Manufacturing Engineer

Responsibilities

• Design, develop and optimize manufacturing processes and production lines for our desalination systems-from first builds through high-rate production.
• Lead DFM/DFA initiatives: tooling, fixtures, robot end-effectors, conveyors, automation programming, control systems.
• Work cross-functionally to select equipment, define cycle-times, yield targets, cost-per-unit, quality metrics.
• Develop work instructions, process flows, layout designs; implement and validate manufacturing methods for new systems.
• Own continuous-improvement efforts: reduce cost, increase throughput, improve reliability and uptime in a fast-moving hardware startup environment.
• Collaborate with procurement, quality, test, integration teams and external vendors/suppliers to ensure smooth scale-up & ramp-out of manufacturing.

Requirements

• Required:
• Bachelor's in Engineering (Mechanical, Manufacturing, Industrial or equivalent).
• 2+ years professional experience in manufacturing engineering, process development or production optimization (including internships).
• Strong CAD (SolidWorks / other) experience and familiarity with manufacturing automation, tooling & fixture design.
• Hands-on mindset: comfortable designing the process and also working with operators & equipment to validate and refine.
• Strong problem-solving skills, ability to operate in ambiguous/higher-growth environment, clear communicator across teams.
• Preferred:
• Experience in consumer hardware production, or systems with high-volume manufacturing.
• Knowledge of pumps, valves, pressure vessels, fluid systems or broadly mechanical-hardware manufacturing.
• Experience with automation programming, conveyors, robotics, fluid/pressure equipment.
• Familiarity with Lean manufacturing, Six Sigma, statistical process control (SPC).
• Experience in a hardware startup or mission-driven organization.
• Physical Job Requirements - Essential Functions
• Hands on work on development hardware.
• Long periods of standing, crouching, walking.
• Lifting up to 50 lbs.
• Why Join Vital Lyfe?
• Work on high-impact problems with global relevance
• Help scale breakthrough technology in water security and climate resilience
• Early ownership in a high-growth, engineering-led startup
• Join a tight-knit, mission-driven team in a fast-paced environment
• Build long-term career equity as we grow
• Location Requirement: Ability to work 100% onsite in Torrance, CA (remote or hybrid work will not be considered)

Benefits

Additional Information

About Vital Lyfe Vital Lyfe is a tech company redefining water autonomy through innovation - creating a new category of personal water-making technology built to scale where infrastructure can't.

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