Austenitic stainless steel grade 201 is widely used in industrial applications due to its corrosion resistance and cost-effectiveness. However, Laser cutting is known for its speed, precision, and cost-effectiveness, but still has some limitations in achieving high surface quality, particularly when oxygen is used as the assist gas. This study investigates and optimizes the fiber laser cutting (FLC) process for SS201 using a Central Composite Design (CCD) under Response Surface Methodology (RSM). Five machining parameters were examined: laser power (Pu), cutting speed (v), assist gas pressure (P), pulse frequency (F), and focal point position (FP), with their effects evaluated on three key quality characteristics: top kerf width (TKW), bottom kerf width (BKW), and kerf taper (KT). Analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed that laser power had the most significant influence on BKW (72%) and TKW (61%), while gas pressure had the strongest effect on KT (40.6%). The optimal results were achieved under different parameter settings for each quality measure: the minimum TKW of 369.64 µm, the lowest BKW of 507.12 µm, and the minimum KT of 0.011°. These findings highlight the necessity of multi-objective optimization and the importance of parameter-specific control strategies to enhance cut quality in laser processing of stainless steel.