---
title: 'Supplier Development Engineer at Mesh Optical Technologies'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/supplier-development-engineer-mesh-optical-technologies-gardena-rz608565swfd'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-09-09'
---

# Supplier Development Engineer at Mesh Optical Technologies

- **Company:** Mesh Optical Technologies
- **Location:** Gardena, CA
- **Posted:** 2026-02-17
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-09
- **Apply:** https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/meshopticaltechnologies/jobs/4134605009

## Job description

## SUPPLIER DEVELOPMENT ENGINEER

Mesh Optical Technologies was founded on the belief that optical photons will be at the center of advanced technologies in the coming century. Making advanced technology ubiquitous means building at scale, and that’s exactly what we’re doing at Mesh.

We are seeking a Supplier Development Engineer to build the supply chain that makes this possible: finding, qualifying, and developing suppliers who can produce hardware at sub-micron tolerances and high-volume scale. You will work at the boundary between our engineering teams and our supply base, turning demanding internal specifications into capable, repeatable external manufacturing processes.

## RESPONSIBILITIES:

- Identify, evaluate, and onboard new suppliers, processes, and equipment capable of manufacturing precision photonic and electro-mechanical hardware at scale
- Develop and manage a supplier ecosystem for precision optics, photonic components, coatings, ultrafast interconnects, and micro-mechanical assemblies
- Lead supplier qualification activities, including process capability assessment, first-article inspection, and production readiness reviews for components with sub-micron tolerances and demanding environmental requirements
- Define and implement incoming quality requirements, in-line inspection methods, and supplier process controls; develop supplier guidelines, specifications, and reference documentation
- Lead supplier-side root-cause analysis and corrective action for quality, yield, and reliability issues, driving improvements that directly impact product performance
- Co-develop new manufacturing processes with suppliers for challenging components and assemblies, translating internal design intent into producible supplier workflows
- Partner with mechanical, optical, process, and manufacturing engineering teams to ensure supplier capabilities align with product requirements and production ramp timelines
- Track and report supplier performance metrics (quality, delivery, yield, responsiveness) and drive accountability against targets
- Support supplier capacity planning and production ramp execution for new product introductions

## QUALIFICATIONS:

- Bachelor's or Master's degree in engineering, physics, or a related discipline
- Strong fundamentals in mechanical engineering, manufacturing processes, or semiconductor/photonic fabrication
- Experience working with external suppliers or contract manufacturers in a technical capacity, or demonstrated strong aptitude and motivation to develop supplier management skills
- Ability to read and interpret engineering drawings, including GD&T
- Strong communication and problem-solving skills, with comfort working across organizational boundaries
- Willingness to work extended hours and weekends as needed
- Willingness to travel to supplier sites as needed

## PREFERRED EXPERIENCE:

- Process engineering or mechanical engineering experience in a production or manufacturing environment
- Experience in high-volume production environments, including supplier qualification and production ramp
- GD&T proficiency, including experience defining tolerances and inspection requirements for precision components
- Experience with supplier quality tools and methodologies (e.g., PPAP, FMEA, 8D, SPC, process capability studies)
- Background in optics, photonics, semiconductor, or precision manufacturing supply chains
- Experience with incoming inspection methods, metrology equipment, or quality management systems
- Familiarity with sourcing and procurement processes, including RFQ development and supplier negotiation

## COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS:

Pay range: Supplier Development Engineer: $110,000.00 - $150,000.00/per year

Title and base salary are determined on a case by case basis commensurate with experience and merit.

In addition to base salary, compensation for this role includes:

- Eligibility for long-term incentives including company stock options and discretionary bonuses awarded for exceptional achievements.
- Comprehensive medical, vision, and dental insurance with significant cost covered by the company for yourself and dependents.
- Paid parental leave and flexible PTO (3 weeks accrued vacation and 10 company holidays per year).
- 401(k) retirement plan access.
- Relocation assistance to sunny Los Angeles.

## About Mesh Optical Technologies

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Mesh Optical Technologies designs and manufactures advanced optical systems at scale, targeting hyperscale computing and AI infrastructure.
- **Entity Type**: Private (Series A - $50M led by Thrive Capital, as of February 2026)
- **Headquarters**: Los Angeles, California, United States
- **Founded**: Not publicly available
- **Founders**: Travis Brashears (Co-Founder & CEO), Cameron Ramos (Co-Founder & President)

## Core Business
- **Primary industry**: Computer Hardware Manufacturing / Advanced Optics / Photonics
- **Target customers**: B2B – hyperscale data centers, AI compute clusters, and space-based optical communications
- **Mission or purpose**: "Advance the state of the art in optical manufacturing, closing a critical supply chain gap in hyperscale computing, and building the next generation of optical hardware on Earth and in space."

## Products & Services
- **Alpha C1 optical transceiver**: A 1.6 Terabits per second optical transceiver that linearly translates electrical signals to light. Designed for AI workloads and power-constrained data centers, it delivers better power efficiency, lower latency, and higher reliability. Its optical engine is manufactured entirely with flip chip die bonding – the same technology used to package chips in modern processors – enabling high-volume production.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not disclosed
- **Key Metric**: Total funding of $50M (Series A, February 2026)
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: Thrive Capital (lead), plus two other major investors (names not specified)
- **Growth Signals**: 11 employees with 29 open job postings; 20% monthly headcount growth; team includes alumni from SpaceX, Intel, Apple, Helion, and other advanced manufacturing environments

## Competitive Advantages
- **Integrated design & manufacturing**: Unlike most photonics companies that treat manufacturing as a downstream exercise, Mesh designs and builds its own factories, closing the feedback loop between device physics, packaging, yield, and automation.
- **Flip chip die bonding**: The Alpha C1 uses a proven, high-volume chip-packaging technique, allowing rapid scaling to millions of units per year – a major departure from the manual, low-volume assembly typical of US optical manufacturing.

## Strategic Focus
- Scale production of the Alpha C1 transceiver to meet demand from AI clusters.
- Develop new high-volume optical manufacturing techniques for terrestrial and in-space infrastructure (laser links, deep space probes).
- Continue to hire across engineering, operations, and manufacturing to expand its Los Angeles-based factory and R&D capabilities.

## Why Work Here
- **Engineering culture**: "Build your own factory" – the team believes in engineering to the limit of physics and writing software that maximizes hardware capability.
- **Impact**: Opportunity to close a critical supply chain gap in US optical manufacturing and shape the next generation of computing infrastructure.
- **Work environment**: On-site in Los Angeles (two offices in the area); highly technical team with deep expertise from SpaceX, Intel, Apple, and other hardware leaders.
- **Growth**: Rapidly scaling startup with 29 open roles across electrical, mechanical, process, and manufacturing engineering, as well as operations and recruiting.

## Sources
1. [meshoptical.com](https://www.meshoptical.com/)
2. [meshoptical.com/blog](https://www.meshoptical.com/blog/introducing-mesh)
3. [linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/company/meshoptical)
4. [meshoptical.com/process](https://www.meshoptical.com/process)
5. [meshoptical.com/careers](https://www.meshoptical.com/careers-new)

## Other roles at Mesh Optical Technologies

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- [Shipping & Receiving Specialist](https://feeny.ai/job/shipping-receiving-specialist-mesh-optical-technologies-gardena-mxyry7wn5cyb) — Gardena, CA
- [Software Integration & Test Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/software-integration-test-engineer-mesh-optical-technologies-gardena-x7fgq7eddpvj) — Gardena, CA
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