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Manufacturing Engineer
Full-time
Jessup, MD, USA
Posted on Sep 23, 2026
Description
Manufacturing Manager
Overview of Role:
A Manufacturing Engineer at a Liquid Robotics designs, optimizes, and scales production processes for the family of Wave Glider uncrewed surface vessels (USV) and their complex electromechanical marine systems. This engineering role will bridge the gap between design engineering and volume production. Our goal is to make Wave Glider robots efficient and repeatable to build.
We are seeking a Manufacturing Engineer with the passion and drive to lead Liquid Robotics' growth through new product introduction activities and expanding manufacturing capacity for our Wave Glider family of platforms and their various integrated solutions. We are looking for a proactive technical problem-solver who excels in fast-paced environments. This role will take full ownership of complex engineering challenges and rapidly troubleshoot manufacturing issues to keep our high-profile product launches and deliveries on schedule. This role will have a direct hand in shaping our manufacturing strategy from the very beginning, both early in the product lifecycle and as we expand capacity, and will lead the charge in scaling our products and processes smoothly—preventing costly delays and ensuring we never compromise on our highest quality standards.
The engineer will ensure all manufacturing processes strictly adhere to AS9100 quality standards while optimizing workflows for subsea reliability, pressure tolerance, and marine-grade durability.
Key Responsibilities:
- Define, validate, and document assembly procedures, test procedures, standard operating procedures (SOPs), process flows, and line layouts for the Wave Glider vessel and hardware. Build and improve assembly lines for subassemblies and components such as electronics payloads, sensor integrations, and cable assemblies. Write work instructions and train technicians. Define manufacturing routings in the ERP system and perform time and cost studies.
- Develop and maintain comprehensive documentation including design control records, product configurations, manufacturing procedures, lot history records, bills-of-materials, and Quality System requirements. Reviews Change Orders (ECO, MCO, etc) for impact and implementation. Participates in Change Control Board to determine item disposition and effectivity dates.
- Support New Product Introduction (NPI) to help transition prototypes into full production and meet customer deliverables. Perform or assist with prototype builds. Gain intimate knowledge of the Bills of Materials, Drawings, Sourcing, and all relevant specifications to ensure production readiness.
- Provide Design for Manufacturability (DFM) reviews, feedback, and guidance. Work with R&D and design engineering teams to improve build quality, ease of assembly, and reliability in harsh aquatic environments, and to reduce cost of the design and manufacturing.
- Design and build custom jigs, fixtures, and test equipment for electromechanical integration, vehicle assembly, and pressure/waterproofing verification. Demonstrate proficiency in CAD design, rapid prototyping, tool/fixture qualification, and equipment sourcing.
- Production Support: Provide daily hands-on troubleshooting and technical guidance to assembly technicians to maintain high production yield and consistency. Support and work with Quality to proactively address and resolve non-conformances before they impact production.
- Continuous Improvement: Apply lean manufacturing principles to reduce scrap, optimize cycle times, and resolve root-cause quality issues.
Qualifications:
- Education: Bachelor’s degree in Manufacturing Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
- Experience: 9+ years of experience in manufacturing or production engineering involving complex electromechanical hardware, robotics, or autonomous systems with 5+ Manufacturing / Shop Floor experience. Aerospace, Defense, Marine, or Medical Device experience is a plus.
Experience and Skills:
- Proven experience developing design control documentation, manufacturing procedures, and quality system records.
- Proficiency with Arena or another PLM system, NetSuite or another ERP system, 3D CAD Software (Solidworks preferred), and JIRA or similar system.
- A good understanding of Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing (GD&T) per ASME Y14.5.
- Experience with electromechanical assembly, wiring harnesses, and IPC-A-610/620 standards.
- Extensive troubleshooting capabilities across mechanical, electrical, software, and instrumentation domains.
- Knowledge of marine-specific manufacturing challenges (e.g., O-ring sealing, galvanic corrosion, potting, and encapsulation).
- Strong working knowledge of AS9100 or ISO 9001 quality management systems.
- CAD Proficiency: Drawing revisions, rapid prototyping, and design for manufacturing analysis.
- Manufacturing Processes: Deep knowledge of precision assembly processes, and sourcing manufacturing tools, gauges, and fixtures.
Preferred
- Experience with maritime robotics platforms, aerospace, defense, or other high-reliability hardware products.
- Experience with pressure vessels, subsea cable splicing, encapsulation and overmolding.
- Experience working directly with contract manufacturers and electronics suppliers.
- Experience with PCBA manufacturing, testing, and outsourcing.
- Background in high-mix, low-volume manufacturing environments.
- Certified Six Sigma Green Belt or Black Belt.
- Experience managing hardware configurations through Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) systems.
- Familiarity with US defense contracting standards and export regulations (ITAR/EAR).
- Experience developing scalable manufacturing processes in a fast-paced engineering environment
Other
- This position may require up to 10% travel.
- Attendance for this position is Fully Onsite
Pay is based upon candidate experience and qualifications, as well as market and business considerations.
Summary pay range for exempt: $127,000 – $174,900
Liquid Robotics designs and manufactures Wave Gliders®, the first wave and solar powered autonomous ocean robots. With our partners we address many of the planet’s greatest challenges, by transforming how to assess, monitor, and protect the ocean. We solve critical problems for defense, commercial, and science customers.
Visit us at www.liquid-robotics.com to learn more.