Senior Manufacturing Engineer

Viavi Solutions · Santa Rosa · $81,900–$152,100 (stated in the posting)

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Summary:

Duties & Responsibilities:

Support Coating Platforms and Processes

You support production thin-film deposition platforms and processes. You find root causes in process and hardware issues, track the KPIs that control them, and work with engineers and maintenance to keep the system running efficiently.

Fix It on the Floor

When yield issues, defects, or excursions appear, you go to the tool first. You contain the issue, find the root cause, and carry corrective and preventive action through 8D/ CAPA methodology until the documentation is closed.

Production Support

Keeping the site running is the first priority. You are on the floor during critical builds, ramps, and tool recoveries, and you do the work yourself: pulling and analyzing data, preparing trial runs and acceptance plans, coordinating with other teams, and verifying the fix.

Complex Machine Ownership

Maintenance performs the repairs, and you are accountable for how the tool performs. You drive tool-level gains in uptime, yield, and cycle time, requalify equipment after maintenance or modification, and hold maintenance, facilities, and outside vendors to completion on repairs and upgrades.

Continuous Improvement, Documentation, and New Product Introduction

You maintain SPC and trend reporting, run designed experiments, and lead Lean and Six Sigma projects that reduce scrap and increase throughput. You write the work instructions and qualification records that standardize work across shifts, and you train the floor on what changed. You also help R&D, Product Engineering, and Quality move new coating designs into production.

Working Across the Site

You collaborate with Design Engineering, R&D, Equipment Engineering, Maintenance, Quality Engineering, Project Management, and Manufacturing, at every level from leadership discussions to task-level execution.

Pre-Requisites / Skills / Experience Requirements:

Additional Job Description

Required Qualifications

• BS in Physics, Materials Science, or an Engineering discipline. MS preferred.
• 7+ years of manufacturing or process engineering experience in thin-film vacuum deposition (sputtering, e-beam evaporation, ion-assisted deposition, or similar).
• Hands-on ownership of a production coating platform, including its process window, uptime, yield, and cycle time. Running recipes or performing maintenance alone does not meet this bar.
• Proven ability to isolate faults on complex electro-mechanical and vacuum equipment and drive the fix to completion.
• Working knowledge of optical coating process control, including in-situ monitoring and ex-situ metrology, and the ability to trace a spectral result back to a process cause.
• Working knowledge of PFMEA, CAPA, 8D, SPC, and DOE, plus Lean and Six Sigma skills with completed projects that produced measurable gains.
• Track record of hands-on execution and cross-functional work, from leadership discussions to task-level execution.
• Schedule flexibility to support critical builds, ramps, and tool recoveries.
• Advanced Excel and experience with statistical tools such as JMP or Minitab.
• Fluent in English (reading and writing). ITAR eligible US persons only.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with multi-cathode or cluster sputtering, reactive sputtering, or ion-assisted deposition.
• Experience qualifying tools after major maintenance or upgrades.
• Lean Six Sigma Green Belt or Black Belt certification.
• AS9100 or ISO 9001 quality systems experience, and MES and/or ERP experience.
• Aerospace, defense, semiconductor, or precision-optics background.

Key Attributes

You are a doer: self-motivated, organized, and autonomous, with a bias for action. You go to the tool, get the data, lead the change, and close the issue. You bring strong analytical and problem-solving skills, the ability to influence across engineering, maintenance, quality, and operations, and clear written and verbal communication.

Physical Requirements and Work Environment

Work is performed in a cleanroom and adjacent production areas, with gowning required. The role involves extended standing and walking, lifting up to 35 lbs (team lift up to 50 lbs), manual dexterity with small, fragile optical components, and close-vision acuity. Ordinary manufacturing hazards include high-vacuum equipment, RF and DC power supplies, hot surfaces, compressed gases, and cleaning solvents, all controlled per established EHS procedures.

Shift Schedule

This is a day-shift position with a flexible schedule. Hours may shift to cover critical builds, ramps, and tool recoveries, and occasional off-shift remote support may be required. Schedule is subject to operational needs.

If you have what it takes to push boundaries and seize opportunities, apply to join our team today.

VIAVI Solutions is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer – minorities/females/veterans/persons with disabilities.

ITAR:

This position requires use of information which is subject to the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR).  All applicants must be U.S. Persons within the meaning of ITAR. ITAR defines a U.S. Person as a U.S. Citizen or National, U.S. Lawful Permanent Resident (i.e. 'Green Card Holder'), Political Asylee, Refugee, or Temporary Resident granted amnesty.

Job Posting Pay Range:

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