Senior Manufacturing Engineer Hardware

Front Door Defense; Northern, San Diego (KY, CA); Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Stock options

Competitive insurance

401k matching

Four free lunches per week

Employee activity fund

Pet-friendly office

Unlimited/Flex PTO

Job summary

Seasats is seeking a Senior Manufacturing Engineer to design and deploy tooling, fixtures, and process controls for scalable production of USVs. The role collaborates with hardware, electrical, and software teams to verify design intent and achieve higher throughput on the floor.

You will lead tooling development, coordinate with vendors, and drive continuous improvement through process validation and root-cause analysis.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in manufacturing, mechanical, industrial engineering, or related field.
• 5+ years in manufacturing, design, or related field; aerospace/defense/maritime a plus.
• Strong foundation in component fabrication through full vehicle integration.
• Proficiency with CAD/CAM software, preferably SolidWorks, for tooling drawings with GD&T.
• Experience improving material flow, pull systems, Kanban, and line-side racking.
• Hands-on with manufacturing and inspection equipment; adaptable in evolving processes.
• Export control: US persons only.

Responsibilities

• Design and fabricate jigs, fixtures, tooling, and manufacturing/test equipment.
• Develop process controls and test equipment to verify requirements and enable throughput.
• Provide on-floor engineering support during builds and NPI, troubleshoot issues real time.
• Source and coordinate with vendors for tooling and equipment deliveries.
• Evaluate and integrate new manufacturing technologies and automation into production.
• Lead process validation and root cause analysis to resolve discrepancies.
• Support transitions from concept to prototype, pilot, and full production.
• Train production personnel on new tooling and manufacturing methods.

Skills

CAD/CAM software

On-floor troubleshooting

Fast-paced environment

Knowledge sharing

Education

Bachelor's degree in manufacturing/ mechanical engineering

Tools

SolidWorks

Job description

Senior Manufacturing Engineer

Lead the design and deployment of tooling and process controls for scalable production

Location: San Diego, California

Compensation: $120,000 - 160,000 USD / year

About The Role

Senior Manufacturing Engineer

Location: San Diego, CA (in-office)

Salary Range: $120,000 - $160,000 / yr + stock options, 401k matching, and other benefits

Role Overview

Seasats designs and deploys unmanned surface vessels that operate at sea for months at a time. As we scale production, this role will design and build the tooling, equipment, and process controls that let us produce complex maritime systems quickly and reliably, from jigs and fixtures, to manufacturing and test equipment, to the continuous improvement work that takes a new product from prototype to full-rate production. If you're a hands-on engineer who loves designing the tools and equipment that make production possible, and if you thrive on solving problems on the floor, this is the role for you.

Role Details

You will be responsible for:

• Designing and fabricating jigs, fixtures, and tooling, and identifying, specifying, and implementing manufacturing and test equipment, putting process controls in place while increasing manufacturing throughput
• Collaborating with hardware, electrical, and software engineering to develop process controls and test equipment that verify functional requirements and design intent, including devising methods to screen for potential failure modes
• Providing hands-on, on-floor engineering support during builds and new product introduction, troubleshooting mechanical, electrical, and harnessing issues in real time
• Sourcing, qualifying, and coordinating with vendors on tooling, fixtures, and manufacturing/test equipment to ensure on-time, quality delivery
• Evaluating, selecting, and integrating new manufacturing technologies and automation solutions into production
• Driving continuous improvement by leading process validation activities and performing root cause analysis to resolve manufacturing discrepancies
• Supporting the transition of products from concept to prototype, pilot, and full production with speed, flexibility, scalability, and first-time quality
• Training production personnel on new tooling, equipment, and manufacturing methods you introduce

About You

You're an experienced manufacturing engineer who enjoys turning designs into reliable, repeatable production. You're equally comfortable designing a fixture in CAD, troubleshooting an issue on the production floor, and improving the tools and processes that help us build better and faster. You have:

• A Bachelor's degree or relevant coursework in manufacturing, mechanical, industrial engineering, or a related technical field
• 5+ years of relevant experience in manufacturing, design, or a related field; experience in aerospace, defense, or maritime is a plus
• A strong foundation in manufacturing processes spanning component fabrication and sub-assembly (composites, cable harnesses, electromechanical subassemblies, etc.) through full vehicle integration
• Proficiency with CAD/CAM software, preferably SolidWorks, with the ability to design and produce tooling, fixture, and equipment drawings, including applying GD&T
• Experience analyzing and improving material flow around a facility, including pull systems, Kanban, min/max calculations, part presentation to operators, and line-side racking
• Hands-on experience with manufacturing and inspection equipment
• Experience operating in environments where processes may not be fully established, with enthusiasm for helping build solid foundations
• The ability to work quickly and adapt to a fast-paced, high-growth environment
• An interest in sharing knowledge and best practices with colleagues, even without formal mentoring or people-management responsibilities
• Software scripting experience (a plus)

Due to export control requirements applicable to this position, we are only able to consider U.S. persons, as defined by U.S. export control laws. This includes U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents, and individuals granted asylee or refugee status.

About Seasats

At Seasats, we're passionate about delivering maritime robotics solutions to redefine the maritime industry. Our primary products are unmanned surface vessels (USVs), designed to carry sensors at sea for months at a time. Our USVs provide persistent monitoring and data acquisition to defense, scientific, and commercial customers, and have autonomously crossed both the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. After thousands of years in which the only way to gather information from the ocean was to put people on a boat, these uncrewed vessels are transforming how humanity monitors and interacts with the ocean. Here, you'll find the space and opportunity to do your life's best work.

Along with your salary, you'll receive perks including:

• Stock options
• Competitive insurance (including a 99% employer-covered Gold HMO plan or other options)
• 401k matching up to 4% of salary
• Four free lunches per week
• An employee activity fund
• A pet-friendly office
• Unlimited/Flex PTO

Please note that we are currently unable to sponsor employment visas, so candidates must be independently authorized to work in the United States.

We appreciate diverse perspectives and life experiences, and we're committed to building a team that reflects a wide range of backgrounds. Seasats provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination of any type based on race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, or gender identity), national origin, age, disability, genetic information, marital status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected under federal, state, or local law.