Job Title:  Manufacturing Quality Engineer

Are you ready to collaborate with leading experts in optical engineering and contribute to the next level of precision and innovation?

At Zygo, your skills and insights will be integral to our core values of curiosity, collaboration, and persistence. For over 50 years, Zygo Corporation in Middlefield, CT, has been a global leader in advanced optical metrology systems, ultra-precise optical components, and complex electro-optical systems. Join our team, where your expertise will help drive innovative solutions, solve complex technical challenges, and uphold the highest standards of precision, safety, and quality.

As a Quality Engineer Manufacturing, based in Middlefield, Connecticut, you will provide hands-on quality engineering support to manufacturing operations and take ownership of key quality processes that are critical to site performance. This role is ideal for a proactive, data-driven Quality Engineer who can independently identify process weaknesses, solve manufacturing quality problems, and lead initiatives that improve process capability, yield, quality, reliability, and operational performance.

You will partner closely with Manufacturing and Engineering to improve process robustness, support New Product Introduction activities, strengthen process controls, and drive meaningful, measurable improvements in a high-mix, low-volume manufacturing environment.

Key Responsibilities:

• Provide day-to-day quality engineering support to manufacturing operations.
• Partner with Manufacturing and Engineering to improve process capability, process robustness, and documentation.
• Support containment, investigation, and resolution of in-process manufacturing quality issues.
• Drive implementation and adoption of quality policies, procedures, and process controls across manufacturing operations.
• Own and continuously improve the site’s Statistical Process Control (SPC) program, including control strategy development, charting, analysis, and response plans.
• Use statistical analysis, process capability studies, trend analysis, and other data-driven tools to evaluate process performance and guide improvement actions.
• Proactively identify process weaknesses, sources of variation, and quality risks, and develop improvement plans to strengthen process performance.
• Support New Product Introduction (NPI), manufacturing transfers, production readiness reviews, risk assessments, and early production support from a manufacturing quality perspective.
• Lead or support quality improvement projects that deliver measurable improvements in process capability, yield, quality, reliability, or operational performance.
• Perform root cause analysis using structured problem-solving methodologies.
• Implement effective corrective and preventive actions to address true root causes and prevent recurrence.
• Influence change across manufacturing and cross-functional teams to improve process performance, quality, and reliability.
• Support internal and external audits and ensure compliance with quality system requirements.
• Participate in Lean / continuous improvement initiatives focused on quality, yield, and process stability.

Key Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in Industrial, Mechanical, Materials, Quality, or Optical Engineering; Optical Engineering preferred.
• 3–8 years of direct Quality Engineering experience in a manufacturing environment, preferably high-mix, low-volume.
• Experience supporting manufacturing processes, not solely supplier quality, document control, auditing, or inspection activities.
• Demonstrated experience leading quality or process-improvement initiatives that resulted in measurable operational improvements.
• Strong working knowledge of Statistical Process Control (SPC), statistical analysis, process capability, trend analysis, and data-driven decision making.
• Strong root cause investigation and corrective action experience, with the ability to solve process quality problems independently.
• Experience supporting New Product Introduction (NPI), manufacturing transfers, production readiness, or early production quality support.
• Ability to read and interpret engineering drawings, technical specifications, and manufacturing documentation.
• Experience with electro-mechanical, optical, or opto-mechanical assemblies preferred.
• Six Sigma Green Belt, Lean Certification, and/or ASQ Certified Quality Engineer (CQE) preferred.
• Strong communication and influencing skills, with the ability to collaborate across Manufacturing, Engineering, and Quality.
• Self-directed, naturally curious, analytical, and comfortable working independently.
• Solution-oriented mindset with the ability to identify issues, develop improvement plans, and drive change across functions.
• Resilience, resourcefulness, and problem-solving skills to support the team and drive results.

Bring your passion and commitment to Zygo, where we are curious, collaborative, persistent, confident, and problem-solvers — and where safety and quality guide every step of our journey. Grow with us as we solve complex challenges, inspire confidence, and drive excellence in manufacturing.

Are you ready to expand the boundaries of possibility, simplify the complex, and embody the values that define our success?

We welcome your unique perspective and invite you to join us. We offer competitive compensation, benefits, 401(k), and paid time off programs. Compensation and position level will be set based on experience.

Due to the nature of Zygo’s programs and products, applicants must have the legal right to work in the U.S. and must be legally authorized to access export-controlled information and source code.