Senior Manufacturing Engineer – Fiber Test Equipment

Key Responsibilities

• Define, develop, and validate manufacturing test processes for fiber optic products, including OPM, SLS, OLTS, VFL, and OTDRs.
• Establish test limits, acceptance criteria, and measurement uncertainty budgets for all fiber-related production tests, ensuring compliance with industry standards (TIA, IEC, ITU-T).
• Design, specify, and qualify production test fixtures and automated optical test stations; oversee calibration, traceability, and maintenance programs for all fiber test equipment on the floor.
• Develop and maintain Manufacturing Test Procedures (MTPs) and Test Plans for fiber products; ensure documentation is current and accessible to production and quality teams.
• Investigate and resolve measurement anomalies, test escapes, and optical performance failures, using root cause analysis tools (8D, Ishikawa, FMEA) to drive permanent corrective actions.
• Partner with R&D and Product Line Management during design phases to provide Design for Manufacturability (DFM) and Design for Testability (DFT) input specific to fiber optic assemblies and electro-optical subsystems.
• Lead the manufacturing readiness review process for new fiber test products, including process FMEA, control plan development, and first article inspection coordination.
• Create production Work Instructions according to assembly requirements specified in released documentation.
• Establish and maintain Key Performance Indicators (KPI) for critical optical parameters; develop SPC monitoring plans for ongoing production.
• Identify and lead yield improvement projects for fiber optic assemblies and electro-optical subassemblies; use data-driven analysis to reduce test cycle times and non-conformance rates.
• Support failure analysis of returned fiber test instruments; provide technical input to engineering and QA departments.
• Maintain strong working knowledge of current fiber test equipment technologies (OTDRs, optical power meters, light sources, VFLs) and track emerging industry standards that may impact test requirements.
• Provide technical mentorship and training to manufacturing technicians on fiber test methodologies, handling procedures for fiber-optic connectors and assemblies, and safe laser operation practices.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Optical Engineering, Physics, or a closely related technical discipline.
• 5–15 years of manufacturing engineering experience with a strong focus on fiber optic test equipment, electro-optical systems, or photonics instrumentation.
• Deep hands-on expertise with fiber test instrumentation.
• Demonstrated experience interpreting and applying fiber optic test standards: TIA-568, TIA-526, IEC 61300 series, and ITU-T G.650/G.651/G.652.
• Proficiency with statistical process control (SPC), measurement systems analysis (MSA/Gauge R&R), and DOE methodologies applied to optical measurement processes.
• Experience developing automated test systems using LabVIEW, Python, or equivalent test automation frameworks; familiarity with instrument control via GPIB, USB-TMC, or Ethernet (SCPI/VISA).
• Working knowledge of fiber optic connector types (LC, SC, FC, MPO/MTP), connector polish types (PC, UPC, APC), and fiber types (SMF, MMF, PM fiber).
• Strong analytical and troubleshooting skills; experience with root cause analysis methodologies such as 8D, 5-Why, and fishbone analysis.