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Manufacturing Design Engineer Jobs in California

Hark

Manufacturing Design Engineer

San Jose, CA · On-site

$150K - $300K/yr

About the Role We are looking for an incredible Manufacturing Design Engineer to bridge the gap between design intent and the physical product at Hark. You will work with ID and PD, ensuring that ...

Hark

Manufacturing Design Engineer

San Jose, CA · On-site

$150K - $300K/yr

About the Role We are looking for an incredible Manufacturing Design Engineer to bridge the gap between design intent and the physical product at Hark. You will work with ID and PD, ensuring that ...

Socket.dev

Manufacturing Design Engineer

Torrance, CA · On-site

$113 - $157/hr

What you will be doing As a Manufacturing Design Engineer, you will play a key role in bringing complex hardware products from concept to high-volume production. You will work across Engineering ...

Orbotech

Manufacturing Design Engineer

San Diego, CA · On-site

$75K - $127K/yr

Interface with Design Engineering for the release of New Product into Manufacturing. Participate in design review and help to test prototype units. * Read and interpret drawings, schematics, and ...

S27a

Manufacturing Design Engineer

San Francisco, CA · On-site

$110 - $170/hr

You hold a Bachelor's degree (or are a talented dropout) in Mechanical, Manufacturing, or Mechatronics Engineering, or a related field. * You're proficient in CAD (Onshape, NX, SolidWorks) and ...

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All JobsManufacturing Design Engineer JobsManufacturing Design Engineer Jobs in California

Manufacturing Design Engineer information

See California salary details

$44.9K

$85K

$134.2K

How much do manufacturing design engineer jobs pay per year?

As of Sep 5, 2026, the average yearly pay for manufacturing design engineer in California is $85,020.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $69,100.00 and $98,700.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is a manufacturing design engineer?

A Manufacturing Design Engineer is a professional who designs, develops, and optimizes manufacturing processes and equipment to efficiently produce products. They work closely with product designers, engineers, and production teams to ensure that products are manufacturable, cost-effective, and meet quality standards. Their role often involves selecting materials, designing tools and fixtures, and troubleshooting production issues. Manufacturing Design Engineers play a key role in improving productivity, reducing waste, and implementing new technologies in the manufacturing process.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a manufacturing design engineer, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Manufacturing Design Engineer, you need expertise in mechanical design, manufacturing processes, and a relevant engineering degree. Proficiency with CAD software (such as SolidWorks or AutoCAD), familiarity with ERP systems, and certifications like Six Sigma or Lean Manufacturing are typically beneficial. Strong problem-solving abilities, attention to detail, and effective communication skills help you collaborate and innovate within cross-functional teams. These skills and qualifications are crucial for developing efficient, high-quality production solutions and driving continuous improvement in manufacturing environments.

How does a manufacturing design engineer typically collaborate with production and quality teams during a new product launch?

Manufacturing Design Engineers work closely with production and quality teams throughout the new product launch process. They ensure that designs are optimized for manufacturability, facilitate prototype testing, and address any issues that arise on the production floor. Regular meetings and feedback loops help refine processes and resolve design or quality challenges quickly. Effective communication and teamwork are essential for delivering products that meet both performance and quality standards.

What is the difference between Manufacturing Design Engineer vs Mechanical Design Engineer?

AspectManufacturing Design EngineerMechanical Design Engineer
Primary FocusDesigning manufacturing processes and equipmentDesigning mechanical components and systems
Work EnvironmentFactories, production lines, manufacturing plantsDesign offices, R&D labs, engineering departments
Required CredentialsBachelor's in Manufacturing, Mechanical Engineering or related; certifications like Six SigmaBachelor's in Mechanical Engineering; often similar certifications
Industry UsageManufacturing, industrial production, automotiveProduct design, machinery, aerospace, automotive

Manufacturing Design Engineers focus on developing manufacturing processes and equipment to optimize production, while Mechanical Design Engineers concentrate on creating mechanical parts and systems. Both roles require similar educational backgrounds and certifications but differ in their primary responsibilities and work environments.

What are popular job titles related to Manufacturing Design Engineer jobs in California?

For Manufacturing Design Engineer jobs in California, the most frequently searched job titles are:

What job categories do people searching Manufacturing Design Engineer jobs in California look for?

The top searched job categories for Manufacturing Design Engineer jobs in California are:

What cities in California are hiring for Manufacturing Design Engineer jobs?

Cities in California with the most Manufacturing Design Engineer job openings:

What are popular job titles related to Manufacturing Design Engineer jobs in CA?

For Manufacturing Design Engineer jobs in CA, the most frequently searched job titles are:

Manufacturing Design Engineer jobs near you
Infographic showing various Manufacturing Design Engineer job openings in California as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 88% Full Time, 10% Part Time, and 2% Contract. Highlights an 85% Physical, 4% Hybrid, and 11% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $85,020 per year, or $40.9 per hour.

Manufacturing Design Engineer

Orion Sleep

San Francisco, CA • On-site

$90 - $130/hr

Other

Posted 15 days ago

Job description

About the Role

We're looking for a Manufacturing Design Engineer to own the ongoing quality and process health of our Gen 1 product. This role is end-to-end: you identify the problem, run the failure analysis, design the fix, validate it, and close the loop in production. You'll be splitting time between our SF office and our manufacturing partners in China, and you'll be the single point of accountability for sustaining changes, vendor process improvements, and production tooling across our FATP and Tier 2 supply chain. This role requires being a design and manufacturing engineer.

What You'll Own

  • Own the full sustaining change lifecycle: problem identification → failure analysis → corrective action → design → validation → production implementation

  • Design mechanical components as needed - injection molded plastics, sheet metal, and similar - to resolve field failures or address process gaps

  • Drive process improvements at FATP and Tier 2 vendors, including designing, reviewing, and implementing testers, fixtures, and jigs for IQC, IPQC, and OQC stations

  • Use production yield data, field return rates, and process metrics to build data-driven justifications for specific design and process changes - you quantify problems before proposing solutions

  • Set up and run workbench experiments and DOEs to evaluate corrective actions, including thermal, mechanical, and process-level characterizations

  • Work directly and on-site with manufacturing vendors in China to root cause failures, improve process consistency, and qualify changes

  • Own part lifecycle and change management: define rollout timelines, coordinate across supply chain, and ensure changes land cleanly in production

  • Analyze customer returns and field data to drive prioritization

What We're Looking For

  • 3+ years of mechanical engineering experience with meaningful time in a manufacturing or sustaining role - not just NPI

  • Strong mechanical design skills across injection molded plastics, sheet metal, and production tooling including test fixtures, jigs, and functional testers

  • Demonstrated ability to use data to drive decisions: yield trends, SPC, field return analysis, or similar - you can look at a dataset and know what it's telling you and what to do about it

  • Hands-on experience working with FATP and Tier 2 contract manufacturers, ideally in Asia

  • Comfortable building quick experiments: setting up test rigs, instrumenting assemblies, running DOEs, interpreting results

  • Strong failure analysis instincts - you form hypotheses, design tests, and reach defensible conclusions

  • Experienced in ECO and change management processes - you understand the downstream implications of a change and plan rollouts accordingly

  • Willingness to travel to China regularly (estimated 30-40% of time)

  • Proficient in CAD (we use Onshape)

  • Fluent in English; Mandarin fluency is a significant advantage and strongly preferred

Why This Role

Manufacturing Design Engineering here is a critical role to achieving scale at speed. You will single-handedly bridge the gap between NPI and Operations. Your fingerprints will be on yield improvements, field return reductions, and manufacturing industrialization. If you want ownership and direct impact on a physical product in production, this is it.

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