Principal Coating Engineer

About the role

Responsible for the design and development of optical coatings for New Product Introduction (NPI) optics. This includes coating stack design, material selection, process development, qualification activities, and tooling design for new products. The role also supports Sales & Marketing (S&M) on RFQs and technical inquiries while working closely with cross-functional teams including Manufacturing, Operations, and Quality. Additionally, the engineer will identify, evaluate, and develop emerging technologies for next-generation optical components.

Key responsibilities

• Design, develop, and optimize optical coating solutions and photonics devices with a focus on laser applications
• Review technical data packages and engineering drawings received through RFQs
• Develop new product offerings utilizing technologies such as Ion Beam Sputtering (IBS) and Magnetron Sputtering (MS)
• Perform coating design analysis based on customer specifications and ensure RFQ activities are completed within established turnaround time (TAT) KPIs
• Generate Specification Review Forms (SRFs), when required, to address technical constraints and propose solutions aligned with company capabilities
• Support Sales & Marketing (S&M) during customer visits, technical reviews, and assessments of new requirements
• Carry out process and product development, qualification activities, and tooling design for NPI products
• Develop and maintain process plans, test plans, routings, SOPs, in-process control plans, and FAT review forms
• Provide training and technical guidance to production technicians on work instructions and processes
• Conduct failure analysis on field returns, identify failure modes, and recommend corrective and preventive actions

About you

• Bachelor's Degree in Science, Engineering, Optics, Physics, or a related field
• Minimum 5 years of experience in the development and manufacturing of optical coating products using IBS, MS, and PVD technologies for OEM medical device, semiconductor, optoelectronics, or avionics industries
• Strong experience in designing and optimizing complex optical coatings
• Strong expertise in thin-film deposition processes involving metals, alloys, dielectric materials, and polymers
• Proficiency in thin-film design software such as OptiLayer and FilmStar
• Strong knowledge of PVD technologies, including Ion Beam Sputtering (IBS), Magnetron Sputtering (MS), Thermal Evaporation, E-Beam Evaporation, Ion-Assisted Evaporation, and Reactive Evaporation
• Strong knowledge of the optical and physical characterization of coating materials, including stress and coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE)
• Hands-on experience operating IBS, MS, and PVD coating systems to test and evaluate coating designs
• Strong root-cause analysis and troubleshooting skills for coating process, cosmetic, and coating durability issues
• Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills