Lead, Manufacturing Engineer
L3Harris · Rochester, NY
- Level
- Manager
- Team
- Manufacturing
- Base pay
- $102k–$189k
- Degree
- Required
- Experience asked
- 9+ years
- Industry
- Aerospace & defense
- Posted
- 2 days ago
The role in 30 seconds
A management manufacturing role at L3Harris (aerospace & defense) in Rochester, NY. Develop, optimize, and sustain fabrication processes for high-precision optical components, including grinding, loose-abrasive smoothing and polishing of optical materials such as fused silica, Zerodur, ULE, or SiC.
- They ask for
- 9+ years · degree required
- Tools it names
- Root cause, CNC, Machining, Tooling
- Base pay
- $102k–$189k
- Day to day
- some off-shift / weekend coverage
Read from the posting. The full description is below.
From the plant jobs report · week of November 2, 2026
Manufacturing Engineer roles in New York: typical posted base $86k–$125k. This one lists $102k–$189k.
Median of the low and high ends of 47 live postings that list pay, out of 85 manufacturing engineer openings in New York, read from manufacturers' own careers sites.
New York plant jobs report →Pay by team and state →What moves pay →
How this role compares
Against 84 other live manufacturing postings in New York.
- Base pay
- About 37% above similar roles
- Experience asked
- More than usual (9+ vs 5+)
Typical $86k–$125k, from 45 postings that list pay.
Similar roles usually ask 5+ years.
Skills these teams ask for most
- ✓ Tooling 45%
- ✓ Root cause 39%
- Lean 34%
- Automation 33%
- Team leadership 25%
- Cost reduction 22%
✓ = 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 L3Harris
We found 1 person at this company and state: 1 in this kind of role, plus 1 likely hiring manager. 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 does off-shift and weekend coverage work?
- 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: L3Harris in Rochester
12 other open roles at this site · 1 person we found in manufacturing roles at L3Harris.
- Engineering Technician B · Manufacturing
- Associate, Manufacturing Engineer · Manufacturing
- Sr Associate, Quality Engineer · Quality · Senior
- Engineering Technician C (2nd Shift) · Manufacturing
- Quality Technician B · Quality · Technician
- Engineering Technician D · Manufacturing
Full description from L3HarrisAs posted on their careers site.ShowHide
Essential Functions
- ◆Evaluate technical alternatives and communicate their impact on performance, cost, and schedule.
- ◆Prioritize tasks based on schedule
requirements
and process availability.
- ✓Translate complex technical
requirements
into clear, actionable guidance for engineers and shop-floor technicians.
- ✓Develop, optimize, and sustain fabrication processes for high-precision optical components, including grinding, loose-abrasive smoothing and polishing of optical materials such as fused silica, Zerodur, ULE, or SiC.
- ✓Support fabrication improvement projects that enhance yield, repeatability, throughput, and process capability.
- ✓Introduce new optical processes into manufacturing by creating process plans, selecting tooling, defining work holding methods, and establishing in-process inspection steps.
- ✓Establish and optimize blocking and deblocking processes for a range of optical geometries and materials, with consideration for alignment, bond integrity, thermal effects, removal forces, and risk of part damage during fabrication.
- ✓Apply structured problem-solving to diagnose fabrication issues using root-cause analysis, process data, operator feedback, and metrology results.
- ✓Partner with quality and metrology teams to verify product conformance and improve correlation between in-process measurements and final optical requirements.
- ✓Collaborate across engineering, manufacturing, quality, and planning to standardize best practices and implement process improvements.
Qualifications
- ✓Bachelor’s Degree and minimum 9 years of prior relevant experience. Graduate Degree and a minimum of 7 years of prior related experience. In lieu of a degree, minimum of 13 years of prior related experience.
- ✓Ability to obtain a Secret security clearance
Show full description ↓Show less ↑
L3Harris is dedicated to recruiting and developing high-performing talent who are passionate about what they do. Our employees are unified in a shared dedication to our customers’ mission and quest for professional growth. L3Harris provides an inclusive, engaging environment designed to empower employees and promote work-life success. Fundamental to our culture is an unwavering focus on values, dedication to our communities, and commitment to excellence in everything we do.
L3Harris is the Trusted Disruptor in defense tech. With customers’ mission-critical needs always in mind, our employees deliver end-to-end technology solutions connecting the space, air, land, sea and cyber domains in the interest of national security.
Job Title: Lead, Manufacturing Engineer (Precision Optics Process Engineer)
Job Location: Rochester, New York
Job Schedule: 5/8 (Monday-Friday)
Job Description
L3Harris’s Optics department in Rochester, NY, is seeking an experienced Process Engineer to support the production of high-quality optical components for cutting-edge astronomical, high-energy laser, and earth imaging applications. This role is for an Optical Process Engineer specializing in CNC-controlled deterministic grind, polish, and smoothing. This role will specialize in sub aperture deterministic finishing for optical fabrication. You will play a key role in developing and improving manufacturing processes used to produce mission-critical optical components. You’ll leverage your expertise in grinding and polishing to improve process consistency, product quality, and throughput across our optical fabrication work center. Be a part of a team that pioneers precision manufacturing in optical technologies.
Preferred Additional Skills
- +Have or the ability to obtain SSBI with Polygraph.
- +Able to support multiple projects in various stages of readiness.
- +Independently coordinate complex manufacturing and measurement activities.
- +Experience with large-aperture optics or other demanding precision components.
- +Experience resolving problems involving both fabrication and metrology.
- +Strong communicator, written and verbal communication skills within and outside of function.
- +Background in optics, precision machining, polishing, metrology, CNC, or process engineering.
- +Working knowledge of optical metrology methods including interferometry, profilometry, spherometer, thickness measurement, and cosmetic inspection.
- +Background in design for manufacturability for optical components.
- +Strong, specialized knowledge of optical fabrication consistent with Lead technical roles.
- +Requires strong knowledge of optics manufacturing.
Please be aware many of our position