Optics Manufacturing Technical Program Manager, Taara Program Management Mountain View, CA (HQ) About the team: Project Taara is focused on delivering high-throughput and long-range connectivity via free-space optical communication (FSOC) links that use light (eye-safe lasers) propagating between two terminals to wirelessly transmit high speed data. Learn more about Project Taara. About the role: We are seeking a Senior Manufacturing engineer and TPM with Opto-Mechanical experience to work as part of an Operations team in the Manufacturing and testing of Wireless Optical Communication (WOC) systems. These systems are used for delivering abundant and affordable internet. The role is focused on applying manufacturing engineering rigor to support new product introduction (NPI), and ensuring cost-effective and robust scalability of WOC products. The position seeks highly-motivated individuals that enjoy working in a small dynamic team environment with engineers, technicians, suppliers and partners and with a passion for solving challenging problems of diverse scope in support of manufacturing, scaling, and continuous improvement projects (CIP) that can lead to high-impact advances in technology. How you will make 10x impact: + Define, build, document, train and maintain manufacturing assembly, integration and test processes and tooling for optical and opto-mechanical sub-systems to ensure they fulfill design intent, specifications and performance determined by engineering and design is successfully transferred to manufacturing. + Provide manufacturing engineering input throughout the product life cycle, driving Design for Manufacturing (DFM), Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) activities, supporting new product introduction (NPI) builds, and ensuring sustained production quality, process, and yield for Optics integration, alignment, testing and calibration at component, module and system level. + Define and improve manufacturing procedures, make recommendations for design and/or manufacturing methods and coordinate projects which will result in economical manufacturing costs and enhanced quality. + Work with contract manufacturers and vendors on a sustained basis to improve build consistency, reduce cycle time, increase yield, define and carry out quality plans , and drive down cost. Address NPI build issues, drive root cause analysis and institute necessary corrective actions. + Drive and maintain strong cross-functional collaborations with engineering, manufacturing, and supply chain teams in the down-selection, sourcing, qualification, and integration of optical components and vendors. Anticipate problems, prioritize their importance, and work cross-functionally to solve problems. What you should have: + Bachelor degree in Optics or Physics, and 7+ years of experience in a Manufacturing Engineering role. + Experience with small and large (> 1” dia) optical components, systems and processes, including optical coatings, optical element fabrication techniques, optical bonding with OCAs, lens assembly alignment, and optical metrology. + Experience in optical tooling, interferometry, mechanical fabrication, GD&T, and laser sub-systems. + Good understanding of bill-of-materials (BOM) structures, configuration management, clear-to-build process, engineering change order (ECO) process, and the product life cycle. + Possess strong troubleshooting and analytical skills to support technical issues, set-up experiments, modeling, and data analysis. + Ability to champion technical solutions to manufacturability issues found with the design and collaborate effectively with peers, interdisciplinary engineering groups and vendors. + Ability to navigate ambiguity, communicate effectively at all levels, and execute and iterate quickly with ever-changing problem sets and environments. + Experience launching new products at contract manufacturers (CMs) and original device manufacturers (ODMs). + Ability to travel up to 25% of the time domestically and internationally to contract manufacturers and supply chain vendors. It’d be great if you also had these: + MS degree in Optics, Physics, Mechanical, Electrical, Materials Science Engineering, or equivalent with 10 years of experience in a Manufacturing Engineering role. + Experience with telecom-related active and passive fiber components is a plus + Familiar with optical modelling (zemax), wavefront measurements, SolidWorks or other ME SW packages, photonics, electro-optics processes including fiber optics splicing and routing, optical amplifiers, transceivers, and MEMS actuators. + Semiconductor, Medical and Telecommunication equipment experience The US base salary range for this full-time position is $142,000 - $200,000 + bonus + equity + benefits. Within the range, individual pay is determined by work location and additional factors, including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training. Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range for your location during the hiring process. Please note that the compensation details listed in US role postings reflect the base salary only, and do not include bonus, equity, or benefits. At X, we don't just accept difference - we celebrate it, we support it, and we thrive on it for the benefit of our employees, our products and our community. We are proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please contact us at:x-accommodation-request@x.team.