Manufacturing Engineer

Vatn Systems; Bristol (RI); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Vatn Systems seeks a Manufacturing Engineer to transition autonomous underwater vehicle hardware from R&D to full-scale production. You will own the manufacturing value chain for key products, write work instructions, and design tooling to enable rapid, repeatable fabrication at scale.

You will collaborate with design, procurement, and contract manufacturers to ensure manufacturability, quality planning, and process optimization, while mentoring technicians and contributing to both mechanical

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or higher in engineering, math, or a hard science.
• Minimum 3+ years in manufacturing or electromechanical hardware design.
• Proven track record delivering hardware to spec in a startup environment.
• Demonstrated leadership with concrete examples.

Responsibilities

• Own a portion or all of the manufacturing value chain for a product or set.
• Write work instructions, quality plans, inspection requirements for scale manufacturing.
• Develop process flows, breaking complex assemblies into subassemblies.
• Collaborate with upstream engineering to ensure designs are manufacturable at scale.
• Work with contract manufacturers to develop repeatable processes for rapid development and scale.
• Hands-on work with technicians to build prototype and production hardware.
• Develop tooling solutions for fabrication and assembly of structural parts.
• Contribute to mechanical or electrical design, including interconnects and board fabrication.

Skills

Electromechanical hardware

Leadership

Hands-on fabrication

Documentation

Process optimization

Education

Degree in Engineering or hard sciences

Tools

ERP/MRP systems

MES platforms

Job description

At Vatn Systems, we specialize in designing and manufacturing advanced Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) that push the boundaries of underwater exploration and defense technology. Our AUVs integrate complex electro-mechanical systems, high-precision sensors, and cutting-edge software to operate in challenging marine environments. We’re looking for skilled Manufacturing Engineers to join our growing team and play a key role in transitioning products from R&D to full-scale production.

As a Manufacturing Engineer at Vatn Systems, you will be responsible for rapidly iterating and building processes and advanced tooling for cutting-edge Autonomous Underwater Vehicles. This responsibility includes Design for Manufacturability, tool design & selection, process creation & optimization, vendor sourcing & interaction, quality planning, and work documentation associated with the hardware that the Manufacturing Engineer owns.

Primary Responsibilities

• Own a portion or all of the manufacturing value chain for a certain product or set of products
• Write documentation required for successfully manufacturing their hardware at scale, such as work instructions, quality plans, inspection requirements, etc
• Develop process flows, breaking down large, complex assemblies into a logical part flow of subassemblies and sub-processes
• Work with upstream engineering teams to ensure designs are manufacturable at scale
• Work with contract manufacturers across various disciplines (PCBA fab, metal/plastic manufacturing, assembly, etc.) to develop repeatable, sustained processes for quick-turn development as well as at-scale production
• Work with technicians and other engineers in a hands-on fashion building prototype and production grade hardware
• Develop novel tooling solutions for fabrication and assembly of structural parts
• Contribute to end-customer hardware mechanical or electrical design, including interconnects, board fabrication and inspection, etc

Required Qualifications

• Degree in a technical field such as engineering, math, or a hard science
• 3+ years of experience in a relevant field, preferably manufacturing or design of electromechanical hardware
• Demonstrated ability to deliver electromechanical hardware to spec in a start-up environment
• Demonstrated in-kind or direct team leadership skills, with backing examples
• Personal experience physically manufacturing hardware via any means (machining, fabrication, soldering, assembly, etc.). Work on personal or extracurricular projects is a plus.
• Extremely organized and detail-oriented
• Has a never-ending sense of urgency and enthusiasm

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with AUVs, ROVs, or other marine robotic systems
• Experience with pressure vessels and/or pressure systems/equipment
• IPC-A-610, IPC/WHMA-A-620, or J-STD-001 certifications
• Knowledge of fiber optics, sonar systems, acoustic sensors, or marine navigation systems
• Familiarity with ERP/MRP systems and MES platforms for tracking work orders and materials
• Previous involvement in NPI programs with exposure to lean manufacturing principles and continuous improvement strategies
• Understanding of marine corrosion prevention and subsea sealing techniques

Vatn is an equal opportunity employer.

As set forth in Vatn Systems’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy,we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection.As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measurethe effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categoriesis as follows:

A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability.

A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.

An "active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.

An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.