Principal Quality Engineer-Optical Systems - Sunnyvale, CA, United States
Originally posted 19 August 2026 by the employer.
About the role
This role involves driving quality excellence across the product lifecycle for optical systems, from early design engagement through high-volume production. The position supports new product introduction, production ramp, and sustained manufacturing performance within a technical manufacturing environment.
What you'll do
- Partner with cross-functional teams including optical design, mechanical engineering, and manufacturing to ensure quality in product and process development.
- Lead structured root cause investigations using methodologies such as 8D, DMAIC, Fishbone, and 5-Why to resolve quality issues.
- Develop and maintain quality plans, control plans, and inspection strategies for optical systems and assemblies.
- Implement and monitor yield metrics and other quality indicators to reduce variation and improve product performance.
- Conduct and support internal audits to ensure compliance with ISO 9001 and other applicable quality management standards.
- Drive continuous improvement initiatives using Lean and Six Sigma principles within a technical manufacturing environment.
What you'll need
- M.S. or higher in Electrical Engineering, Optical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science, or related technical field.
- Minimum 10 years of experience in quality engineering focused on optical systems, photonics devices, or optoelectronic assemblies.
- Demonstrated experience supporting products through NPI and high-volume technical manufacturing environments.
- Strong technical understanding of optical systems including lasers, transceivers, photonic components, packaging, and opto-mechanical assemblies.
- Experience conducting internal audits and supporting external audits within ISO-based quality management systems.
- Proven track record in process improvement, yield enhancement, and implementation of quality systems and controls.
Nice to have
- Experience working in startup environments.
This role has been open 58 days — slightly above the 51-day median for Hardware Systems Engineering roles.
Hardware Systems Engineering · AI ML Hardware
|
Open roles in category
953
|
Median days open
51 d
|
Median salary
$156k
|
See the full market breakdown ▾Category comparison, and who else is hiring
| Metric | Coherent Corp | All employers we track in this specialty (953 roles · 102 employers) |
|---|---|---|
| Open roles in this specialty | 15 | 953 |
| Open roles in the wider Software, Firmware & Systems family | 33 | 6157 · 145 employers |
| Median days open | 62 d | 51 d (+11 d vs this employer) |
| Median salary (USD postings) | — | $156k |
Who's hiring in this category
- Intel Corporation · 68 open roles · median 34 d
- KLA Corporation · 64 open roles · median 44 d
- Teradyne · 56 open roles · median 28 d
- NVIDIA · 51 open roles · median 67 d
- Applied Materials · 49 open roles · median 64 d
- AMD · 47 open roles · median 48 d
How we counted: 953 open Hardware Systems Engineering (AI ML Hardware) roles from 102 employers tracked in the SemiconductorJobs index, counted 16 Oct 2026. Specialty figures count only roles carrying this exact specialty label, so an employer's related work in neighbouring specialties is not included there — it is counted in the wider Software, Firmware & Systems family row. Figures refresh nightly.