NPI engineer

Arxlight Pictures; Oakland (CA); On-site; USD 110,000 - 165,000; Full time

Job summary

Arxlight Pictures in Oakland, CA is seeking a hands-on NPI Engineer to bridge Engineering and Manufacturing as drone products move from development into production. You will become a product expert, understand mechanical design at system and component level, and ensure it can be built reliably and at scale.

You will drive DFM and DFA, identify design issues early, lead tooling development, support EVT/DVT/PVT and ramp, and collaborate with Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality and suppliers to

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in NPI, mechanical engineering, product engineering, manufacturing engineering, or a similar role supporting complex hardware products.
• Strong mechanical engineering fundamentals and hands-on experience with mechanical design, materials, tolerances, GD&T, fastening, adhesives, and electromechanical assemblies.
• Strong understanding of DFM/ DFA and experience influencing mechanical designs to improve manufacturability, assembly, quality, cost, and scalability.
• Experience designing or developing tooling, fixtures, jigs, gauges, and other mechanical solutions used to build or inspect production hardware.
• Experience with manufacturing processes such as CNC machining, injection molding, sheet metal, die casting, 3D printing, composites, and production assembly.
• Experience taking complex hardware from prototype through EVT/DVT/PVT, NPI, and production ramp, with strong hands-on troubleshooting and root-cause analysis skills.

Responsibilities

• Own the technical transition of new products from Engineering into Manufacturing, from early prototypes through NPI builds and production ramp.
• Become a subject matter expert on the product, with a deep understanding of its mechanical design, assemblies, interfaces, materials, tolerances, BOM, and critical-to-quality features.
• Drive DFM and DFA reviews, working with Engineering to improve part design, tolerancing, assembly, material selection, manufacturing methods, cost, and scalability.
• Design and develop production tooling, fixtures, jigs, gauges, and other equipment needed to build, inspect, and test the product consistently.
• Lead technical issues during NPI builds, working across Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality, and suppliers to troubleshoot failures, determine root cause, and drive design changes when needed.
• Own product-level manufacturing readiness, including BOM maturity, drawings, GD&T, specifications, assembly requirements, tooling, configuration, and engineering change implementation.

Skills

NPI experience

Mechanical design

GD&T

DFM/DFA

Tooling design

CNC machining

Injection molding

3D printing

Electromechanical assemblies

Manufacturing readiness

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering

Tools

SolidWorks

PLM systems

AutoCAD

Fusion 360

Job description

ABOUT THE JOB

We’re looking for a hands-on NPI Engineer to be the technical bridge between Engineering and Manufacturing as Arxlight’s drone products move from development into production.

This role sits within the Operations organization but works closely with the engineering team throughout the product development cycle. You’ll become a subject matter expert on the product, understand the mechanical design at a system and component level, and make sure it can be built reliably and efficiently at scale.

The focus of this role is the product and its design, not the manufacturing process itself. You’ll drive DFM and DFA, identify design issues before they become production problems, and make sure Engineering and Manufacturing stay aligned as the product evolves.

WHAT YOU'LL DO

• Own the technical transition of new products from Engineering into Manufacturing, from early prototypes through NPI builds and production ramp.

• Become a subject matter expert on the product, with a deep understanding of its mechanical design, assemblies, interfaces, materials, tolerances, BOM, and critical-to-quality features.

• Drive DFM and DFA reviews, working with Engineering to improve part design, tolerancing, assembly, material selection, manufacturing methods, cost, and scalability.

• Design and develop production tooling, fixtures, jigs, gauges, and other equipment needed to build, inspect, and test the product consistently.

• Lead technical issues during NPI builds, working across Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality, and suppliers to troubleshoot failures, determine root cause, and drive design changes when needed.

• Own product-level manufacturing readiness, including BOM maturity, drawings, GD&T, specifications, assembly requirements, tooling, configuration, and engineering change implementation.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• 5+ years of experience in NPI, mechanical engineering, product engineering, manufacturing engineering, or a similar role supporting complex hardware products.

• Strong mechanical engineering fundamentals and hands-on experience with mechanical design, materials, tolerances, GD&T, fastening, adhesives, and electromechanical assemblies.

• Strong understanding of DFM/DFA and experience influencing mechanical designs to improve manufacturability, assembly, quality, cost, and scalability.

• Experience designing or developing tooling, fixtures, jigs, gauges, and other mechanical solutions used to build or inspect production hardware.

• Experience with manufacturing processes such as CNC machining, injection molding, sheet metal, die casting, 3D printing, composites, and production assembly.

• Experience taking complex hardware from prototype through EVT/DVT/PVT, NPI, and production ramp, with strong hands-on troubleshooting and root-cause analysis skills.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Experience with drones, robotics, aerospace, autonomous systems, or other complex electromechanical products.

• Strong CAD experience and the ability to create and review mechanical designs, drawings, tolerance stack-ups, GD&T, tooling, and assembly interfaces.

• Experience working directly with machine shops, contract manufacturers, injection molders, and other mechanical suppliers during development and production ramp.

• Experience designing fixtures and tooling for assembly, calibration, inspection, testing, or production processes.

• Experience with PLM systems, BOMs, drawings, specifications, ECOs, deviations, and hardware configuration management.

• Experience in a startup or fast-moving hardware environment where you’re comfortable moving between CAD, the engineering lab, the production floor, and suppliers to get problems solved.