Manufacturing Process Engineer

Job Title: Senior Laser Welding Manufacturing Process Engineer Job Description
This role serves as the laser welding subject matter expert supporting next-generation robotic surgical instruments at an advanced manufacturing campus in Colorado. You will partner closely with R&D and manufacturing teams to develop, validate, and scale laser welding processes from initial product concept through commercial production. The position offers significant ownership of equipment and process development, direct influence on product design before manufacturing release, and exposure to cutting-edge laser processing and advanced manufacturing technologies within a regulated medical device environment.
Responsibilities
- Lead the development, optimization, validation, and transfer of laser welding processes from R&D into full-scale manufacturing.
- Specify new laser welding systems and related equipment, including defining requirements, partnering with OEM vendors, and supporting factory acceptance tests (FATs), installation, and implementation.
- Collaborate with R&D teams on material selection, weld geometry, failure analysis, and metallurgical considerations to ensure strong and reliable weld joints that meet product performance and reliability requirements.
- Develop robust welding parameters using Design of Experiments (DOE) and statistical techniques to establish stable, production-ready processes.
- Plan and execute process validations, including IQ (Installation Qualification), OQ (Operational Qualification), and PQ (Performance Qualification), in alignment with quality system requirements.
- Support risk analysis activities related to welding processes and equipment, contributing to hazard assessments and mitigation strategies.
- Serve as a technical resource and subject matter expert on laser safety requirements, ensuring appropriate safety controls and procedures are implemented and maintained.
- Execute equipment qualification and test method validation for laser welding and associated inspection processes.
- Develop inspection methodologies and criteria for welded components, including integration of vision inspection systems where applicable.
- Troubleshoot weld performance issues and drive root cause analysis and corrective actions to improve quality and reliability.
- Drive technology transfers of laser welding processes into production, ensuring smooth handoff from development to manufacturing operations.
- Work closely with cross-functional partners in R&D, product development, operations, and quality to support new product introductions and continuous improvement initiatives.
- Maintain documentation and validation records in accordance with medical device quality systems and regulatory expectations.
- Support automation integration efforts related to laser welding and inspection processes to enhance throughput and consistency.
- Champion advanced manufacturing practices and contribute to continuous improvement in welding processes, equipment utilization, and production efficiency.
Essential Skills
- Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Materials Science, Manufacturing Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Welding Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
- Minimum of 4 years of relevant experience with a Bachelor's degree, or 2+ years of relevant experience with a Master's degree, or a PhD with relevant experience.
- Hands-on experience in laser welding process development, including parameter optimization and performance troubleshooting.
- Experience working with industrial laser welding equipment in a production or pilot manufacturing environment.
- Strong understanding of welding metallurgy and materials joining principles, including failure modes and metallurgical analysis.
- Demonstrated manufacturing process development experience, particularly in developing and scaling new welding processes.
- Proficiency with Design of Experiments (DOE) and statistical techniques for process optimization and characterization.
- Direct experience with process validation activities, including IQ, OQ, and PQ for equipment and processes.
- Laser safety expertise, including knowledge of laser safety standards and implementation of safe operating practices.
- Ability to develop and optimize laser welding processes that meet stringent product and regulatory requirements.
- Ability to troubleshoot weld performance issues and drive systematic root cause analysis and corrective actions.
- Ability to support equipment qualification and process validation within a regulated manufacturing environment.
- Ability to work onsite within a manufacturing environment and collaborate closely with cross-functional engineering and operations teams.
- Experience supporting regulated manufacturing environments, preferably in industries with formal quality systems and validation requirements.
Additional Skills & Qualifications
- Master's degree or PhD in a relevant engineering or materials discipline.
- Experience taking welding processes from development into full production, including technology transfer and scale-up.
- Resistance welding experience in a manufacturing or development setting.
- Ultrasonic welding experience for joining metals or polymers.
- Laser marking experience, including equipment selection and process optimization.
- Experience developing and implementing vision inspection systems for weld quality assessment.
- Medical device manufacturing experience, including familiarity with medical device quality systems and regulatory expectations.
- Six Sigma certification, with demonstrated application of statistical tools to process improvement.
- Lean Manufacturing certification or formal training in lean principles and continuous improvement.
- Design for Reliability (DfR) experience, contributing to robust product and process designs.
- Design for Manufacturing (DfM) experience, collaborating with design teams to ensure manufacturability of welded assemblies.
- Failure analysis experience, including metallurgical investigation and root cause determination for weld-related defects.
- Statistical process control (SPC) experience for monitoring and controlling welding processes in production.
- Automation integration experience, particularly related to laser welding cells and automated inspection systems.
- Demonstrated ownership of process development projects, from concept through validation and handoff to manufacturing.
Work Environment
This position is based onsite in Colorado at an advanced manufacturing facility, working approximately 40 hours per week. You will spend time in engineering lab settings and on the production manufacturing floor, with regular exposure to state-of-the-art laser welding equipment and robotic surgical instrument manufacturing processes. The role involves close cross-functional collaboration with R&D, product development, operations, and quality teams in a highly technical, innovation-driven environment. Work is performed within established medical device quality systems, with a strong emphasis on validation, documentation, and compliance. Laser safety protocols and manufacturing floor personal protective equipment (PPE) requirements apply, and adherence to all safety and compliance standards is expected.
Job Type & Location
This is a Contract position based out of Lafayette, CO.
Pay and Benefits
The pay range for this position is $55.00 - $70.00/hr. Individual compensation offered for this position within this range will depend on many factors, including qualifications, skills, relevant experience, job knowledge, geographic location, internal equity, and other pertinent job-related factors. Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job
classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be
subject to specific elections, plan, or program terms. If eligible, the benefits
available for this temporary role may include the following:

Medical, dental & vision
Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital
401(k) Retirement Plan Pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions available
Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents)
Short and long-term disability
Health Spending Account (HSA)
Transportation benefits
Employee Assistance Program
Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave)
Job Type & Location
This is a Contract position based out of Lafayette, CO.
Application Deadline
This position is anticipated to close on Oct 26, 2026.
Workplace Type
This is a fully onsite position in Lafayette,CO. About Actalent

Actalent is a global leader in engineering and sciences services and talent solutions. We help visionary companies advance their engineering and science initiatives through access to specialized experts who drive scale, innovation and speed to market. With a network of almost 20,000 consultants and 5,000 clients across the U.S., Canada, Asia and Europe, Actalent serves many of the Fortune 500. We are proud to be an Engineering News-Record (ENR) Top 500 Design Firm for our engineering design services and a ClearlyRated Best of Staffing® winner for both client and talent service.

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Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, for all positions located in the
city and county of San Francisco, we will consider for employment qualified applicants
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It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a
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