Automation Engineering Manager
Location: Pine Brook, NJ | On-site
Employment Type: Full-TimeAbout Chiral Photonics
Chiral Photonics is a fast-growing photonics manufacturing company enabling next-generation optical connectivity. We specialize in high-precision fiber-optic components and assemblies that enable diverse applications ranging from advanced data center, AI, and communications infrastructure to biomedical instrumentation and directed energy.
About the Role:
Chiral Photonics is seeking an experienced Automation Engineering Manager to lead and strengthen our engineering team as we scale our manufacturing operations. This role is ideal for a hands-on engineering leader who combines strong manufacturing automation experience with people leadership and organizational discipline. The successful candidate will help drive automation across our manufacturing processes while building the structure, priorities, and accountability needed for a growing engineering organization. Experience in fiber optics or photonics is strongly preferred, but we are equally interested in candidates from technically adjacent precision-manufacturing industries with strong automation backgrounds, including both hardware and software elements. This role offers significant growth potential for a suitably qualified individual who is able to deliver automation results and demonstrate project management skills as the organization continues to scale.
Key Responsibilities:
Lead the design, development, implementation, and optimization of automated manufacturing equipment and processes.
Collaborate and help to develop and execute the manufacturing automation roadmap, identifying opportunities to improve throughput, quality, yield, scalability, and cost.
Lead, mentor, and develop the automation engineering team, establishing clear priorities, ownership, accountability, and operating structure.
Partner closely with Production, Operations, R&D, and Quality to solve technical challenges and transition new capabilities into production.
Establish effective engineering processes, project governance, prioritization, and performance management.
Build and develop engineering capabilities to support increasing production volumes and business growth.
Bring a scaling mindset, applying lessons from high-growth, startup, or automation-intensive manufacturing environments.
Balance hands-on technical problem-solving with effective team and project leadership.
Qualifications:- Demonstrated experience in design, execution and implementation of multidisciplined automation projects that include, for example, mechanical, electrical, optical, software components. Strong applicants will describe challenging implementation(s) with their individual contributions.
- Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Physics, or a related technical discipline.
- Strong experience in manufacturing automation, equipment development, controls, robotics, process automation, or related engineering disciplines.
- Demonstrated experience leading, mentoring, and developing engineering teams.
- Experience supporting a manufacturing organization through growth, scaling, or significant automation expansion.
- Strong project execution, problem-solving, and cross-functional leadership skills.
- Experience in fiber optics, photonics, optical manufacturing, semiconductor, medical device, electronics, or other precision manufacturing environments is highly desirable.
- Comfortable operating in a fast-paced environment where both technical leadership and organizational structure are critical.
- Who Will Thrive in This Role
- A hands-on leader and builder who can develop people, bring structure to an evolving engineering organization, drive automation from concept through production, and help build the engineering capabilities Chiral Photonics will need for its next stage of growth.
Compensation & Benefits:
We offer a competitive annual salary ranging from $150,000 to $200,000, commensurate with experience and qualifications. In addition to base pay, Chiral Photonics provides a comprehensive benefits package that includes health coverage, a 401(k) retirement plan, and paid time off (PTO) / vacation days.
