Manufacturing Engineer

About this role

Vital Lyfe seeks a Manufacturing Engineer to design and optimize production processes for innovative desalination systems, scaling from prototype to high-volume manufacturing. You'll lead automation initiatives, drive continuous improvement, and collaborate across teams in a fast-growing hardware startup focused on water security.

What you'll do

• Design and optimize manufacturing processes and production lines for desalination systems at scale
• Lead design-for-manufacturability (DFM) and design-for-assembly (DFA) initiatives including tooling, fixtures, and automation
• Develop work instructions, process flows, and layout designs while validating manufacturing methods
• Work cross-functionally to select equipment, define cycle times, costs, and quality metrics
• Drive continuous improvement efforts to reduce costs, increase throughput, and improve reliability
• Collaborate with procurement, quality, test, and vendor teams to support manufacturing scale-up

What they're looking for

• Manufacturing process design and optimization
• CAD software (SolidWorks or equivalent)
• Automation, tooling, and fixture design
• Production line equipment selection
• Problem-solving in fast-paced environments
• Cross-functional communication
• Lean manufacturing and process control (preferred)
• Mechanical systems and fluid/pressure equipment knowledge (preferred)

Benefits

• Work on high-impact global water security and climate resilience problems
• Early ownership stake in a high-growth, engineering-led startup
• Build long-term career equity as company scales
• Join a mission-driven, tight-knit team
• 100% onsite role in Torrance, CA