Thin Film Coating Engineer

Description

G&H is a world leader in optical designing, testing and manufacturing. As experts in the technology of light, G&H works with customers to provide optical systems, assemblies, and components for demanding applications

Headquartered in Ilminster Somerset, UK with primary operations in the USA and Europe, G&H is recognized for the breadth of their acousto‑optic, electro‑optic, crystal‑optic, fiber optic, and precision optic products. G&H is recognized as the preferred source for OEMs in the life sciences, industrial, and aerospace and defense industries, with a history of quality and excellence that dates back over seventy‑five years.

G&H's Moorpark site manufactures precision optical components for aerospace, defense, and other applications. The Optical Coatings department produces high‑performance thin film coatings using ion beam sputtering (IBS).

We are looking for a Coating Department Engineer to lead the production, process engineering, and equipment maintenance activities of a specialized department. This is a hands‑on role with direct supervisory responsibility for a technician team and comprehensive ownership of deposition chambers.

The right candidate will combine strong process engineering fundamentals with practical equipment aptitude and the ability to manage production in a low‑volume, high‑precision environment. This is not a back‑office role. You will be on the floor, in the chambers, and directly involved in production outcomes every day. The equipment mix creates a breadth of engineering challenge. Your individual effectiveness will have a direct and visible impact on site performance.

• Perform production coatings with statistical process control.
• Work with a team or alone to prepare, operate, and maintain coating equipment.
• Clean and inspect optical surfaces.
• Evaluate and improve production yields.
• Interact with team members and customers to solve quality related issues.
• Design coatings, tooling, and optimise processes.
• Generate and revise documentation for the manufacturing, inspection, and maintenance procedures.
• Align goals with the company’s core values: customer focus, integrity, action, unity, and precision.
• Continuously raise individual performance to proactively address problem‑solving and continuous improvement.
• Additional tasks as assigned by management.

• Knowledge of optical coatings (design and manufacturing) and metrology.
• Hands‑on experience with high vacuum equipment and tooling design.
• Proficiency in an optical coating production environment.
• Team player with strong verbal and written communication skills who works well in complex cross‑functional situations.
• Experience for cleaning precision optics a plus.
• At least 5 years of experience in optical thin film.
• Or bachelor’s degree with 2 years of experience in optical coating production.
• BS or MS in physics, materials science, optical engineering, or related discipline (equivalent experience considered)
• Demonstrated experience in thin film deposition, preferably ion beam sputtering
• Hands‑on experience with vacuum system maintenance, troubleshooting, and repair
• Experience in a production environment with accountability for throughput and quality
• Ability to supervise and lead a technical team
• Must be a U.S. Person as defined under ITAR

• Ion beam sputtering experience. This is the single most impactful qualification a candidate can bring. IBS/Spector experience dramatically reduces ramp‑up time on our core production platforms.
• Optical metrology expertise: you will be responsible for spectrophotometers, cavity ring‑down spectroscopy, microscopy, etc.
• Thin film coating design skill, including familiarity with TFCalc or Essential Macleod
• Comfort in a department where the engineer is involved at every level, from production planning to hands‑on chamber work

Production execution
:
Schedule, prioritize, and drive coating production to meet site throughput requirements. Coordinate with upstream and downstream operations. Manage work‑in‑process and ensure on‑time delivery.

Process engineering
:
Own the coating processes across all…