About the role:The Senior Coating Engineer is responsible for the development, design, qualification, optimization, and transfer of advanced optical coating and thin film technologies supporting new product introduction and strategic business initiatives. This role serves as a technical leader and subject matter expert for optical coating design, thin film technologies, coating performance, and next generation coating capabilities, partnering closely with engineering, operations, quality, and customers to develop innovative and manufacturable solutions.
This role leads coating engineering activities from concept through production release, including coating design, technology development, equipment qualification, product qualification, and manufacturing transfer. The Senior Coating Engineer drives technical problem solving, supports strategic technology investments, and contributes to the advancement of coating capabilities across the organization.
The role works extensively within cleanroom and manufacturing environments and serves as a key technical resource for optical coating technologies. While primarily an individual contributor role, this position provides technical leadership, project leadership, and mentorship to engineers and technicians and may have future people leadership responsibilities.
Key Responsibilities:- Lead coating engineering activities supporting new product introduction from concept through production release
- Develop and optimize optical coating designs to meet customer performance requirements and manufacturing objectives using Essential Macleod or equivalent thin film design software
- Serve as the technical subject matter expert for optical coatings, thin film technologies, and deposition processes
- Evaluate emerging coating technologies, materials, and equipment and recommend investments that expand technical and manufacturing capabilities
- Lead the specification, acquisition, qualification, and implementation of new coating chambers, metrology systems, and related technologies
- Develop coating technologies and manufacturing methods that support successful product introduction, scalability, and long term production performance
- Lead the transfer and qualification of new coating technologies and products from development into manufacturing
- Design, execute, and analyze experiments to evaluate coating performance, manufacturability, and technical improvements
- Lead root cause investigations, failure analysis activities, and corrective actions related to coating performance and product quality
- Partner with manufacturing, quality, and operations teams to resolve technical challenges, improve coating performance, and drive continuous improvement initiatives
- Collaborate with customers and internal stakeholders to define technical requirements and develop coating solutions
- Represent coating engineering in customer technical discussions, issue resolution activities, ongoing projects, and new business opportunities
- Participate in design reviews, manufacturability assessments, and technical risk evaluations for new products
- Define and track key performance indicators related to coating performance, technology effectiveness, product qualification, and successful transfer to manufacturing
- Provide technical leadership and mentorship to engineers, technicians, and cross functional teams supporting coating development and manufacturing activities
- Lead or support cross functional engineering projects and carry out additional responsibilities as needed to support engineering and business objectives
Education & Experience:- Bachelor's degree in Optical Engineering, Physics, Materials Science, Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related technical field required; advanced degree (Master's or PhD) preferred
- 5+ years of experience in optical coatings, thin film technologies, photonics, semiconductor manufacturing, or advanced optical manufacturing environments
- Experience developing optical coating designs and supporting coating technology development in a manufacturing environment
- Experience supporting new product introduction, product qualification, and manufacturing transfer activities
- Experience utilizing Essential Macleod or equivalent thin film design software required
- Demonstrated experience with optical coatings, thin films, vacuum deposition, or related coating technologies
- Experience leading technical problem solving, root cause investigations, and corrective action activities
- Experience supporting equipment qualification, validation, and technology implementation efforts
- Experience translating customer requirements into manufacturable coating solutions
- Experience working in cleanroom, ISO-regulated, semiconductor, photonics, aerospace, defense, or other advanced manufacturing environments preferred
- Experience providing technical leadership, customer engagement, and mentorship preferred
Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities:- Strong knowledge of optical coatings, thin film deposition processes, and coating performance characteristics
- Proficiency with Essential Macleod or equivalent thin film design and modeling software
- Strong understanding of optical coating design, thin film modeling, spectral analysis, optical performance characteristics, and optical metrology techniques
- Understanding of vacuum systems, deposition equipment, metrology systems, and manufacturing principles
- Knowledge of technology development, product qualification, and manufacturing transfer methodologies
- Familiarity with coating technologies such as sputtering, evaporation, ion assisted deposition, ion beam deposition, or related thin film processes
- Experience applying Lean manufacturing, statistical analysis, and data driven decision making principles
- Ability to translate customer requirements into manufacturable coating solutions
- Ability to interpret technical drawings, specifications, and customer requirements
- Strong analytical, troubleshooting, and problem solving skills
- Strong project management, organizational, and prioritization skills
- Effective communication and collaboration skills across technical and non technical teams
Working Conditions & Physical Demands:- Work is performed in a combination of office, laboratory, cleanroom, and manufacturing environments
- Regular work around vacuum coating systems, manufacturing equipment, metrology equipment, and engineering test equipment
- Frequent interaction with production operations and manufacturing personnel
- Required use of personal protective equipment, which may include safety glasses, gloves, cleanroom gowning, and other required equipment
- Prolonged periods of standing, walking, and computer use
- Ability to lift and move materials or equipment up to 25 lbs as required
- Occasional travel may be required to support customers, suppliers, training, or business needs
Additional Requirement:- 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.
