Prototyping Technician

About ShineOn

At ShineOn, we're on a mission to help everyday people build something extraordinary. We're a print-on-demand platform trusted by over 30,000 entrepreneurs who've generated more than $400 million selling unique, personalized gifts. What makes us different? Our obsession with empowering our Merchants - through one-of-a-kind products, world-class education, and a supportive community that feels more like family.

If you're passionate about manufacturing excellence, continuous improvement, and stepping into a role with long-term growth potential, you might've just found your people.

Role Overview

ShineOn is seeking a detail-oriented Prototyping Technician to join our production team. In this hands-on role you will operate laser and printing equipment, manage the end-to-end prototyping workflow inside our Admin production system, and serve as the key technical liaison between internal teams and vendor partners. You will drive prototype projects from concept through completion - conducting time studies, tracking material costs, managing tooling builds and pricing, running structured experiments, and delivering clear updates to leadership.

Key Responsibilities

Equipment & Production

• Operate and maintain laser engraving and printing equipment in a production environment
• Execute prototype builds within the Admin production system, following established workflows and quality standards
• Order required materials proactively; identify and resolve supply or inventory gaps before they impact timelines
• Track and report material costs per prototype build, maintaining accurate cost records to support budgeting and purchasing decisions

Tooling Build & Pricing

• Manage the end-to-end tooling build process, from specification and sourcing through fabrication and validation
• Develop and maintain tooling cost estimates and pricing models, factoring in materials, labor and vendor quotes
• Partner with vendor contacts to obtain competitive pricing and ensure tooling meets quality and production specifications
• Maintain a tooling inventory log and flag aging, worn, or obsolete tooling for replacement

Vendor & Cross-Functional Coordination

• Serve as the primary technical contact for vendor-facing activities, including text and specification reviews on vendor-supplied equipment
• Collaborate with font designers and other internal stakeholders to ensure prototypes meet brand and design requirements
• Escalate vendor or supply issues promptly, prioritizing based on production impact

Experimentation & Continuous Improvement

• Design, execute and document Design of Experiments (DOE) to optimize processes and product outcomes
• Conduct time studies on production and prototyping processes to establish accurate cycle times, identify bottlenecks, and support labor cost modeling
• Use time study data to recommend process improvements and validate gains after changes are implemented
• Identify process gaps and recommend improvements based on experimental data and hands-on observation
• Maintain accurate records of test parameters, results and findings

Communication & Reporting

• Provide regular verbal and written project status updates to the production management team
• Communicate cross-functionally using email and Slack (internal messenger); ensure all stakeholders are informed of progress, blockers, and priority changes
• Escalate issues and re-prioritize workload based on impact, taking direction from the production management leadership chain
• Adapt quickly to shifting priorities while maintaining quality and throughput
• Assumes additional responsibilities and performs special projects as needed or directed

Qualifications

Required

• Minimum 2-year technical degree (Engineering Technology, Manufacturing, Industrial Technology, or related field)
• Hands-on experience with laser equipment and/or industrial printing equipment
• Proficiency with or ability to quickly learn production management software (Admin system)
• Understanding of DOE methodology and structured problem-solving techniques
• Demonstrated ability to conduct time studies and apply findings to process improvement or labor costing
• Experience tracking material costs and building or interpreting cost estimates
• Experience with tooling builds, tooling pricing, or working with tooling vendors
• Strong verbal and written communication skills; comfortable with email and electronic messaging platforms
• Ability to manage competing priorities and escalate appropriately based on business impact
• Self-starter with flexibility to take direction and adapt to evolving project needs
• SOP creation and editing

Preferred

• Experience in a custom merchandise, print-on-demand, or e-commerce production environment
• Familiarity with font design or graphic production workflows
• Experience working with external vendors and managing vendor communications
• Exposure to industrial engineering tools such as time-motion analysis or value stream mapping
• Proficiency with Slack for team collaboration
• Laser equipment proficiencies
• Printing equipment proficiencies