Senior Manufacturing Engineer

Saildrone • Alameda, CA

41d • Onsite

About The Position

Saildrone is seeking a Senior Manufacturing Engineer to join our Production team. Reporting directly to the Sr. Manager - Manufacturing Engineering, you will play a critical role in scaling the production of our Unmanned Surface Vehicles (USVs) while maintaining quality, efficiency, and repeatability. We are looking for a skilled individual who drives process improvements, implements lean practices, and collaborates closely with production teams to turn complex designs into high-quality, mission-ready vehicles.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering (Mechanical, Electrical, or related field).
• 5+ years of engineering experience supporting production activities, including ownership of production systems, workstations, and process development in a manufacturing environment.
• Experience with New Product Introduction (NPI), including executing product launches through capacity acceleration and production ramp.
• Strong understanding of lean manufacturing principles, production system design, and process optimization.
• Excellent communication and cross-functional collaboration skills, including experience working directly with technicians and shop-floor teams.
• Ability to work on-site in a hands-on manufacturing environment.

Responsibilities

• Lean Production Flow: Implement and optimize lean manufacturing processes—including 5S, Visual Management, Plan-for-Every-Part (PFEP), workstation design, and kitting—to achieve high-efficiency production flows in a high-mix, low-volume environment.
• Process Documentation: Be accountable for the integration of hardware and software design changes into the production system by updating work instructions, mBOMs, and process documentation with a high degree of responsiveness.
• Harness Production: Experience scaling harness production in high-growth environments to transition low-volume prototypes into production-ready processes.
• Quality Assurance: Develop and execute quality control inspections and tests to ensure consistent, mission-ready outputs that meet established maritime and customer standards.
• Capacity Balancing: Define and validate standard process times to balance workloads across workstations and technicians, ensuring production targets are met during new product launches and capacity acceleration phases.
• Technical Support & Triage: Monitor for assembly line blockers and inefficiencies, taking action to directly troubleshoot issues, collaborate closely with technicians, and unblock production to ensure tactical daily goals are met.
• Contract Manufacturer Management: Serve as the primary technical liaison for domestic contract manufacturers, ensuring the successful transfer of specialized processes for PCBAs, harnessing, and electromechanical assembly.
• Design Feedback (DFM/DFA): Work closely with Design Engineering during prototype and first-article builds to provide actionable DFM and DFA feedback, ensuring new products are optimized for scalable production.
• Virtual Factory Integrity: Adhere to established "virtual factory" procedures—including Work Orders, inventory moves, and kitting—while proactively identifying and implementing continuous improvement opportunities in collaboration with production teams.

Benefits

• Generous Time Off: Competitive Paid Time Off (PTO) accrual plus a robust annual holiday schedule and paid sick leave ensure you can rest, reset, and sustain performance over time.
• Comprehensive Health Coverage: Premium, multi-tier Medical, Dental, and Vision plans with significant company contributions for employees and dependents—providing security and peace of mind.
• Shared Ownership in the Mission: Equity grants are a core part of our compensation, allowing you to participate in the long-term value you help create through meaningful, operational work.
• Retirement Savings: Access to a 401(k) retirement plan with flexible pre-tax and Roth payroll contribution options supports long-term financial planning.
• Investment in Your Growth: We support your continuous learning through an annual professional development reimbursement program, empowering you to sharpen your skills and stay ahead of the curve in a rapidly evolving field.
• Relocation Support: For eligible roles, we offer relocation assistance to help bring the world’s best talent to our mission-critical locations.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior