Development Engineer

Scope of Position: 
•    Design, develop, and industrialize Optical Fiber manufacturing platforms (platform = process + equipment) for revolutionary manufacturing processes, thereby enabling step-change reductions in manufacturing cost and/or enabling new products with advantaged attributes.  
•    Drive for root-cause fundamental understanding and apply scientific method and engineering principles to solve problems thoroughly and effectively, using well-designed and executed experiments.
•    Work is typically completed as a member of a technology development team chartered with improving one or more of the following: manufacturing yields, machine utilization, Operator efficiency, product attributes, product reliability, and material cost reduction. 

Day to Day Responsibilities:
•    Monitor process & equipment performance in the Draw optical fiber making area.
•    Design, develop, and industrialize manufacturing platforms (process, equipment) to solve safety, performance, quality, or cost issues.
•    Provide engineering support to the development platform during Testing, Demo, and Transfer phases.
•    Participate on cross functional teams in support of various Development, Engineering, or Operations initiatives. 
•    Design, plan, and execute experiments in both lab and manufacturing environments.
•    Package and present data to support hypotheses, conclusions, and recommendations.   
•    Document, train, and transfer projects to Plant Operations and Engineering receivers. 
•    Communicate status and results within team and to upper management. 

Travel Requirements:
•    <5% domestic and international possible

Hours of work/work schedule/flex-time: 
•    40+ hours per week, primarily 8AM to 5PM with flexibility based upon personal preference and project need.  The position is overtime exempt.  Overtime is not uncommon and expected at times, however the amount and duration will vary as a function of the job position, particular project, and point in the project life cycle

Required Skills:
•    Demonstrated working knowledge of electro-mechanically controlled systems, material properties, thermodynamics, as well as physical phenomena (heat and mass transfer, fluid mechanics, rheological behaviors, etc.), 
•    Knowledge/experience in materials processing for polymer coatings, glass, or ceramics
•    Application of the scientific method and engineering principles to gain fundamental understanding and to identify root cause. 
•    Strong data analysis and statistical skills. 
•    Desire to be hands-on and display a bias for action to achieve results. 
•    Work well both within a multi-disciplined team, and independently with minimal oversight, and thoroughly carries assignments to completion.

Desired Skills:
•    Knowledge of fiber optics and materials.
•    Experience with data processing software (e.g. Jump, Python, PowerBI) and Microsoft Office suite (Excel, Word, PowerPoint). Modeling simulation software experience optional (e.g. Aspen, Matlab, Fluent).
•    Ability to work hands-on with the equipment using typical hand tools, instruments, and measurement devices.
•    Ability to manage multiple work streams, adjust to changing priorities, and maintain a strong focus on job site safety.

Education and Experience:
•    Minimum BS or MS in any of Chemical, Mechanical, Material, or Ceramics (or similar) Engineering
•    2-4 years of engineering experience.

Soft Skills:
•    Ability to work interactively on cross functional teams with ties to Research and Early Stage Development and Manufacturing.
•    Able to set long term needs/goals and determine short term objectives to achieve same
•    Excellent communication skills (both verbal and written)