturing outcomes. You are familiar with vacuum systems, deposition equipment, metrology platforms, and manufacturing principles.

You may also have experience with sputtering, evaporation, ion assisted deposition, ion beam deposition, or related thin film processes. You are skilled in data driven decision making and continuous improvement, and you can effectively interpret technical drawings, specifications, and customer requirements. Strong analytical ability, project ownership, prioritization, communication, and cross functional collaboration are essential for success in this role.

This role is performed across office, laboratory, cleanroom, and manufacturing environments. The position includes regular work around vacuum coating systems, metrology equipment, manufacturing tools, and engineering test equipment, along with frequent collaboration with production and operations teams. Personal protective equipment may be required, including safety glasses, gloves, and cleanroom gowning. The role also requires standing, walking, computer work, and the ability to lift and move materials or equipment up to 25 pounds as needed.

Occasional travel may be required to support customers, suppliers, training, or business needs.

This is an opportunity to shape next generation optical coating capabilities, influence technology strategy, and lead critical engineering initiatives from early concept through manufacturing release. You will play a highly visible role in developing innovative, scalable coating solutions that support both new product success and long term operational…