Senior Production Readiness Engineer

Job Purpose

As a Senior Production Readiness Engineer, you will provide manufacturing-engineering and technical support for the Optical Manufacturing production team. You will define, implement, and maintain the manufacturing, quality-assurance, and quality-control processes used to build precision optical components, opto-mechanical sub-assemblies, and final laser-delivery assemblies that go into Vulcan Forms’ metal AM systems.

You will own the manufacturing engineering behind these processes — developing methods of manufacturing (MOMs), bills of material (BOMs); authoring work instructions and inspection plans; managing engineering change; designing manufacturing processes, fixtures, and tooling; and providing hands‑on floor support across production and the machine shop. The ideal candidate is well‑versed in precision and optical manufacturing operations and in the health‑and‑safety practices required to run a safe, high‑precision production environment.

This is a hands‑on, high‑impact role: you will help mature precision optical assemblies from early and prototype builds into repeatable medium‑volume production — putting your thumbprint on the processes, fixtures, and documentation that ship in Vulcan Forms systems.

• Drive product quality and yield: identify manufacturing issues, develop cost‑effective solutions including scrap and rework reduction, and oversee successful production ramp.
• Apply SPC and data‑driven root‑cause and corrective‑action methods (8D, fishbone, PFMEA, fault tree) to monitor process capability and resolve problems across methods, processes, tooling, fixtures, equipment, and product design.
• Partner with production technicians and team leads to resolve day‑to‑day manufacturing and quality issues on the floor.
• Specify, justify, qualify, and integrate advanced technology and capital equipment to improve productivity, process capability, and capacity for future programs.
• Apply Lean manufacturing principles and lead or participate in kaizen and continuous‑improvement events to improve capability, reduce cost, and increase throughput.
• Create and maintain methods of manufacturing (MOMs) and bills of material (BOMs), and manage change control, in the ERP/MES (Epicor Kinetic).
• Develop and maintain manufacturing documentation within the controlled quality system — work instructions, process specifications, inspection plans, and first‑article inspection (FAI) and support Device History Record (DHR) completeness.
• Design and improve manufacturing processes (manufacturing process design through production), and design and build fixtures and tooling for cleanroom manufacturing environments, supporting both production and the machine shop.
• Translate design requirements into process and equipment specifications and collaborate with optical and design engineering to integrate build and test results into improved designs.
• Support resolution of nonconformances and corrective/preventive actions (NCR/CAPA), including internal‑customer issues, line‑down events, and repairs.
• Assist subcontractors and suppliers in resolving manufacturing‑and quality‑related issues.
• Champion safety: proactively identify hazards (including laser and chemical hazards), drive corrective measures, and ensure adherence to EHS policies and procedures.

• B.S. in Engineering or a related technical field (Mechanical, Optical, Manufacturing, or similar), with 3+ years of optical, opto‑mechanical, or other advanced/precision manufacturing experience.
• Strong knowledge of precision manufacturing processes and operations.
• Demonstrated ability to develop and qualify production processes using process FMEA, fault tree analysis, design of experiments (DOE), and process‑planning tools.
• Experience developing and integrating new technologies and equipment into production.
• Experience designing production fixtures and tooling for manufacturing environments — cleanroom experience a plus.
• Working knowledge of Lean manufacturing, quality‑system requirements, and SPC tools.
• Proficiency with change control, inspection plans, and engineering drawings/GD&T; CAD literacy in Autodesk Inventor.
• Experience operating within a…