Manufacturing Engineering Technician

Attalon is a leading technology partner to the global aerospace and defense industry, specializing in the physics of light and heat. With over 500 employees in the U.S., Attalon engineers critical optical, laser, and coating technologies that enable systems to see farther, target faster, and survive the harshest environments. The Traverse City, Michigan campus is a vertically integrated manufacturing and R&D facility specializing in high-performance optical isolators, photodetectors, and laser solutions for industrial, medical, scientific, and research applications. The site encompasses 40,000 sq. ft., including 15,000 sq. ft. of ISO 7 and ISO 8 cleanrooms certified to ISO 14644-1:2015, enabling both high-volume production and rapid prototyping in a controlled environment.

At Attalon, we foster a culture of innovation and collaboration. Our teams work in a state-of-the-art facility with advanced cleanrooms, precision manufacturing, and cutting-edge R&D labs. We value continuous improvement, technical excellence, and teamwork, leveraging vertical integration to accelerate design cycles and meet challenging customer requirements. Employees thrive in an environment that combines high-tech engineering with hands-on problem solving, where ideas move quickly from concept to production.

About the role

The Manufacturing Engineering Technician will support efforts to improve existing products and processes in a high-tech manufacturing environment. This hands-on role involves working closely with production technicians, participating in Lean activities, and conducting improvement experiments to enhance reliability, quality, and first-pass yield.

Responsibilities

• Master existing process technology and improve it by assisting, training, and collaborating with production technicians (20-50% hands-on time with products and processes).
• Participate in Lean activities, such as improving data collection, updating work instructions, and developing new manufacturing approaches.
• Conduct improvement experiments to enhance product reliability, quality, and first-pass yield using a detail-oriented approach; share results with the team.
• Support the transfer of new products from R&D into production.
• Resolve routine production issues, including failure analysis, root cause determination, and corrective action implementation.
• Test designs and principles of physics related to laser optics.
• Design and set up test fixtures for experiments.
• Inspect mechanical and optical components against specifications and drawings.
• Assist engineers with concept and pre-production product builds.
• Maintain test equipment and labs, ensuring proper calibration.
• Adhere to ISO procedures and policies.
• Establish and maintain statistical process control procedures and practices.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Requirements

• High School Diploma or GED required.
• 6+ years of related work experience or a combination of education and experience.
• Experience with SolidWorks (or other 3D modeling software) or willingness to learn.
• Basic knowledge of algebra and trigonometry.

Qualifications

• Associate Degree in a technical field (preferred).
• 8+ years of related work experience or a combination of education and experience (preferred).
• Experience with the operation of low- and high-power free space and fiber lasers (preferred).
• PLC programming experience (a plus).

This role involves access to technology, materials, software, or hardware subject to U.S. export control laws. Candidates must be classified as a “U.S. Person” under applicable regulations or be eligible for authorization under a U.S. government export license.