Optical Lab Technician — Entry Level
Location: Elko, Nevada Employment Type: Full-Time Reports To: Lab Manager
Read This Before Applying
No prior optical experience is required — we will train you on the equipment, the software, and the optics itself. What we won't train is attention to detail, patience, and work ethic.
This is a precision job that requires attention to detail, high expectations, and strict deadlines. If the idea of learning a genuinely technical craft and doing it precisely, every time, sounds satisfying rather than tedious, keep reading.
We would rather leave this position open for months than rush a hire.
What You'll Actually Be Doing
You'll start with fundamentals and build up — but the ceiling on this role is high, and how fast you climb it is largely up to you.
- Learning to operate surfacing, edging, and coating equipment to cut and finish spectacle lenses to precise shape, curvature, and axis specifications
- Learning to read prescriptions and understand how sphere, cylinder, axis, and add power translate into a finished lens
- Selecting lens blanks and materials under guidance, working toward doing this independently
- Learning our lab management software and how to track jobs accurately from order to finished product
- Performing quality control inspection on finished lenses using lensmeters and manual verification against Rx and frame specs, once trained
- Assisting with equipment maintenance and calibration
- Keeping accurate, honest records — including flagging your own mistakes, not just the ones we catch
Minimum Qualifications — Non-Negotiable
- High school diploma or equivalent
- Demonstrated manual dexterity and attention to detail — you will be doing fine detail work for extended periods.
- Comfort with precision measurement tools — no prior experience needed, but you should be the kind of person who double-checks a number instead of eyeballing.
- Ability to stand for extended shifts and work with small parts, chemicals (lens coatings, cleaning solvents), and machinery safely
- Basic computer literacy — comfortable learning new software
- A genuinely low tolerance for shortcuts. If a job doesn't meet spec, you scrap it and redo it — every time, no exceptions. We can teach the craft; we can't teach this
- Reliability. This job runs on a schedule other people depend on — dispensing staff, patients waiting on glasses, other techs downstream in the process
What Will Set You Apart
- Any hands-on hobby or work history involving precision, small parts, or fine motor skill (jewelry making, model building, sewing, machining, musical instrument repair, etc.)
- Basic familiarity with computers/software beyond the basics (spreadsheets, inventory systems, anything requiring you to learn an interface quickly)
- Any exposure to math/geometry you're comfortable with — angles and curvature come up constantly
- A steady work history, even outside this field, showing up on time and following through
The Screening Process
Because we're hiring for precision and judgment, not just a resume:
- Application review — we're looking for specifics, not generic phrases like "hard worker" and "fast learner." Give us an actual example of a time your attention to detail mattered.
- In-person interview — a short conversation to see how you think and communicate, not a test of optical knowledge you're not expected to have yet.
- Work history — we'll ask about reliability, coachability, and how you respond when someone points out a mistake.
If any part of that process makes you uncomfortable, this probably isn't the right role for you — and that's a useful thing to know now rather than three weeks into the job.
Compensation & Schedule
Pay: $18-$20/hour, depending on experience
Schedule: 8-hour shifts, with real flexibility required — workload occasionally runs long, and shifts can stretch to 10–12 hours when the lab is backed up. If you need a hard, predictable clock-out time every single day, this isn't the right fit. If you can roll with a demanding day now and then, it won't be a problem.
How to Apply
Send a resume and a short written response (a few sentences is fine) describing a time your attention to detail or patience made a real difference in something you did — work, school, a hobby, anything. Generic cover letters will not be reviewed as carefully as this response.
Pay: $18.00 - $20.00 per hour
Work Location: In person
