Thermal Metrology Engineer

Thermal Metrology Engineer- Charlottesville, VA 

Who we are 

Laser Thermal is pioneering the future of thermal metrology. We design and build advanced instruments that deliver fast, accurate thermal property measurements for the most demanding materials challenges, across semiconductors, aerospace, energy, and beyond.  

Born from academic research and built for real-world impact, we combine optical innovation with scalable engineering to empower R&D teams and production environments alike. Our team thrives on hands-on problem-solving, cross-disciplinary collaboration, and a shared belief that better data drives better design.  

If you're passionate about building tools that make a measurable difference, you’ll find a home here. 

Visit ourwebsite to learn more about our solutions. 

Your role and responsibilities 

We are looking for a highly skilled and customer-focused Test Engineer with expertise in data analysis and instrumentation to join our team. This role is critical in ensuring that we meet our customer requirements and deliver top-quality solutions through detailed testing and analysis. As a Test Engineer, you will collaborate closely with customers to define testing goals, ensure product performance meets contractual agreements, and deliver actionable insights based on test data. You will also utilize commercially available and Laser Thermal developed software to analyze complex datasets, providing critical feedback for both development teams and customers. 

If you are passionate about working directly with customers to ensure top-quality product performance and have strong skills in data analysis, Python, and MATLAB, we encourage you to apply and become a key part of our customer-driven testing team. 

Key Responsibilities:

• Collaborate directly with customers and sales team to define test requirements, ensuring alignment with customer contracts and expectations. 

• Develop and execute test plans and cases based on customer specifications, ensuring all product functionality and performance meet contractual obligations. 

• Use commercial data analysis software to process, analyze, and visualize test data, providing detailed and actionable insights to both customers and internal teams. 

• Prepare and present test reports, highlighting key findings and ensuring that customers are kept informed of progress and results. 

• Identify, document, and address any discrepancies between product performance and customer expectations, providing clear feedback to both customers, sales, and engineering teams. 

• Perform root cause analysis on any issues that arise during testing, offering solutions and recommendations to improve product quality and meet customer requirements. 

• Develop automated testing procedures to improve efficiency and accuracy in fulfilling customer contracts. 

• Maintain a high level of communication with customers, ensuring they are kept up to date on testing progress and any potential issues. 

• Ensure compliance with all customer requirements, industry standards, and regulatory guidelines as outlined in contracts. 

• Monitor and track key test metrics, ensuring all contract deliverables are met in a timely and accurate manner. 

• Maintain thorough documentation of test activities, including test cases, procedures, and results, ensuring traceability to customer contracts. 

Required Qualifications: 

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Physics, or a related field. 

• Proven experience in test engineering with a focus on customer contracts and data analysis. 

• Proficiency in Python and MATLAB or similar software for data processing, analysis, and visualization. 

• Ability to understand and translate customer requirements into detailed test plans and cases. 

• Experience working directly with customers to ensure product meets contractual specifications. 

• Familiarity with automated testing tools and scripting languages (e.g., Python). 

• Hands-on experience with semiconductors or semiconductor processes. 

• Hands-on experience with material property test equipment such as AFM, XRD, SEM, and other similar industry standard methods 

• Strong problem-solving and analytical skills, particularly in the context of meeting customer needs. 

• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to translate complex technical data into clear, customer-friendly reports and presentations. 

• Detail-oriented with the ability to manage multiple customer contracts and deliverables simultaneously. 

• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, customer-focused environment. 

Preferred Qualifications: 

• Experience in contract management or working in customer-facing roles within a technical context. 

• Familiarity with test management tools (e.g., Jira) and version control systems (e.g., Git). 

• Knowledge of industry-specific standards and customer-specific compliance requirements (e.g., ISO, regulatory certifications). 

• Familiarity with optics and lasers and/or thermal engineering. 

• Basic understanding of semiconductors and materials science. 

What we can offer you 

At Laser Thermal, we lead with Respect, Kindness, Competence, and Passion.  Here you’ll have the opportunity to: 

• Build something that has never been done before 

• Grow your career as part of a dynamic startup 

• Define your professional goals and be supported in reaching them 

• Learn about cutting-edge optical metrology technologies 

• Facilitate a supportive, collaborative, and science-loving culture 

Laser Thermal Benefits

• Health care plan (medical, dental, and vision) with FSA and HSA options 

• Retirement plan with company contribution, 401(k) 

• Basic life Insurance 

• Long-term Disability 

• Company stock option plan 

• Paid time off (vacation, sick) 

• 13 paid holidays 

• Parental leave 

• Health and wellness subsidy 

Applicants must be authorized to work for any employer in the U.S. We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment Visa at this time. 

Laser Thermal Analysis, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer. We prohibit discrimination and harassment of any kind based on race, color, sex, age, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, ethnic origin, disability, status as a protected veteran, genetic information, pregnancy, or any other protected characteristic as outlined by federal, state, and or local laws. 

This policy applies to all employment practices including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training. 

As a federal contractor, Laser Thermal Analysis, Inc. is required toparticipate in the federal government's E-Verify program. The E-Verify process is completed in conjunction with a new hire's completion of the Form I-9 in order to confirm identity and work authorization in the United States.