Mission of the Role
This role performs hands-on inspection of precision optical components to ensure they meet customer, military, aerospace, and space requirements before being used in mission-critical systems. With structured training and close mentorship, you will build strong skills in optical inspection, metrology, and disciplined documentation. The work you do directly protects product quality and supports Clear Align’s mission to help customers see clearly and act decisively in high-consequence environments.
Essential Duties & Responsibilities
In Your First Year You Will (What Success Looks Like)
0–90 Days — Training, Foundations & Hands-On Learning
• Complete structured onboarding and hands-on training covering advanced optical products, customer specifications, and AS9100 and ISO 9000 quality standards.
• Learn optical terminology, inspection methods, and metrology basics through guided work alongside experienced inspectors.
• Perform supervised inspection of optical components, developing confidence handling sensitive optics and precision tools.
• Apply customer and military specifications—including scratch-dig and basic optical performance criteria—with coaching and feedback.
• Accurately record measurements, inspection results, and observations in quality systems, meeting documentation and traceability requirements.
By 2 Months — Independent Inspection & Growing Confidence
• Independently inspect optical components to commercial, military, and aerospace specifications with limited oversight.
By 3 Months — Independent Inspection & Growing Confidence
• Verify optical performance through cleaning, testing, and measurement using interferometers, profilometers, and other precision metrology tools.
• Identify nonconformances, anomalies, or risks and clearly communicate findings to quality, engineering, or manufacturing teams.
• Strong understanding of capability and limitations of interferometers, Talisuft surface roughness scans and Luphoscan laser scan technology.
• Demonstrated steady technical growth, consistency, and good inspection judgment trusted by the team and not questioned.
By 12 Months — Quality Ownership & Team Contribution
• Perform First Article Inspections (FAI) and complete clear, accurate, audit-ready inspection reports with word and excel.
• Take ownership of inspection quality, ensuring optical components consistently meet customer and regulatory requirements.
• Review inspection data to recognize trends, recurring issues, and opportunities for improvement providing feedback to optical fabrication team.
• Work with manufacturing and engineering to support root-cause analysis and reduce defects or rework.
• Be trusted for accurate measurements, clear reports, and sound technical judgment during audits and program reviews.
• Contribute to a strong inspection culture by sharing knowledge and best practices with teammates.
How You Know You Are Winning
• Manufacturing and engineering teams trust your inspection results and feedback.
• Inspection results are consistent, repeatable, and stand up to audits and customer review.
• First Article and inspection reports are completed on time and accepted without rework or rewrites.
• Potential quality issues are identified early, reducing downstream problems.
Who You Are (Core Strengths & Competencies)
• Ownership mindset and pride in producing high-quality work.
• Willingness to learn, accept feedback, and build technical inspection skills through training.
• Experienced in handling optics and an understanding of how to safely handle optical components
• Strong attention to detail and respect for precision work.
• Ability to visualize parts in three dimensions and understand how small defects can impact system performance.
Position Requirements
Required Qualifications
• Hands-on experience handling optics, precision components, or working in a clean or controlled manufacturing environment.
• Ability to follow procedures, interpret drawings or specifications, and document results accurately (advanced training provided).
• Clear written and verbal communication skills as well as strong computer literacy in excel and word.
Preferred Extras
• Basic optical inspection experience including scratch dig inspection, interferometric measurements and Tali surf roughness measurements.
• Experience supporting aerospace or defense programs and familiarity with AS9100 standards.
• Exposure to customer or regulatory audits.
• Experience with advanced optical inspection or metrology equipment.
Why Clear Align
At Clear Align, quality directly impacts mission success. This role offers hands-on experience with advanced optical systems and the opportunity to build deep technical skills alongside experienced professionals.
Clear Align designs and manufactures advanced Electro-Optical and Infrared (EO/IR) systems used in border surveillance, counter-UAS, ground vehicles, airborne ISR, and space applications. Our systems combine precision optics, advanced electronics, and AI-enabled analytics to perform in demanding, real-world environments.
We operate with a rare level of vertical integration, including in-house optical fabrication, coatings, opto-mechanical assembly, sensor integration, video processing, and AI-enabled target recognition. Our market-leading MWIR thermal imaging cameras are deployed across a wide range of platforms and are custom-integrated with customer command-and-control systems.
Clear Align is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to diversity, inclusion, professional growth, and technical excellence.