Manufacturing Engineer

WET Design•Los Angeles, CA

19d•$140,000 - $170,000•Onsite

About The Position

WET is seeking a hands-on Manufacturing Engineer to turn complex designs into practical, reliable manufacturing processes for custom mechanical, electrical, lighting, and water-system assemblies. The role connects design intent with production reality by partnering with Manufacturing Engineers, Quality Engineers, Inspectors, machinists, fabricators, assemblers, technicians, suppliers, and Design Engineering. The engineer works directly on the production floor to solve build challenges, improve tooling, establish process controls, and deliver hardware that meets demanding requirements. The position covers design-for-manufacturability review, process development and validation, tooling and fixture design, production support and troubleshooting, quality planning, corrective action, and performance improvement. It supports prototype and first builds, production introductions, and changes to released processes. The engineer is expected to examine actual hardware and processes, resolve issues at their source, and verify that improvements are safe, effective, documented, and repeatable. This position is based in Burbank, California, and requires regular on-site collaboration in manufacturing, assembly, inspection, and test areas. Work includes 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.

Requirements

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 confidence working 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, and ability to collaborate 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 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.
Ability to communicate clearly with technicians, machinists, inspectors, engineers, suppliers, and manufacturing leadership.
Strong sense of urgency, sound judgment, and discipline to follow problems through to verified resolution.

Nice To Haves

High-mix, low-volume manufacturing involving custom-engineered equipment or complex electromechanical assemblies.
Experience with water-handling equipment, pumps, manifolds, valves, pressure-containing components, or fluid-system integration.
Experience manufacturing products requiring 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 personally helped solve.

Responsibilities

Review mechanical drawings, electrical documentation, bills of materials, and specifications for manufacturability, assembly, inspection, and serviceability.
Partner with Design Engineering to address tolerance, material, access, fastening, sealing, routing, and assembly-sequence challenges.
Develop manufacturing plans, process flows, routings, work instructions, and assembly sequences.
Support prototype builds, first builds, and production introductions; capture lessons learned and incorporate them into released processes.
Evaluate the effects of design and process changes on tooling, work in process, inspection requirements, cost, and schedule.
Develop and improve processes for machined components, mechanical assemblies, LED lighting hardware, cable assemblies, and integrated electromechanical products.
Address production requirements such as deburring, washing and cleanliness, handling, surface protection, fit-up, torque application, soldering, cable routing, and final assembly.
Define process parameters, acceptance criteria, and verification steps with Design and Quality Engineering; plan and conduct trials to establish process windows, repeatability, and production readiness.
Identify opportunities for fixtures, mistake-proofing, standardized methods, and targeted automation to improve safety, consistency, and throughput.
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 fabrication drawings; work with toolmakers, machinists, suppliers, and production teams to refine and deploy tooling.
Improve workstation layout, tool access, ergonomics, material presentation, and part protection, while ensuring tooling is usable and maintainable.
Provide engineering support for production fit, function, assembly, process, and equipment issues; investigate hardware, processes, and data to identify 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 their effectiveness without creating new risks.
Establish inspection points, critical characteristics, measurement methods, and in-process checks with Quality Engineers and Inspectors.
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 PFMEA, control plans, measurement-system analysis, and process capability studies where appropriate.
Establish and track measures such as first-pass yield, cycle time, rework hours, scrap, and throughput; identify bottlenecks and recurring variation.
Apply lean manufacturing principles to simplify flow, reduce handling, improve changeovers, and eliminate 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 improvements remain effective.
Coordinate process ownership with Manufacturing Engineering, Quality, Inspection, production teams, and Design Engineering through established approval processes.