What Makes People Truly Love Their Job?

What we do for work matters to our overall sense of contentment and well-being.  As humans, most of us spend a significant amount of our waking hours focused on our vocation.  Therefore, engaging in work that brings value and meaning to our lives not only brings us greater overall satisfaction in life, but we also tend to do our best work. At Gray Optics, we want people to not only “have” a job, but enjoy their work so they can be at their most productive and are enabled, engaged and energized.

In 2015, Duke University’s Behavioral Economics Researcher, Daniel Ariely, published a comprehensive study into the question, Why Do People Feel Good About Their Job? His research uncovered two factors that are present within any organization with a high level of employee engagement, efficacy, and job satisfaction: 

  • There is a clear and common purpose for the work – the work is more significant than itself, and it is leading towards something special
  • There is a strong sense of connection to others around that shared purpose

We understand that people do their best work and enjoy their work when built around these two essential facets. Our leadership embraces this mindset, and all team members contribute towards making this unique company culture.

 

OUR CULTURE

We are a performance-oriented team that embraces open and collaborative communication, emphasizing trust and authenticity.  Our teams and company grow not only through active team cohesion initiatives but also through our company’s focus and support of the professional career development of every individual. 

We know our best strategies arise from cross-organizational conversations rooted in mutual respect and shared leadership. Given this, our organizational culture prioritizes in-person interactions and robust connectivity with our remote employees and customers.  Additionally, our leaders relinquish a measure of control over organizational content, and all team members actively participate in organizational planning and messaging.  Self-discipline and accountability from top to bottom is the norm, with a particular focus on context of the on-the-ground dynamics, as well as the important role that authentic motivation and influence plays in responding to change happening around us.

Altogether, we pride ourselves in these focuses and efforts building a culture that works best for everyone.

 

OUR CORE VALUES

  • Fire in the Belly (passion and devotion)
  • All-in Engagement – Engaged, Energized, Enabled
  • Customer-Focus (customer is at the center of everything the company and its employees do)

 

DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION

We are committed to diversity and inclusivity. Our product development process relies on the collaboration of teammates with diverse talents, character, thoughts, experiences, and backgrounds to drive our success. This interdisciplinary exchange of knowledge and expertise must be comprehensive and seek contributions from all sources to ensure the most optimal outcomes.  

We strive to provide an atmosphere where everyone feels heard, valued, and respected, offering equitable personal and professional development opportunities.

 

LIVING AND WORKING IN PORTLAND 

Gray Optics is in beautiful Portland, Maine—an emerging commercial center of innovation and technology.   In 2020, the US Department of Commerce named Portland as the site of its “Bioscience Cluster” initiative and are currently implementing a 10-year economic development plan to create “hubs of excellence,” and a culture of entrepreneurship in bioscience innovators such as Gray Optics.  Our headquarters is an open, vibrant environment, with a large laboratory and state-of-the-art optical assembly and metrology equipment. The city of Portland is located directly on the Atlantic Ocean, with a metro population of over a half million residents.  Our teammates take advantage of the natural resources in the area, including countless beaches, the Appalachian Mountains, world-class skiing, the islands of Casco Bay, and Acadia National Park.

 

OUR PROMISE

We promise our teammates an opportunity to build their dream job. We actively work with every member of our team to identify their passions and goals. By aligning these with activities, we provide maximum value for our company and customers. Prospective candidates are encouraged to reach out to our Talent Department for an exploratory conversation and to learn more.

 

OPEN POSITIONS

Check our LinkedIn page for active jobs postings

Or submit a resume here:


 

OUR BENEFITS

  • Paid Vacation (PTO)
  • Health, Dental, and Vision 
  • Employer-Sponsored Retirement Savings Plan with Matching Contributions
  • Profit-Sharing Bonus Program