IDEX Corp

Manufacturing Engineer- Optical Systems & Sustaining Engineer

IDEX Corp$78K — $117K *
Manufacturing & Automotive
5 - 7 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Optics, or related field.
  • 5+ years of experience in manufacturing engineering.
  • Proven experience in transferring technology to manufacturing environments.
  • Strong skills in developing manufacturing processes and training programs.
  • Excellent problem-solving and communication skills.

Responsibilities

  • Lead new optical and laser product transitions to manufacturing.
  • Develop and implement robust manufacturing processes and work instructions.
  • Collaborate with R&D to ensure products are manufacturable and scalable.
  • Support continuous improvement initiatives for existing products.
  • Provide mentorship and technical support to production teams.

Benefits

  • Health benefits package.
  • 401(k) retirement savings program with company match.
  • Paid Time Off (PTO).
  • Access to additional company benefits as outlined on their careers page.
Full Job Description
Manufacturing Engineer – Optical Systems & Sustaining Engineering

ITAR/EAR CRITERIA:

Certain positions with IDEX Corporation and its business units require access to controlled goods and technologies subject to the International Traffic in Arms Regulations or the Export Administration Regulations. Applicants for these positions may need to be "U.S. Persons," as defined in these regulations. Generally, a "U.S. Person" is a U.S. citizen, U.S. national, lawful permanent resident, or an individual who has been granted refugee or asylum status.


About the Role

Join a team of passionate engineers dedicated to delivering next-generation healthcare technology with exceptional quality, performance, and cost-effectiveness. As part of the Manufacturing Engineering organization, you will play a critical role in transferring advanced optical technologies from concept and prototype into scalable, high-quality production environments.


This highly visible position offers the opportunity to collaborate with cross-functional teams including R&D, Operations, Quality, Supply Chain, and Production. You will leverage your technical expertise, creativity, and problem-solving skills to develop manufacturing processes, support new product introductions for successful launches, and optimize existing production systems.


Mission

The Manufacturing Engineer – Optical Systems & Sustaining Engineering serves as a key technical resource for optical and laser-based manufacturing technologies. This role supports both New Product Introduction (NPI) and sustaining engineering activities, contributing to the development, deployment, and continual improvement of optical systems, laser illumination

systems, and precision opto-mechanical assemblies.


The engineer will provide technical leadership in manufacturing readiness, process development, production support, troubleshooting, and workforce training while serving as a mentor and consultant to technicians and manufacturing personnel.


Position Summary

As a member of the Manufacturing Engineering team, you will be responsible for leading the development, optimization, and sustaining manufacturing processes for optical products and systems. The successful candidate will possess strong technical knowledge in one of the following: optics, lasers, or optical assemblies. A key element is an emphasis on precision

manufacturing while demonstrating the ability to rapidly learn new technologies and effectively lead the transition into

production.


This role supports multiple active product development programs and existing production lines, ensuring successful product launches, operational excellence, and continuous improvement across the manufacturing value stream.


All members of the Manufacturing Engineering team are expected to embody the company's values of Team, Trust, and Excellence.


Key Responsibilities


New Product Introduction & Manufacturing Readiness

• Lead the transition of new optical and laser-based products into manufacturing.

• Implement robust manufacturing processes, work instructions, test methods, and training.

• Collaborate with R&D teams during product development to ensure manufacturability and production scalability.

• Support stage-gate development activities and manufacturing readiness reviews.

• Support qualification & validate manufacturing process and test stations prior to release.


Optical Systems Engineering

• Align and optimize optical tabletop systems and production optical assemblies.

• Support optical system integration, metrology, testing, and performance verification.

• Apply knowledge of optical principles, system tolerancing, and opto-mechanical integration.

• Support laser illumination systems, optical alignment techniques, and detector-based measurements.

• Develop fixtures, tooling, and automation to improve manufacturing efficiency and quality.


Sustaining Engineering

• Support existing products through continuous improvement, cost reduction, quality improvement, and obsolescence mitigation initiatives.

• Investigate and resolve manufacturing, supplier, and/or quality issues.

• Drive corrective and preventive actions (CAPA) and root cause analysis activities.

• Partner with Operations and Quality teams to improve production performance and customer satisfaction.

• Maintain technical documentation including work instructions, process specifications, and manufacturing standards.


Production Support & Continuous Improvement

• Provide technical support for production ramp activities and manufacturing operations.

• Mentor technicians and production personnel in troubleshooting, process execution, and continuous improvement.

• Identify and implement productivity improvements through Lean Manufacturing.

• Improve production throughput, yield, labor efficiency, and operational performance.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Optics, Optical Engineering, or a related technical discipline.

• Minimum 5 years of manufacturing engineering experience maintaining existing products and scaling up production throughput.

• Experience leading the transfer of technology from development into manufacturing.

• Experience developing manufacturing processes, documentation, and training programs.

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.

• Excellent communication and cross-functional collaboration skills.

• Ability to lead projects and manage multiple priorities simultaneously.


Preferred Qualifications

Experience in one or more of the following areas:

• Optical assembly, alignment, and metrology

• Precision lens manufacturing and optical system production

• Laser illumination systems

• Opto-mechanical assemblies

• Optical tabletop setup and alignment

• Optical testing, detectors, and data acquisition systems

• New Product Introduction with production ramp-up and manufacturing readiness activities.

• Sustaining engineering in a production environment


Success Metrics

Performance in this position will be measured through:

• Successful on-time project execution

• Improved manufacturing readiness and production launch success

• Reduced dependency on Manufacturing Engineering and R&D after production handoff

• Effective resolution of production, supplier, and customer quality issues

• Successful scaling of manufacturing operations to support growth programs

• Development of robust manufacturing processes and technical capability within the organization


Strategic Impact

This position will directly support the organization's growth strategy by:

• Expanding manufacturing engineering capacity to support multiple development programs.

• Providing critical expertise in optics, lens manufacturing, and laser-based systems.

• Reducing single-point-of-failure risks within key technical disciplines.

• Improving manufacturing readiness and production launch performance.

• Supporting current products while enabling successful NPI execution.

• Enhancing responsiveness to customer, quality, and obsolescence-related challenges.

• Driving operational scalability as additional programs move into production.

• Enabling dedicated focus on productivity, automation, and continuous improvement initiatives.


This role is ideal for an engineer who enjoys leading technical teams, solving complex technical challenges, working with advanced optical technologies, and building scalable manufacturing solutions that directly impact product success and organizational growth.


Total Rewards

The compensation range for this position is $78,200.00 - $117,200.00, depending on experience. This position may be eligible for performance based bonus plan.

Benefits Package

Our comprehensive U.S. benefit offerings include: Health benefits, 401(k) retirement savings program with company match, PTO, and more. More information on our benefits and rewards can be found on our career page: https://www.idexcorp.com/careers/our-benefits-and-rewards/

This posting is for an existing vacancy.

Artificial intelligence is not used to screen, assess or select applicants.

About IDEX Corp

IDEX Corporation is a manufacturer of engineered products for fluidics, optics, and precision dispensing applications. The company's products are used in a variety of industries, including life sciences, industrial, and semiconductor. IDEX operates in three business segments: Fluid & Metering Technologies, Health & Science Technologies, and Fire & Safety/Diversified Products. The company was founded in 1987 and is headquartered in San Jose, California.
Learn more about IDEX Corp
Size
7,536 employees
Market Cap
$17.3 billion
Industry
Net Income
$377.7 million
Founded
1996
5 Year Trend
+5.5%
Revenue
$2.3 billion
NASDAQ

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