Senior Mechanical Engineer

Vital Lyfe; Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 80,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Early ownership in a high-growth startup

Work on impactful problems in water security

Job summary

Vital Lyfe in Los Angeles is seeking a skilled Mechanical Engineer to own and build core mechanical systems for innovative water technology. In this hands-on role, you will design, prototype, and validate hardware components to meet high production standards. The ideal candidate has over 5 years of experience in mechanical hardware development and a degree in Mechanical Engineering. Join our engineering-led startup and contribute to solving global water security challenges.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience designing and shipping mechanical or electromechanical hardware.
• Experience taking products from prototype to manufacturing.
• Comfort working in ambiguity and making tradeoffs with incomplete information.

Responsibilities

• Own major mechanical subsystems from concept through production ramp and launch.
• Design, prototype, and validate pumps, valves, pressure vessels, and related mechanical components.
• Build and run test plans to validate performance across real-world environments.

Skills

Mechanical Systems Design

CAD Skills

FEA Skills

Project Management

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or related field

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.

The Mission

Own and build the core mechanical systems behind our product; pumps, valves, pressure vessels, and fluid-handling assemblies & take them from early concepts to production at scale. This is a hands on, high-ownership role for someone who wants to design, test, break, fix, and ship hardware.

What You’ll Do

• Own major mechanical subsystems from concept through production ramp and launch.
• Design, prototype, and validate pumps, valves, pressure vessels, and related mechanical components.
• Drive system-level tradeoffs across performance, reliability, manufacturability, and cost.
• Build and run test plans to validate performance across real-world environments and edge cases.
• Work closely with electrical, firmware, industrial design, and manufacturing to turn ideas into shipped product.
• Help design and improve manufacturing processes and production equipment, including fixtures, tooling, and automation concepts.
• Iterate fast—identify problems, propose solutions, and implement changes without heavy process overhead.
• Support supplier selection, part qualification, and production ramp.
• Mentor junior engineers as the team grows (without becoming detached from hands‑on work).

What We’re Looking For

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related field.
• 5+ years of experience designing and shipping mechanical or electromechanical hardware.
• Strong CAD and FEA skills applied to real, production‑intent designs.
• Experience taking products from prototype to manufacturing.
• Comfort working in ambiguity and making tradeoffs with incomplete information.
• Bias toward action, ownership, and practical engineering solutions.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with consumer hardware or high-volume manufacturing.
• Background in pumps, valves, pressure systems, or fluid mechanics.
• Exposure to automation, manufacturing process development, or production equipment.
• Startup or early‑stage company experience.

Physical Job Requirements - Essential Functions

• Hands on work on development hardware.
• Long periods of standing, crouching, walking.
• Lifting up to 50 lbs.

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.