Coating Production Manager

About this position

Attalon develops and manufactures advanced thin‑film coatings for aerospace and infrared electro‑optic systems. Our Murrieta facility supports high‑mix, precision coating production with growing volume and expanding capability. We are building a world‑class operational environment and are seeking a strong production leader to help drive that growth.

The Coating Production Manager leads daily operations for Attalon’s thin‑film coating production department. This role is responsible for building discipline, consistency, and alignment across all coating shifts — ensuring high‑quality execution, predictable output, and professional operations. The manager oversees production personnel, enforces standards, drives structured training, and ensures accurate and compliant execution of coating processes, chamber preparation, substrate handling, and documentation.

This position requires a leader who is hands‑on, organized, and able to elevate a team of technicians by strengthening expectations, coaching performance, and ensuring reliable, repeatable work. The ideal candidate brings a strong manufacturing mindset, attention to detail, and the ability to serve as the connective link between production, engineering, maintenance, operations, and quality.

• Lead the coating production department across all shifts, ensuring disciplined execution of PVD, sputtering, and related deposition processes.
• Establish consistent expectations, accountability, and operational professionalism for operators and supervisors.
• Create structured training programs, skills matrices, and cross‑training plans to reduce variability between operators and shifts.
• Oversee production scheduling, resource planning, and workflow pacing to support reliable throughput and on‑time delivery.
• Ensure strict adherence to ITAR requirements, including need‑to‑know controls, documentation accuracy, and proper handling of technical data.
• Protect sensitive process information by enforcing boundaries on coating recipes, parameters, special process documentation, and work area access.
• Audit setups, chamber prep, substrate cleaning, traveler documentation, and process execution for accuracy and compliance.
• Coach and develop staff, strengthening leadership capabilities, communication, and personnel management skills.
• Monitor equipment health, initiate preventive maintenance requests, and coordinate needed repairs with facilities/engineering.
• Lead and support quality investigations, performing structured root‑cause analysis and driving effective corrective actions to close production gaps.
• Analyze yield data, identify trends, and implement process improvements that reduce variability, scrap, rework, and cycle‑to‑cycle inconsistencies.
• Maintain compliance with special process qualifications, quality requirements, and customer/internal audits.
• Interface effectively with engineering, maintenance, operations, and quality to resolve issues, support new coatings, and guide scale‑up activities.
• Enforce EHS and cleanroom standards, ensuring safe and compliant production operations.

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Physics, Materials Science, or related field; equivalent experience considered.
• 5+ years of experience in thin‑film coating, optics manufacturing, or advanced materials production, including leadership of technicians or operators.
• Demonstrated ability to enforce standards, manage performance, and build disciplined manufacturing teams.
• Strong understanding of coating processes, special process control, lean/6S practices, and root‑cause investigation.

• Experience with PVD, sputtering, vacuum systems, and optical substrate cleaning.
• Working knowledge of AS9100, QMS principles, and…