Manufacturing Engineer

WET Design; Sun Valley (CA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

WET Design in Burbank, CA is seeking a Manufacturing Engineer who translates complex designs into practical, reliable production processes for our mechanical, electrical, lighting, and water-system assemblies.

You will collaborate with machinists, fabricators, assemblers, technicians, and engineers to solve build challenges, develop fixtures, establish process controls, and deliver hardware that meets exacting requirements.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Manufacturing, Mechanical, Industrial Engineering or related field.
• 7+ years manufacturing or process engineering with lab-to-floor experience.
• Ability to read engineering drawings and apply GD&T
• Experience designing production tooling and fixtures
• Strong root-cause analysis and corrective-action history
• Proven ability to communicate with technicians, engineers, and management

Responsibilities

• Translate design into production by creating manufacturing plans, routings, and work instructions.
• Develop processes for machined components, assemblies, and LED lighting hardware.
• Design and validate fixtures, locating devices, and other tooling; communicate with toolmakers and production teams.
• Provide on-floor engineering support for fit, function, and process issues; implement containment and corrective actions.
• Establish inspection points and process controls; document improvements and change records.
• Drive improvements using lean principles to reduce waste and improve throughput.

Skills

Mechanical aptitude

Root-cause analysis

Communication

Drawing reading (GD&T)

Problem solving

Team collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in Manufacturing/Mechanical Engineering

Tools

3D CAD

Job description

Manufacturing Engineer

Build the systems behind extraordinary experiences.

Location: Burbank, California; Work environment: On-site | Hands-on manufacturing engineering

What We Do at WET

WET reimagines the elements. We bring artists, physicists, architects, choreographers, and technical minds together to create experiences where water, movement, light, and emotion transform the ordinary into the extraordinary. Our work creates places where people pause, connect, and experience wonder.

Behind that experience is the work of people who know how to build it.

The Opportunity

You will turn complex designs into practical, reliable manufacturing processes for WET’s custom mechanical, electrical, lighting, and water-system assemblies.

Working within a highly skilled team of Manufacturing Engineers, Quality Engineers, and Inspectors, you will connect design intent with production reality. You will partner directly with machinists, fabricators, assemblers, technicians, and engineering teams to solve build challenges, improve tooling, establish process controls, and deliver hardware that meets demanding requirements.

This is a role for an engineer who is equally comfortable reviewing a drawing, developing a fixture, measuring a part, troubleshooting an assembly, and documenting a better way to build it.

You will not simply identify problems and hand them off. You will help resolve them at the source—and make sure the solution works at the bench, on the machine, and in the next build.

What You’ll Own

Translate Design into Production

• Review mechanical drawings, electrical documentation, bills of materials, and specifications for manufacturability, assembly, inspection, and serviceability
• Partner with Design Engineering to resolve tolerance, material, access, fastening, sealing, routing, and assembly-sequence challenges before they become production problems
• Develop manufacturing plans, process flows, routings, work instructions, and assembly sequences that translate design requirements into clear shop-floor execution
• Support prototype builds, first builds, and production introductions; capture lessons learned and incorporate them into released processes
• Evaluate design and process changes for their effects on tooling, work in process, inspection requirements, cost, and schedule

Engineer the Process—and Prove It Works

• Develop and improve processes for machined components, mechanical assemblies, LED lighting hardware, cable assemblies, and integrated electromechanical products
• Address practical production requirements such as deburring, part washing and cleanliness, handling, surface protection, fit-up, torque application, soldering, cable routing, and final assembly
• Define process parameters, acceptance criteria, and verification steps in partnership with Design and Quality Engineering
• Plan and conduct trials to establish workable process windows, demonstrate repeatability, and confirm production readiness
• Identify where fixtures, mistake-proofing, standardized methods, or targeted automation can improve safety, consistency, and throughput

Design Tooling That Makes Better Work Possible

• Design, specify, develop, and validate assembly fixtures, locating devices, holding tools, gauges, test aids, and other production tooling
• Use CAD to communicate tooling concepts and produce the drawings needed for fabrication and implementation
• Work directly with toolmakers, machinists, suppliers, and production teams to build, refine, and deploy practical solutions
• Improve workstation layout, tool access, ergonomics, material presentation, and part protection
• Ensure tooling is usable, maintainable, and appropriate for the product mix—not more complicated than the problem requires

Solve Problems on the Floor

• Provide responsive engineering support when production encounters fit, function, assembly, process, or equipment issues
• Examine the actual hardware, observe the process, review the data, and distinguish symptoms from root causes
• Troubleshoot dimensional variation, tolerance stack-ups, damaged components, leakage, assembly interference, inconsistent workmanship, and test failures
• Coordinate containment and corrective actions with Quality Engineering, Inspection, Design Engineering, and production leadership
• Verify that corrective actions eliminate the issue without creating new risks elsewhere in the process.
• Balance urgency with engineering discipline: restore progress without bypassing safety, quality, or change-control requirements.

Build Quality into the Process

• Partner with Quality Engineers and Inspectors to establish practical inspection points, critical characteristics, measurement methods, and in-process checks
• Ensure manufacturing methods support drawing requirements and that important characteristics can be verified effectively
• Support first-article evaluations, nonconformance investigations, and authorized disposition processes
• Use inspection findings, production feedback, and test results to reduce defects, scrap, and rework
• Apply tools such as process failure mode and effects analysis, control plans, measurement-system analysis, and process capability studies where appropriate
• Clarify ownership and handoffs so Manufacturing Engineering, Quality, and Inspection work as complementary disciplines

Improve Performance With Evidence

• Establish and track meaningful measures such as first-pass yield, cycle time, rework hours, scrap, and throughput
• Identify bottlenecks and recurring sources of variation; prioritize improvements based on operational impact
• Apply lean manufacturing principles to simplify flow, reduce unnecessary handling, improve changeovers, and remove non-value-added work
• Evaluate equipment, tooling, and process investments using technical justification and measurable benefits
• Document improvements and train the people who will use them so gains continue beyond the initial implementation

What You Bring

• A bachelor’s degree in Manufacturing Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, or a related discipline—or equivalent technical experience supported by a strong record of manufacturing results
• Typically 7+ years of manufacturing or process engineering experience with substantial, direct production-floor involvement
• Demonstrated ability to take a component or assembly from drawing review through tooling, process development, build support, and production release
• Strong mechanical aptitude and the confidence to work directly with parts, assemblies, tools, fixtures, and test equipment
• Proficiency reading engineering drawings and applying GD&T, dimensional tolerances, fits, and tolerance-stack analysis
• Working knowledge of machining and mechanical assembly, with the ability to collaborate effectively with specialists in fabrication, electrical assembly, soldering, and testing
• Experience designing production tooling and fixtures using a professional 3D CAD platform
• Practical familiarity with dimensional inspection tools and an understanding of how measurement methods affect manufacturing decisions
• Strong root-cause analysis skills and a record of implementing corrective actions that hold up in production
• Experience creating usable work instructions, routings, bills of materials, process documentation, and engineering change records
• The ability to communicate clearly with technicians, machinists, inspectors, engineers, suppliers, and manufacturing leadership
• A strong sense of urgency, sound judgment, and the discipline to follow a problem through to verified resolution

Experience That Will Set You Apart

• High-mix, low-volume manufacturing involving custom-engineered equipment or custom-made electromechanical assemblies
• Experience with water-handling equipment, pumps, manifolds, valves, pressure-containing components, or fluid-system integration
• Experience manufacturing products that depend on sealing, corrosion resistance, cleanliness, or reliable operation in wet environments
• Familiarity with LED lighting, cable assemblies, soldered connections, power supplies, or electrical enclosure integration
• Experience developing pressure, leak, electrical, functional, or end-of-line test methods.
• Knowledge of material selection, surface finishes, coatings, adhesives, sealants, and compatibility considerations
• Experience using NON-ERP/MRP and product-data or lifecycle-management systems to maintain accurate manufacturing information
• Examples of successful fixtures, process improvements, production launches, or difficult technical problems you personally helped solve

How You’ll Work With the Team

• Manufacturing Engineers develop and improve how the work is performed, sharing technical knowledge and coordinating process ownership
• Quality Engineers partner on risk, quality planning, process controls, nonconformances, and corrective-action effectiveness
• Inspectors provide critical measurement and verification feedback that informs manufacturing decisions
• Production teams contribute the practical knowledge needed to make processes safe, workable, and repeatable
• Design Engineers collaborate on product requirements and design changes through established approval processes
• Your contribution is to connect these perspectives and turn them into a build process that works

What Success Looks Like

• Production teams have clear instructions, appropriate tooling, and fewer preventable interruptions
• New designs reach the floor with manufacturing and inspection requirements understood
• Recurring defects are eliminated through verified corrective actions—not repeated workarounds
• Assemblies move through production with improved first-pass yield and less rework
• Engineering changes are communicated accurately and incorporated consistently
• Technicians and machinists seek you out because your involvement helps them do better work
• Improvements remain effective after the immediate problem is solved

Why WET

Some engineering roles keep you far from the hardware. This one puts you close to it.

You will see the connection between your decisions and the finished product: a fixture that makes an intricate assembly repeatable, a process change that eliminates a persistent defect, or a build method that turns an ambitious design into working hardware.

The reward is both technical and tangible. You will solve challenging problems alongside people with different specialties, develop a broad understanding of how complex systems come together, and contribute to experiences designed to make people stop and look.

We are looking for someone who takes pride in that responsibility—and is ready to get to work.

Work Environment

This position requires regular, on-site collaboration in manufacturing, assembly, inspection, and test areas. Work involves moving between engineering workstations and the production floor, following applicable safety procedures, and using required personal protective equipment. Schedule flexibility may be needed during critical builds and project milestones.

Equal Employment Opportunity

WET is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Employment decisions are based on merit, competence, qualifications, and business needs, without regard to any status protected by applicable law. WET provides reasonable accommodations to qualified applicants and employees in accordance with applicable law.

WWW.WETDESIGN.COM