Staff Engineer, Finishing

Role Purpose

The Staff Engineer, Finishing is a technical leader in Corning's Finishing capability at Sullivan Park. The team turns Corning raw materials into prototypes, finished products and manufacturing processes. Those materials are glass, glass ceramics and ceramics, plus some metals for advanced optics and some plastics. The team supports Corning's businesses around the world and works at every stage of innovation. That ranges from first-principles studies of how a brand-new material cuts, grinds and polishes, to deep dives with manufacturing sites to improve their processes. This person will set up experimental plans and guide project teams and operations teams, including the groups that run the machine shop and glass finishing shops. The role fits an engineer with a strong foundation in materials, equipment or both, and the drive to learn the rest.

Key Responsibilities

• Serve as a technical leader on project teams, setting up experimental plans and giving guidance to groups across the organization
• Develop and improve finishing processes for grinding, polishing, lapping, and edge, surface and form finishing, from early concept through pilot and manufacturing start-up
• Work directly with Corning manufacturing sites around the world to diagnose process challenges and improve one part or many parts of their processes
• Design and run experiments, using hands-on lab and finishing equipment to prove concepts
• Specify, procure, install and document finishing equipment, tooling, fixtures and consumables with suppliers and internal teams, and help train operators
• Use CAD and machine programming to design fixtures, components and machine concepts, and to explain technical plans clearly to project teams and leadership
• Document work in internal reports and invention disclosures, and present results to peers, customers and senior management

Experiences/Education - Required

• Bachelor's degree in a technical discipline such as materials science, mechanical, process or manufacturing engineering, or equivalent industrial experience
• 8 or more years in a technical field, including process or product development, equipment engineering, machining and metrology, or technology transfer
• Strong engineering or materials fundamentals, with either deep materials understanding (glass, ceramics or glass ceramics) or hands-on equipment and manufacturing experience
• Systematic problem solving using experimental design and statistical analysis
• Ability to lead technical work without direct reports and to communicate clearly with technical and non-technical audiences, including technical writing and documentation of intellectual property
• Ability to travel up to 25%. Trips are frequent but usually short, a few days within the U.S. and about a week to ten days for Asia

Experiences/Education - Desired

• Master's or doctoral degree in a technical discipline
• Background in glass, ceramics, glass ceramics or optics manufacturing
• Experience in semiconductor, optics manufacturing, CNC machining, injection molding or precision metrology
• Machine programming (such as Mastercam), machine shop or manufacturing floor experience
• CAD skills, preferably SolidWorks
• Experience with optics fabrication techniques (such as diamond turning or MRF) and with equipment, tooling and metrology suppliers