Senior Manufacturing Engineer – Photonics Manufacturing & NPI

Job Title

Senior Manufacturing Engineer – Photonics Manufacturing & NPI

Role Summary

Owner for transitioning advanced photonic hardware from R&D into pilot production and high-volume manufacturing. You will work cross-functionally with Process, Design, Test Validation, Supply Chain, and Operations to develop scalable manufacturing processes for photonic integrated circuits (PICs), fiber optic assemblies, electro-optical systems, and cryogenic hardware.

This role is focused on hands-on process development, New Product Introduction (NPI), production ramp support, and preparing mature processes for transfer to contract manufacturers.

Experience Level

Senior - typically 8+ years of manufacturing engineering experience supporting complex photonic, semiconductor, optical, precision electromechanical, or other high-reliability products.

Responsibilities

Key responsibilities include developing, validating, and scaling manufacturing processes and supporting production readiness.

• Lead process development for PIC-based photonic hardware, fiber optic assemblies, electro-optical hardware, and precision opto-mechanical systems from R&D through pilot production and scale-up.
• Act as Manufacturing Engineering lead for NPI, converting prototypes into production-ready processes.
• Develop and optimize precision fiber optic manufacturing (stripping, cleaving, fusion splicing, routing, connectorization, inspection, strain relief).
• Design and qualify tooling, fixtures, workstations, and specialized assembly equipment; optimize for throughput and ergonomics.
• Develop optical packaging, precision optical alignment, electro-optical integration, and final assembly processes.
• Support cleanroom manufacturing and assembly/integration of cryogenic hardware.
• Establish workstations, calibration, equipment maintenance, and preventive maintenance schedules.
• Develop manufacturing documentation: work instructions, process flows, travelers, tooling docs, and training materials.
• Drive production troubleshooting, root cause analysis, corrective actions, engineering changes, and continuous process improvement (yield, throughput, cycle time, cost).
• Develop process controls and qualification artifacts: PFMEA, Control Plans, SPC, DOE, MSA, process validation.
• Lead manufacturing readiness activities and support readiness and production transfer reviews; prepare processes for CM transfer.

Requirements

Must-have technical skills, experience, and behaviors.

• 8+ years of manufacturing engineering experience supporting complex photonic, semiconductor, optical, precision electromechanical, or other high-reliability products.
• Proven track record transitioning products from R&D through NPI, pilot production, ramp, and sustained production.
• Hands-on experience with fiber stripping, precision cleaving, fusion splicing, fiber routing, handling, inspection, and connectorization.
• Experience supporting cleanroom manufacturing operations and precision assembly environments.
• Experience developing manufacturing documentation, PFMEAs, Control Plans, SPC, process validation, and applying DFM/DFA principles.
• Experience preparing manufacturing processes for transfer to Contract Manufacturers and supporting production transfers.
• Strong project management and cross-functional communication skills; ability to drive production support and process maturity.

Preferred / Nice-to-have:

• Experience with silicon photonics, PIC-based hardware, optical packaging, active optical alignment, fiber attach, or electro-optical assembly.
• Experience with automated optical inspection, production test equipment, or manufacturing automation.
• Experience with cryogenic or vacuum hardware, Manufacturing Readiness Reviews, or phase-gate processes.
• Familiarity with Lean Manufacturing, 5S, ISO 9001, AS9100, CAPA, document control, and engineering change management.
• Experience managing equipment qualification, calibration, and preventive maintenance programs.

Education Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Physics, or a related technical discipline.

About the Company

Company: PsiQuantum

Headquarters: Palo Alto, CA, United States

PsiQuantum develops silicon-photonic quantum computers aimed at building million-qubit, fault-tolerant systems. Founded in 2016, the company combines semiconductor manufacturing processes, photonic hardware, and quantum software to scale quantum systems for commercial and government applications.