Active Alignment & NPI Process Development Engineer

About Lumilens At Lumilens, we are building the essential photonics infrastructure that will drive tomorrow’s AI supercomputing. From chip-to-chip optical interconnects to scalable photonic engines, Lumilens is ushering in a new era of computing that is faster, cooler, and dramatically more efficient. We’re a well-funded startup backed by Mayfield and led by veterans who have built and scaled some of the industry’s most transformative technologies.

We are seeking an experienced Active Alignment Process Engineer to join our high-performance team developing the photonics solutions powering next-generation AI infrastructure. You will be responsible for developing, characterizing, qualifying, and transferring optical alignment processes from product development through NPI and volume manufacturing. You will also handle equipment buyoff and qualification, as well as epoxy dispensing and curing processes.

Responsibilities

• Lead manufacturing process development for new photonic products from prototype and engineering builds through NPI qualification and volume production.
• Develop and optimize optical assembly processes including active alignment, passive alignment, epoxy dispensing, curing, optical coupling, and related assembly processes.
• Define critical process parameters, critical-to-quality characteristics, process windows, acceptance criteria, and manufacturing specifications.
• Plan and execute DOE, process characterization, tolerance studies, and process optimization activities to establish robust manufacturing processes.
• Evaluate process capability and manufacturing performance using yield, Cp/Cpk, GR&R, and other statistical methods.
• Support prototype, EVT/DVT/PVT, pilot, qualification, and production ramp builds.
• Perform root-cause analysis on NPI build failures, yield excursions, and process-related defects and implement corrective actions.
• Drive manufacturing yield improvement, cycle-time reduction, process simplification, and cost reduction during NPI and production ramp.
• Develop and maintain process documentation including process specifications, work instructions, SOPs, PFMEA, Control Plans, qualification reports, and manufacturing readiness documentation.
• Support DFM/DFA reviews and provide process-related feedback to product and mechanical design teams.
• Lead manufacturing process transfer from R&D or development sites to internal factories, suppliers, or contract manufacturers.
• Establish process controls and monitoring methodology to ensure stable manufacturing performance after production release.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree or higher in Engineering, Physics, Optics, Photonics, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related discipline.
• Minimum 5 years of relevant experience with optical active alignment for transceivers or related photonic devices or related NPI/process development environment.
• Hands-on experience developing and optimizing optical active alignment processes for transceivers or other photonic devices.
• Familiarity with optical components and assemblies such as FAU, lenses, isolators, PICs, PD, laser, etc.
• Experience with active alignment equipment development, setup, buyoff, qualification, and production deployment.
• Strong understanding of motion stages, controllers, optical power meters, laser sources, cameras, sensors, and precision mechanical systems.
• Experience developing or optimizing alignment algorithms and automated alignment sequences.
• Knowledge of epoxy dispensing, adhesive bonding, UV curing, thermal curing, and associated material/process characteristics.
• Experience with equipment control, automation, and process parameter optimization.
• Experience in fixture and tooling development for precision optical assembly.
• Demonstrated experience in NPI process development, process characterization, qualification, manufacturing transfer, and production ramp.
• Experience with DOE, statistical process control, process capability analysis, Cp/Cpk, GR&R, and yield analysis.
• Familiarity with PFMEA, Control Plans, SOPs, work instructions, process specifications, and manufacturing qualification documentation.
• Ability to analyze complex process interactions across equipment, material, product design, tooling, and manufacturing conditions.
• Strong troubleshooting, analytical, and structured problem-solving skills.
• Ability to work effectively across R&D, manufacturing, equipment suppliers, quality teams, and contract manufacturers.