Process Assistant Jobs in Santa Cruz, CA (NOW HIRING)

Date: Jul 6, 2026

Location: California, CA, US Milpitas, CA, US, 95035 Sunnyvale, CA, US, 94089

Company: Corning

Requisition Number: 76212

The company built on breakthroughs.
Join us.

Corning is one of the world’s leading innovators in glass, ceramic, and materials science. From the depths of the ocean to the farthest reaches of space, our technologies push the boundaries of what’s possible.

How do we do this? With our people. They break through limitations and expectations– not once in a career, but every day. They help move our company,and the world, forward.

At Corning, there are endless possibilities for making an impact. You can help connect the unconnected, drive the future of automobiles, transform at-home entertainment, and ensure the delivery of lifesaving medicines. And so much more.

Come break through with us.

Corning’s businesses are ever-evolving to best serve our customers, industries, and consumers. Today, we accelerate and transform life sciences, mobile consumer electronics, optical communications, display, automotive, and solar markets. We are changing the world with:

• Trusted products that accelerate drug discovery, development, and delivery to save lives
• Damage-resistant cover glass to enhance the devices that keep us connected
• Optical fiber, wireless technologies, and connectivity solutions to carry information and ideas at the speed of light
• Precision glass for advanced displays to deliver richer experiences
• Auto glass and ceramics to drive cleaner, safer, and smarter transportation
• Solar polysilicon, wafers, and innovative photovoltaic modules, enabling low-cost solar energy solutions

Role Purpose

The Process Integrator is a senior technical leader embedded on-site with a strategic manufacturing partner’s operations team in San Jose, responsible for bridging process and equipment integration between Corning’s ribbon ceramic roll-to-roll technology capabilities and the partner’s production operations and scale-up needs. This role requires a minimum of 75% on-site presence throughout an approximately one-year assignment and operates at the intersection of day-to-day manufacturing operations and Corning’s Technology Community.

The integrator builds firsthand knowledge of tool performance, production challenges, and operating constraints, translating that learning into actionable insights that connect process behavior, equipment interactions, and medium- to high-volume manufacturing requirements back to Corning. The role emphasizes not only capturing insight, but prioritizing the highest-value learning, linking it to key program assumptions and scale-up criteria, and converting it into decisions, improvements, and manufacturing readiness.

The role also serves as a critical communication link between the partner and Corning—providing structured, clear updates on plans, progress, and emerging issues, while improving coordination and responsiveness between both organizations. The integrator acts as a systems thinker and enterprise connector, accelerating technology learning and enabling effective alignment across company boundaries.

Key Responsibilities

End-to-End Process Integration

• Define and document process and equipment interactions across the partner’s production operations, identifying interdependencies that affect throughput, quality, and scale-up performance
• Integrate operational observations into a coherent system-level view of process behavior, including equipment performance, thermal process variables, and roll-to-roll dynamics
• Translate observations into structured learning objectives tied to key assumptions, risks, and scale-up criteria
• Ensure that insights drive system-level optimization across cost, quality, and throughput

Technology Delivery & Scale-Up

• Lead integration efforts across current production operations, scale-up learning milestones, and manufacturing readiness targets
• Ensure critical assumptions are tested, resolved, and incorporated into scale-up decisions and planning
• Prioritize efforts on highest-impact learning opportunities and integration risks that affect program progression
• Anticipate and resolve integration risks, including equipment commissioning challenges, process variability, and operating constraint gaps

Cross-Functional Alignment & Governance

• Serve as the primary connector between the partner’s operations team and Corning’s R&D, engineering, and manufacturing leadership
• Establish clear communication cadences, escalation paths, and update frameworks to improve coordination across organizations
• Frame and drive cross-organizational decisions by clearly articulating tradeoffs, risks, and implications of production learning
• Proactively elevate issues that materially impact program progress, manufacturing readiness, or partner alignment
• Translate partner operational realities into actionable context for Corning teams to support aligned decision-making

Process Optimization & Continuous Improvement

• Identify and drive opportunities to increase efficiency, reduce waste, and improve process performance within the partner’s production operations
• Apply structured improvement methodologies to accelerate learning cycles and stabilize operations
• Support development and standardization of operating practices, process controls, and best practices
• Ensure insights result in implemented changes to process, equipment, or operating strategy, not just analysis

System-Level Problem Solving

• Diagnose complex technical challenges arising from equipment commissioning, tool performance, and process–equipment interactions
• Lead structured root cause analysis and drive resolution through coordinated, cross-capability solutions
• Ensure learnings are captured, generalized, and linked to broader system behavior, key assumptions, and future scale-up decisions

Experiences/Education - Required

• BS in Engineering, Materials Science or related discipline; advanced degree a plus
• Minimum 5 years of experience in process engineering, manufacturing engineering, process integration, or scale-up
• Experience in advanced manufacturing, pilot production, or high-volume operations
• Strong background in process/equipment interaction, yield improvement, and manufacturing problem solving
• Proven root cause analysis and continuous improvement experience
• Ability to lead cross-functional technical efforts and influence across organizations
• Strong communication skills and ability to work effectively with external partners
• Ability to be on-site in San Jose, CA. at least 75% of the time during the assignment
• Experience with roll-to-roll manufacturing, thermal processing, or continuous manufacturing systems
• Experience with ceramics, advanced materials, or related material processing technologies
• Background in equipment commissioning, process qualification, and manufacturing startup
• Knowledge of SPC, DOE, FMEA, process capability, and structured improvement methods
• Experience with technology transfer from R&D to manufacturing
• Strong systems thinking and ability to translate operational learning into scale-up decisions
• Experience working with external manufacturing partners in a matrixed environment

This position does not support immigration sponsorship.

The range for this position is $114,457.00-$157,379.00 assuming full time status. Starting pay for the successful applicant is dependent on a variety of job-related factors, including but not limited to geographic location, market demands, experience, training, and education.

A job that shapes a life.

Corning offers you the total package.

Your well-being is our priority. Our compensation and benefits package supports your health and wellness, financial aspirations, and career from day one.

• Company-wide bonuses and long-term incentives align with key business results and ensure you are rewarded when the company performs well. When Corning wins, we all win.
• As part of our commitment to your financial well-being, we provide a 100% company-paid pension benefit with fixed contributions that grow throughout your career. Combined with matching contributions to your 401(k) savings plan, Corning’s total contributions to your retirement accounts can reach between 7% and 12% of your pay, depending on your age and years of service.
• Our health and well-being benefits include medical, dental, vision, paid parental leave, family building support, fitness, company-paid life insurance, disability, disease management programs, paid time off, and an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) to support you and your family.
• Getting paid for our work is important, but feeling appreciated and recognized for those contributions motivates us much more. That’s why Corning offers a recognition program to celebrate successes and reward colleagues who make exceptional contributions.

We prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, gender, age, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, veteran status, or any other legally protected status.

Corning is committed to providing equal employment opportunities and considers requests for reasonable accommodations in accordance with applicable laws. Individuals with disabilities or sincerely held religious beliefs may request reasonable accommodations to participate in the application or interview process, perform essential job functions, or access other benefits and privileges of employment. To submit a request for reasonable accommodation related to disability or religion, please contact us at accommodations@corning.com .