Manufacturing Technician - 1st shift
Coherent · Budd Lake, NJ
- Level
- Technician
- Team
- Manufacturing
- Experience asked
- 5+ years
- Industry
- Industrial
- Posted
- 15 days ago
The role in 30 seconds
A technician-level manufacturing role at Coherent (industrial) in Budd Lake, NJ. A ccountability – Own the Process and the Outcome.
- They ask for
- 5+ years
- Tools it names
- Root cause, Painting / coating, Tooling, EHS / safety
Read from the posting. The full description is below.
From the plant jobs report · week of November 2, 2026
Manufacturing Technician roles in New Jersey: typical posted base $80k–$130k.
Median of the low and high ends of 3 live postings that list pay, out of 13 manufacturing technician openings in New Jersey, read from manufacturers' own careers sites.
New Jersey plant jobs report →Pay by team and state →What moves pay →
How this role compares
Against 13 other live manufacturing postings in New Jersey.
- Base pay
- Not listed in this posting
- Experience asked
- Typical (5+ years)
Typical $80k–$106k, from 5 postings that list pay.
Similar roles usually ask 5+ years.
Skills these teams ask for most
- Team leadership 50%
- ✓ Tooling 50%
- ✓ Root cause 36%
- ✓ EHS / safety 36%
- ✓ Painting / coating 29%
- Machining 29%
✓ = this posting asks for it too. % = share of similar postings that mention it.
At a glance
Pulled from the posting text. If it's not listed here, the posting didn't say.
How to get in at this plant
Five moves over a week or two. The first one takes ten minutes.
- 1
Pick 2–3 people on the Manufacturing team at Coherent
We found 2 people at this company and state: 1 in this kind of role, 1 leaders. Engineers who joined in the last year or two reply the most. See them ↓
- 2
Send a short, curious note
One real question about their work. No favors yet. Each person gets a different note, written for this role.
Write to Ryan → (free) - 3
Turn a reply into a short call
Questions worth asking about this team:
- What does a normal week look like on your team?
- Is the work mostly new product launches or sustaining existing lines?
- How much time do you spend on the floor versus at a desk?
- How did you land the job? What stood out in your interviews?
- 4
Apply with someone vouching for you
If the call went well, ask whether they’d pass your résumé to the hiring manager. Send your résumé link, apply that day, and let them know.
- 5
Bring proof to the interview
One page of before-and-after numbers from projects you led: scrap, OEE, cycle time, cost. Plant managers hire on results.
This plant: Coherent in Budd Lake
7 other open roles at this site · 2 people we found in manufacturing roles at Coherent.
- Manufacturing Technician - 2nd Shift · Manufacturing · Technician
- Subject Matter Expert (Manufacturing Engineer) - Optics Polishing · Manufacturing
- Manufacturing Engineer - Crystal Growth Operations · Production
- Manufacturing Technician- Crystal Growth · Manufacturing · Technician
- Systems / Equipment Engineer - Optical Coating Systems · Manufacturing
- Manufacturing Technician / Coating Department · Manufacturing · Technician
Full description from CoherentAs posted on their careers site.ShowHide
Responsibilities
- ◆Crystal Fabrication: Saw, core, grind, drill, shape, lap, and dimension optical crystals using precision equipment, tooling, and fixtures.
- ◆Crystal Polishing: Prepare polishing tools and slurries; polish crystals to meet specified dimensions, surface finish, flatness, parallelism, radius, and optical quality.
- ◆Thin-Film Coating: Clean and fixture components; verify part numbers and coating recipes; operate coating equipment and optical monitoring systems; perform post-coating inspection and testing.
- ◆Optical Inspection: Perform visual, dimensional, surface-quality, spectral, adhesion, and other required inspections using microscopes, gauges, interferometers, spectrometers, and related equipment.
- ◆Optical Assembly: Assemble crystals and components into optical isolators, modulators, and related photonic products, including cleaning, bonding, soldering, alignment, and precision mechanical assembly.
- ◆Documentation and Quality: Complete travelers, inspection records, and electronic manufacturing records accurately; identify and report defects, nonconformances, and process deviations.
- ◆Equipment and Process Control: Perform equipment setup, routine checks, basic troubleshooting, preventive maintenance, and process adjustments within authorized limits.
- ◆Safety and Cleanroom Compliance: Follow cleanroom, ESD, laser-safety, chemical-handling, contamination-control, and all applicable environmental, health, and safety requirements.
- ◆Team Collaboration and Improvement: Support engineering builds, new product introduction, process qualification, root-cause investigations, training, and continuous-improvement activities while meeting production, quality, yield, and schedule requirements.
Education & Experience
- ✓High School Diploma required.
- ✓5 years' experience in complex high mix environment.
Requirements
- ✓Ability to stand for prolonged period in production environment
- ✓Ability to lift and move up to 40 lbs occasionally material/equipment on manufacturing floor
- ✓Adhere to all safety
requirements
for the job task including but not limited to safety shoes, fire retardant suites, full face respirators and Hot Work PPEs for handling molten material in furnace.
- ✓Sitting for extended periods while working on a computer or in meetings.
- ✓Use of hands and fingers for typing, writing, and handling documents.
Safety
Requirements
All employees are required to follow the site EHS procedures and Coherent Corp. Corporate EHS standards.
Quality and Environmental
Responsibilities
Depending on location, this position may be responsible for the execution and maintenance of the ISO 9000, 9001, 14001 and/or other applicable standards that may apply to the relevant roles and
responsibilities
within the Quality Management System and Environmental Management System.
Culture Commitment
Ensure adherence to company’s values (ICARE) in all aspects of your position at Coherent Corp.:
I ntegrity – Create an Environment of Trust
C ollaboration – Innovate Through the Sharing of Ideas
A ccountability – Own the Process and the Outcome
R espect – Recognize the Value in Everyone
E nthusiasm – Find a Sense of Purpose in Work
Coherent is a global leader in lasers, engineered materials and networking components. We are a vertically integrated manufacturing company that develops innovative products for diversified applications in the industrial, optical communications, military, life sciences, semiconductor equipment, and consumer markets. Coherent provides a comprehensive career development platform within an environment that challenges employees to perform at their best, while rewarding excellence and hard-work through a competitive compensation program. It's an exciting opportunity to work for a company that offers stability, longevity and growth. Come Join Us!
Note to recruiters and employment agencies: We will not pay for unsolicited resumes from recruiters and employment agencies unless we have a signed agreement and have required assistance, in writing, for a specific opening.
Show full description ↓Show less ↑
Job Summary: We are seeking an experienced Manufacturing Technician to join our Operations group in Budd Lake, NJ. This role involves operating manual and automated grinding, lapping, and polishing equipment to fabricate and finish optical crystals and components. The technician will set up equipment, fixture parts, prepare tooling and abrasives, perform inspections and measurements, document results, and follow established safety and quality procedures.
Skills
- •Strong mechanical aptitude and troubleshooting skills for automated equipment.
Working Conditions
- •This role will be based 100% on-site in Budd Lake, NJ
- •Regular use of a computer and other office equipment is necessary.
- •Regular use of equipment and machinery in an industrial environment.
Physical
