Lead Manufacturing Engineer

Vital Lyfe; Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Vital Lyfe in Torrance, CA is seeking a Manufacturing Engineer to design, develop and optimize our desalination system production lines from prototype builds to high-rate manufacturing.

You will lead DFM/DFA initiatives, define cycle times, costs per unit and quality metrics, and work cross-functionally with procurement, quality, test and suppliers to scale manufacturing.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s in Engineering (Mechanical, Manufacturing, Industrial or equivalent).
• 2+ years as a project lead.
• CAD experience with SolidWorks; familiarity with manufacturing automation, tooling & fixtures.
• Hands-on mindset; able to design processes and work with operators to validate.
• Strong problem solving; ability to operate in a fast-growing environment.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop and optimize manufacturing processes and lines from first builds to 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.
• Own continuous improvement to reduce cost, increase throughput, improve reliability and uptime.

Skills

CAD

Project lead

Manufacturing automation

Problem solving

Cross-functional work

Lean manufacturing

Six Sigma

SPC

Robotics

Automation programming

Education

Bachelor’s in Engineering (Mechanical, Manufacturing, Industrial or equivalent)

Tools

SolidWorks

Job description

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.

What You’ll Do

• 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.

What We’re Looking For

Required:

• Bachelor’s in Engineering (Mechanical, Manufacturing, Industrial or equivalent).

• 2+ years as a project lead

• 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 Requirements (with or without reasonable accommodation)

• Hands on work on development hardware.

• Long periods of standing, crouching, walking.

• Lifting up to 50 lbs.

• Wear required PPE (safety glasses, gloves, safety shoes) in production areas. Required personal protective equipment (PPE), including safety shoes, will be provided or reimbursed by Vital Lyfe.

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)

Vital Lyfe is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with Vital Lyfe is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.