Senior Manager, Advanced Manufacturing Engineering
The Senior Manager, Advanced Manufacturing Engineering leads the optical fabrication and metrology engineering teams responsible for developing, optimizing, and sustaining production processes for high-performance optical components and assemblies. This role drives process capability, metrology robustness, yield improvement, and manufacturing efficiency across multiple technical areas including optical fabrication, diamond turning, material growth, assembly, and metrology.
The manager oversees continuous improvement initiatives, leads root-cause investigations, establishes factory-wide SPC discipline, and ensures all measurement methods and production processes are capable, cost-efficient, and aligned with customer requirements.
This is an on-site position based in Murrieta, CA, supporting high-value aerospace and defense optical products.
Primary Duties & Responsibilities
Team Leadership
• Manage and develop optical fabrication metrology engineers producing precision optical components and assemblies.
• Lead the development, validation, and improvement of optical fabrication processes to increase yield, reduce variation, and improve efficiency.
• Establish and maintain robust SPC across the factory; ensure processes are statistically stable and capable.
• Lead the metrology engineering team to design, qualify, and execute custom measurement methods and test setups. Ensure all metrology is fit for production use, supports process control, and guarantees customer requirements are met.
• Lead cross-functional root-cause analysis for yield loss, specification non-conformance, and process issues.
• Implement corrective actions using engineering controls, error-proofing, and data-driven methods.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives across all production areas to improve first-pass yield and throughput.
• Lead process development activities for new products, designing cost-efficient, scalable fabrication and metrology processes.
• Participate in design reviews and manufacturability assessments to ensure smooth transition from development to production.
• Review customer requirements during RFQ/RFP phases to determine feasibility, assess risk, and estimate engineering and production effort.
Strategic & Cross-Functional Responsibilities
• Collaborate on multi-year technology roadmaps, equipment planning, and capability development.
• Implement digital data-collection tools, analyze trends, and drive improvements based on quantitative insights.
Education & Experience
• Minimum 10+ years relevant experience, including 5+ years in engineering leadership.
• Technical degree in Optical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Physics, Materials Science, or related discipline.
• Strong background in optical fabrication processes and associated metrology.
• Experience with low-to-medium volume, high-value, build-to-print manufacturing.
• Experience developing and sustaining production processes with SPC, DOE, and statistical tools.
Skills & Other Requirements
• Proven ability to lead engineering teams in high-precision advanced manufacturing or related industries.
• Strong problem-solving skills and a continuous improvement mindset.
• Experience with facility optimization and sustainment of fabrication equipment.
• Hands-on experience with optical fabrication, diamond turning, and optical metrology technologies is preferred.
• Familiarity with optical materials and materials growth processes is preferred.
• Effective communicator capable of presenting technical information to internal and external stakeholders.
For California, the salary pay range for this role is $127,930-$230,340. Please note this range is provided as a general guideline. When determining an offer, Attalon takes into account multiple factors, including (but not limited to) the responsibilities of the position, your professional experience, education and training, specialized skills, and current market and business conditions.
Equal Opportunity Employer Statement
Attalon, Inc. is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, color, religion, national origin, disability, protected Veteran status, age, or any other characteristic protected by law.
Export Control Compliance
This role involves access to technology, materials, software, or hardware subject to U.S. export control laws. Therefore, to be considered, candidates must be classified as a “U.S. Person” under applicable regulations or be eligible for authorization under a U.S. government export license.
Skills Required
- 10+ years of relevant professional experience
- 5+ years of engineering leadership experience
- Technical degree in Optical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Physics, Materials Science, or a related discipline
- Strong background in optical fabrication processes and associated metrology
- Experience with low-to-medium-volume, high-value, build-to-print manufacturing
- Experience developing and sustaining production processes using SPC, DOE, and statistical tools
- Experience leading engineering teams in high-precision advanced manufacturing or related industries
- Experience with facility optimization and sustainment of fabrication equipment
- Effective communication and technical presentation skills
- Hands-on experience with optical fabrication, diamond turning, and optical metrology technologies
- Familiarity with optical materials and materials growth processes
- U.S. Person classification or eligibility for authorization under a U.S. government export license
What We Do
Attalon is a leading technology partner to the global aerospace and defense industry, specializing in the physics of light and heat. With over 500 employees in the U.S., Attalon engineers critical optical, laser, and coating technologies that enable systems to see farther, target faster, and survive the harshest environments. From high-energy directed laser systems to satellite optics and hypersonic thermal protection, Attalon equips the warfighter with the advantage of precision.
