Optical Manufacturing Engineer

ABOUT US

G&H is a world leader in optical designing, testing and manufacturing. As experts in the technology of light, G&H works with customers to provide optical systems, assemblies, and components for demanding applications

Headquartered in Ilminster Somerset, UK with primary operations in the USA and Europe, G&H is recognized for the breadth of their acousto-optic, electro-optic, crystal-optic, fiber optic, and precision optic products. G&H is recognized as the preferred source for OEMs in the life sciences, industrial, and aerospace and defense industries, with a history of quality and excellence that dates back over seventy-five years.

ROLE

The Optical Manufacturing Engineer serves as the senior technical authority for optical systems manufacturing within the Keene operation. As the site's highest-level manufacturing engineering subject matter expert, this role is responsible for defining, optimizing, and scaling manufacturing processes that enable the successful production of complex optical systems and assemblies.

Operating as a hands-on technical leader and individual contributor, the Optical Manufacturing Engineer provides leadership across manufacturing readiness, process capability, new product introduction, supplier qualification, quality improvement, and operational excellence initiatives. This individual is expected to influence business outcomes through deep technical expertise, data-driven decision-making, and cross-functional collaboration.

The role is responsible for ensuring manufacturing processes are robust, repeatable, scalable, and capable of meeting customer, quality, delivery, and financial objectives while supporting the flexibility required in a high-mix, low-volume engineered manufacturing environment.

This position serves as a key technical advisor to Engineering, Operations, Quality, Supply Chain, and Leadership teams and is expected to anticipate manufacturing risks, identify opportunities for improvement, and drive long-term capability development across the site.

RESPONSIBILITIES & PERFORMANCE MEASURES

• Serve as the technical authority for optical systems manufacturing, providing expert guidance on manufacturing methods, process capability, scalability, and operational readiness.
• Own manufacturing engineering strategy for complex optical systems and assemblies, ensuring processes support business growth, customer requirements, and operational objectives.
• Define and maintain manufacturing standards, process controls, routings, work instructions, and best practices that drive consistency, quality, and throughput.
• Lead manufacturing readiness assessments for new products, engineering changes, and technology transfers, ensuring all production requirements are established prior to release.
• Partner closely with Product Development teams to influence product design for manufacturability, producibility, reliability, and cost optimization.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives focused on quality, throughput, capacity, labor efficiency, yield improvement, and cost reduction.
• Lead complex root cause investigations and corrective action activities using structured problem-solving methodologies and data-driven decision making.
• Establish and monitor key manufacturing process metrics, identifying trends and proactively implementing improvements to improve operational performance.
• Provide technical leadership during production escalations, customer concerns, supplier issues, and quality investigations.
• Evaluate, develop, and qualify manufacturing technologies, equipment, tooling, suppliers, and processes that improve capability and competitiveness.
• Lead supplier manufacturing and process qualification efforts, including audits, First Article Inspections, process validation activities, and supplier corrective actions.
• Champion best practices for optical measurement systems, calibration methods, process validation, and manufacturing controls throughout the product lifecycle.
• Assess manufacturing risks associated with new technologies, process changes, engineering changes, and product mix variations and develop mitigation strategies.
• Influence cross-functional decision-making through technical expertise, data analysis, and business-focused recommendations.
• Mentor manufacturing engineers, technicians, and operations personnel by sharing knowledge, establishing best practices, and strengthening organizational capability.
• Serve as a key contributor to ISO 9001 and quality management system compliance activities while driving continuous improvement beyond compliance requirements.
• Promote and exemplify G&H values of Customer Focus, Integrity, Action, Unity, and Precision.

QUALIFICATIONS & SKILLS

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering or a related technical discipline required; advanced degree preferred.
• 10–15+ years of progressive manufacturing, production, process, or industrial engineering experience within highly engineered, high-mix, low-volume manufacturing environments.
• Demonstrated expertise supporting complex optical systems, photonics, aerospace, defense, precision manufacturing, medical device, or similarly regulated industries.
• Proven experience leading manufacturing readiness, process development, NPI/NPD integration, technology transfer, and process optimization initiatives.
• Strong knowledge of optical manufacturing processes, precision assembly techniques, metrology systems, process validation, and statistical process control methodologies preferred.
• Experience driving measurable improvements in quality, yield, throughput, cost, and operational performance.
• Strong knowledge of ISO 9001 quality systems; AS9100 experience strongly preferred.
• Six Sigma Green Belt or Black Belt certification preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to influence and lead across functions without direct authority.
• Strong analytical, technical, problem-solving, communication, and project leadership skills.
• Experience working with ERP/MRP systems and manufacturing data analytics tools preferred.

Notes: This job description is not intended to be exhaustive in every respect, but rather to clearly define the fundamental purpose, responsibilities and dimensions for the role. Therefore, this job description does not describe any individual role holder. In addition to the contents of this job description, employees are expected to undertake all other reasonable and related tasks allocated by their line manager.

The Company is committed to providing equal employment opportunities for all employees and applicants for employment. The Company does not discriminate in employment opportunity or practices on the grounds of gender, race, religion or belief, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by national laws under which the Company operates.

Please note that the position will involve having access to items and technical data that may be controlled under U.S. export laws and regulations ("U.S. Export Control Laws"), including but not limited to the Export Administration Regulations ("EAR") and the International Traffic in Arms Regulations ("ITAR"). To comply with the U.S. Export Control Laws, and in conjunction with the review of candidates for those positions within G&H that may present access to export-controlled technical data, G&H must assess whether candidates are "U.S. persons" as defined under the EAR (15 C.F.R. Part 772) and the ITAR (22 C.F.R. § 120.15). Certain questions asked during the application process are intended to assess this and will be used for evaluation purposes only. Failure to provide the necessary information in this regard will result in our inability to consider you further for this position.