Join our fast-paced and passionate team as a Photonics Process Development Engineer 2 focused on advanced packaging and tooling. As we scale, you will be instrumental in building our manufacturing foundation from the ground up. This is a dynamic, hands-on role for a highly self-directed engineer who thrives in an ambiguous, fast-moving environment.
You will play a critical role in establishing scalable photonic manufacturing processes that directly enable product performance, reliability, and cost targets. Your work will define how our technology transitions from prototype to production.
You will collaborate closely with device, optical, electrical, mechanical, and manufacturing engineers to transform delicate photonic designs into robust, manufacturable, high-yield products.
Impact:- Establish core assembly and packaging processes that enable company growth
- Define manufacturing strategies that scale from R&D to production
- Improve yield, reliability, and cost through process innovation and optimization
- Build tooling, fixtures, and automation approaches that enable repeatability
Key Technical Areas:- Vacuum reflow soldering (AuSn, SAC, Indium, and related materials)
- Wire bonding (Au and Al; ball and wedge)
- Die bonding (epoxy, eutectic, and solder attach)
- Optical assembly and active alignment (lenses, isolators, fiber arrays)
- Fiber splicing and precision fiber handling (including PM alignment)
- Hermetic sealing (laser welding, parallel seam sealing)
- Adhesives and material characterization
- Process metrology and inspection (shear/pull testing, vision systems, interferometry, hermeticity testing)
- Automation and semi-automation development
Responsibilities:- Own end-to-end development of photonic assembly processes from concept through production release
- Define and execute the process development roadmap aligned with product and manufacturing goals
- Design statistically rigorous experiments (DOE) to optimize process windows, robustness, and yield
- Manage the process control limits, qualification criteria, and acceptance metrics
- Transition processes from R&D to pilot and full manufacturing scale
- Lead process transfer to production, including equipment qualification (IQ, OQ, PQ)
- Drive yield improvement initiatives and root-cause investigations for failures and reliability issues
- Establish engineering standards, documentation, and best practices
- Develop process flows, work instructions, travelers, and training materials
- Determine appropriate Design for Manufacturability (DFM) principles and ensures tolerance analysis follows best practices
- Manages the improvement of process capability (Cp/Cpk)
- Performs qualification, reliability testing, and failure analysis (including FMEA)
- Design precision fixtures, tooling, and mechanisms to enable repeatable assembly and alignment
- Collaborate with mechanical engineers and equipment vendors to develop manufacturable solutions and automation
- Mentor junior engineers and technicians and provide technical leadership across cross-functional teams
- Ensure adherence to cleanroom protocols and contamination control practices
- Other related duties as required.
Requirements- This position requires access to export-controlled information. Employment is contingent upon the applicant being a U.S. person as defined by 8 U.S.C. a7 1324b(a)(3).
Experience:- BS or MS in Optical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Materials Science, Mechanical Engineering, Physics, or a related field
- Typically 8+ years of relevant experience in photonics or optoelectronic process development
- 5+ years with demonstrated ownership of manufacturing process equipment such as die bonders, wire bonders, vacuum reflow systems, active alignment platforms, or laser welding systems
Preferred Qualifications:- Experience with laser diodes, PICs, modulators, detectors, or optical transceivers
- Familiarity with hermetic packaging (butterfly, TO, or micro-optical packages)
- Experience with active alignment systems
- Reliability testing experience (thermal cycling, HTOL, damp heat)
- Knowledge of statistical process control (SPC) and manufacturing metrics
- Experience supporting low- to medium-volume production environments
- Fixture and mechanism design experience in precision systems
Startup Mindset:- Comfortable operating in an evolving environment with changing priorities
- Motivated by building new capabilities and infrastructure from the ground up
- Willing to take ownership across multiple technical domains
- Hands-on and resourceful, with a strong bias toward execution
BenefitsThe expected annual salary range for this position is $85,000-$125,000.
As a full-time employee, you will be eligible for Monarch's comprehensive benefits package, which includes:
- Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance
- Fidelity 401(k) plan with 4% employer matching
- 20 paid time off (PTO) days per year
- 13 paid company holidays
- 9/80 work schedule (every other Friday off)
