Process Engineering Supervisor

Coherent is seeking a Process Engineering Supervisor to join our team in the East Granby, CT facility, which specializes in the production of specialty optical fiber and fiber-based components for industrial, communication, and instrumentation markets. In this role, you will provide direct leadership to a team of process engineers. You will be responsible for guiding technical priorities, improving manufacturing performance, developing engineering talent, and partnering closely with Operations, Quality, and R&D teams.

The Product Engineering Supervisor will combine hands-on process engineering expertise with daily people leadership. This role is accountable for ensuring that assigned product lines are technically supported, yield and process capability are monitored, improvement plans are executed, and engineering work is aligned with business, manufacturing, and customer needs.

Primary Duties & Responsibilities

• Directly supervise and mentor a team of process engineers supporting optical fiber and fiber-based component manufacturing. Assign priorities, review technical work, provide regular feedback, and ensure engineering deliverables are completed on schedule and with appropriate technical rigor.

• Coordinate process engineering support for assigned optical fiber product lines, including yield tracking, process performance monitoring, and process troubleshooting.

• Partner with Operations, Quality, and R&D teams to troubleshoot manufacturing issues, resolve technical problems, and implement sustainable corrective actions.

• Lead the team in developing and maintaining numerical tools to quantify process capability, including Statistical Process Control. Use this data to identify, prioritize, and drive action plans to improve product quality, repeatability, and cost.

• Support business growth by coordinating product engineering participation in New Product Development initiatives and qualification of new products and processes.

• Build team expertise in optical fiber fabrication techniques used at Coherent, including Modified Chemical Vapor Deposition, Over-collapse, and Fiber Draw.

• Promote daily technical engagement between product engineering, production staff, and cross-functional teams to maintain strong manufacturing process knowledge.

• Foster a culture of safety, quality, continuous improvement, accountability, collaboration, and data-based decision-making.

Education & Experience

• B.S. or M.S. degree in Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science or a related scientific or engineering field.

• Typically 5+ years of relevant experience in product engineering, process engineering, manufacturing engineering, or a related technical role; or an equivalent combination of education and work experience.

• Prior leadership experience, such as project leadership, technical team leadership, or supervisory responsibility

• Demonstrated experience using data analysis to improve manufacturing performance, including experience with JMP or similar statistical software.

• Strong understanding of process capability, yield improvement, root cause analysis, experiment design, validation, and production support.

• Ability to lead technical problem-solving efforts involving process variation, equipment/process interactions, and product quality requirements.

• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to present technical information clearly to engineering, operations, and leadership audiences.

• Ability to prioritize work for a small technical team, manage multiple projects simultaneously, and make sound business decisions.

  Desired Qualifications

• Experience with Modified Chemical Vapor Deposition, Over-collapse, Fiber Draw, or related optical fiber fabrication processes.

• Previous supervisory experience leading engineers, technicians, or other professional/technical staff. Demonstrated ability to mentor early-career engineers and build technical capability across a team.

• Experience developing or improving Standard Operating Procedures, manufacturing documentation, or training materials.

• Experience supporting New Product Development, process transfer, process qualification, or production ramp activities.

• Knowledge of Lean/Six Sigma practices.

• Leadership Expectations

• Provide clear direction to process engineers while remaining actively involved in technical problem solving when needed.

• Balance daily production support with longer-term improvement projects and team development.

• Gain cooperation from Operations, Quality, and R&D groups through effective communication and technical credibility.

• Escalate risks, resource needs, schedule impacts, and technical barriers in a timely and fact-based manner.

• Help engineers develop stronger technical judgment, project ownership, communication skills, and manufacturing process expertise.

Safety Requirements

All employees are required to follow the site EHS procedures and Coherent Corp. Corporate EHS standards.

Quality and Environmental Responsibilities

Depending on location, this position may be responsible for the execution and maintenance of the ISO 9000, 9001, 14001 and/or other applicable standards that may apply to the relevant roles and responsibilities within the Quality Management System and Environmental Management System.

Culture Commitment

Ensure adherence to company’s values (ICARE) in all aspects of your position at Coherent Corp.:

Integrity – Create an Environment of Trust

Collaboration – Innovate Through the Sharing of Ideas

Accountability – Own the Process and the Outcome

Respect – Recognize the Value in Everyone

Enthusiasm – Find a Sense of Purpose in Work

Coherent Corp. 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.