Sandia Optical
Open role · Full-time · Albuquerque, NM

Molding Operator

Run all-electric optical injection molding presses to the documented process window — and keep the lot-traceability and first-article record clean for every shift.

Responsibilities

What you'll own

  • Operate all-electric injection molding presses on documented optical process windows; perform startup, mid-shift checks, and shutdown per work instructions.
  • Pull first-article and in-process samples on the published cadence; route to metrology and document results.
  • Handle parts to the cosmetic and contamination standard the program requires — gloves, lint discipline, and approved part-handling fixtures.
  • Log lot, cavity, and resin traceability for every cycle; flag deviations to the process technician before they propagate.
  • Keep the cell clean, organized, and ready for audit — internal, customer, and certification.
Requirements

What we're looking for

  • One or more years operating injection molding presses, or comparable precision-manufacturing operator experience.
  • Comfortable on rotating shifts and with overtime during program ramps.
  • Ability to follow work instructions exactly and to escalate when conditions drift from documented set points.
  • Steady hands and the discipline to keep part-handling clean even on hour eleven of a shift.
Nice to have

Useful, not required

  • Prior optical, medical-device, or cleanroom-adjacent molding experience.
More about the role

Context

About the role

The process tech sets the window; the operator keeps the window. You’ll run the press to the documented set points, pull samples on cadence, and keep traceability tight. Defect signatures you spot first get caught before they reach metrology — which is exactly the failure mode Sandia is built to prevent.

How to apply

Send a short note and resume to the address linked above. Tell us one shift where you caught a process drift before metrology did, and what you did about it.

Other open roles at Sandia

Browse the full list or send a general note if your background fits a discipline we run in-house.

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