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Mechanical Product Engineer information

See California salary details

$50.3K

$90.1K

$123.4K

How much do mechanical product engineer jobs pay per year?

As of May 28, 2026, the average yearly pay for mechanical product engineer in California is $90,087.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $79,000.00 and $98,200.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a Mechanical Product Engineer, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Mechanical Product Engineer, you need a solid background in mechanical engineering, product design, and manufacturing processes, usually supported by a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering or a related field. Familiarity with CAD software (such as SolidWorks or AutoCAD), finite element analysis tools, and product lifecycle management systems is essential. Strong problem-solving abilities, teamwork, and effective communication skills help you collaborate across multidisciplinary teams and address design challenges. These competencies ensure the successful development, optimization, and delivery of high-quality mechanical products in a competitive market.

What are some common challenges Mechanical Product Engineers face when moving a design from prototype to mass production?

Mechanical Product Engineers often encounter challenges such as ensuring manufacturability at scale, maintaining quality standards, and managing cost constraints when transitioning from prototype to full production. They must work closely with suppliers, manufacturing teams, and quality assurance to address issues like material sourcing, tooling limitations, and assembly processes. Effective communication and problem-solving skills are crucial to adapt designs for efficient production while meeting performance requirements and deadlines.

What are Mechanical Product Engineers?

Mechanical Product Engineers are professionals who design, develop, and improve mechanical products, systems, and components. They use principles of engineering, physics, and materials science to create products that are functional, reliable, and efficient. Their work often involves using computer-aided design (CAD) software, prototyping, and testing to ensure products meet technical specifications and safety standards. Mechanical Product Engineers collaborate with other teams such as manufacturing, quality assurance, and marketing throughout the product lifecycle. They play a critical role in bringing innovative mechanical products from concept to market.

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

AspectMechanical Product EngineerMechanical Design Engineer
Primary FocusDeveloping, testing, and improving mechanical products for manufacturing and market releaseCreating detailed designs and specifications for mechanical components and systems
Work EnvironmentProduct development teams, manufacturing settings, cross-functional collaborationDesign studios, CAD environments, engineering departments
Required CredentialsBachelor's in Mechanical Engineering, CAD skills, product development experienceBachelor's in Mechanical Engineering, CAD proficiency, design experience

Mechanical Product Engineers focus on bringing mechanical products from concept to production, emphasizing testing and manufacturing. Mechanical Design Engineers concentrate on creating detailed designs and specifications. Both roles require similar credentials and often collaborate during product development, but their core responsibilities differ in focus and daily tasks.

What are popular job titles related to Mechanical Product Engineer jobs in California? For Mechanical Product Engineer jobs in California, the most frequently searched job titles are:
What job categories do people searching Mechanical Product Engineer jobs in California look for? The top searched job categories for Mechanical Product Engineer jobs in California are:
What cities in California are hiring for Mechanical Product Engineer jobs? Cities in California with the most Mechanical Product Engineer job openings:
What are popular job titles related to Mechanical Product Engineer jobs in CA? For Mechanical Product Engineer jobs in CA, the most frequently searched job titles are:
Mechanical Product Engineer jobs near you
Infographic showing various Mechanical Product Engineer job openings in California as of May 2026, with employment types broken down into 68% Full Time, 28% Part Time, 1% Temporary, and 3% Contract. Highlights an 85% Physical, 4% Hybrid, and 11% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $90,087 per year, or $43.3 per hour.

Mechanical/Product/Manufacturing/Materials Engineer

Elve Inc

Davis, CA • On-site

$85K - $150K/yr

Full-time

Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, PTO

Posted 13 days ago

Job description

Who is Elve?

Elve, Inc is a deep-tech startup in Davis, CA, specializing in the design and manufacturing of high-efficiency lightweight millimeter-wave and near-THz RF power amplifiers. Our groundbreaking technology enables 100x faster wireless internet access in urban settings and remote locations, revolutionizing the future of wireless connectivity well beyond 5G. We are looking for mechanical engineers to join our team and contribute to the advancement of our technology, products, and manufacturing. If you are passionate about RF electronics, precision assembly, manufacturing, automation, and working on cutting-edge technology, then we want to hear from you!

Position Summary

Elve is building next generation millimeter-wave power amplifiers for advanced communications and sensing systems. We are hiring several mechanical engineers across manufacturing, engineering, and product development who enjoy solving hardware problems and improving how products are built.

Mechanical engineers at Elve own projects that improve both product performance and manufacturing capability. You will work closely with production, engineering, and supply chain teams. 

This role requires both strong mechanical design capability and hands-on engineering. Successful candidates are comfortable moving between CAD, prototype hardware, manufacturing equipment, and engineering analysis.

Because Elve is a small and fast-moving company, engineers have the opportunity to own projects end-to-end from concept through production implementation. The goal of this position is to drive measurable improvements in throughput, yield, product performance, and manufacturing scalability.

This is a full-time salaried position.

Key Responsibilities
  • Design, build, test, and implement real hardware systems, including:
    • Product designs and assembly processes to improve reliability, performance, and manufacturability
    • Fixtures, tooling, and automation solutions to improve manufacturing throughput, quality, and yield
    • Engineering test stands and production equipment
  • Apply DFMA principles to component and assembly designs
  • Qualify assemblies for space or other demanding environments
  • Own product initiation and improvements from ideation to deployment in production
Work Environment

Work may occur in a combination of the following environments:

  • Manufacturing facility
  • ISO 5-ISO 7 cleanroom
  • Laboratory
  • Machine shop
  • Warehouse
  • Office

Requirements

Required Qualifications
  • 3+ years of experience in relevant roles in a commercial setting
  • Experience using 3D CAD software and PDM tools such as SolidWorks
  • Experience creating dimensioned drawings and applying GD&T
  • Strong mechanical engineering fundamentals
  • Strong materials fundamentals
  • Hands-on experience designing, building, debugging, or modifying mechanical parts,  assemblies, and systems
  • Strong problem solving skills in product development or manufacturing environments
  • Ability to drive engineering projects from concept through implementation
  • Strong communication skills and ability to collaborate across teams, including manufacturing
  • Self-motivated and detail oriented
  • To conform to U.S. Government export regulations (EAR), candidates must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, protected individual, or otherwise eligible to obtain required authorization.
Preferred Qualifications

Candidates with experience in several of the following will stand out:

  • Designing fixtures, tooling, production equipment, and automated manufacturing
  • Implementing manufacturing process improvements
  • Applying measurement and metrology tools
  • Applying DFMA principles to product design and collaborating with supply chain to improve manufacturability of components
  • Precision mechanical systems or tight-tolerance manufacturing
  • Modeling and analyzing vibration, shock, and thermal behavior (including FEA & CFD)
  • Ultra High Vacuum systems, welding, brazing, or high temperature joining processes
  • Designing and qualifying mechanical assemblies for space and other extreme environments
  • Working in a machine shop
  • Leading cross-functional teams
  • Interfacing with customers
  • In fast-moving venture-backed companies

Benefits

Benefits Include:

  • The salary range for this position is $85,000 to $150,000 annually
  • Health benefits (medical, dental, vision)
  • Vacation
  • A taste of the start-up life
  • Exposure to cutting-edge technology in vacuum electronics, materials science, and additive manufacturing
What it's like to work at Elve

We are an expanding team, on a mission to bring the next generation of high-speed wireless connectivity to a billion people worldwide. That kind of impact is not going to be achieved with incremental improvements- we are gunning for orders of magnitude advances in production capability, cost, size, and power in the mm-wave RF amplifier market. We work really hard, make sure we get good sleep, we handle conflict intentionally, and we expect great things from each other.

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