Manufacturing Engineer

Overview

Lightship is the first American all-electric recreational vehicle manufacturer currently developing an aerodynamic, battery-powered trailer for the electric age. As the macro transition to an all-electric transportation ecosystem accelerates, Lightship is bringing the increased convenience and superior performance that electrification offers to a pastime enjoyed by over 11 million American families.

Honoring Diverse Perspectives

Lightship is committed to hiring and developing top talent from diverse backgrounds. We believe representing and supporting diverse groups is key to the success of our team members, customers, shareholders and the achievement of our mission and vision. We operate in a collaborative environment with a flat organizational structure and expect a high degree of integrity, autonomy and creativity from all members of the team.

About the Role

As a Manufacturing Engineer, you'll help build the processes, tooling, and documentation that our production floor runs on, much of which doesn't exist yet in mature form. You'll evaluate how we build vehicles today, design safer, faster, and better ways to do it.

You'll work directly with technicians, peer engineering, and quality to solve real floor problems, then translate those solutions into repeatable processes in the form of work instructions, tooling fixtures, and time standards.

This is an in person, in office role 5 days a week with willingness to work extended hours and weekends when necessary.

Responsibilities

• Interpret engineering drawings and apply manufacturing knowledge to design efficient, high-quality processes, jigs, and workstations
• Select and procure equipment, tools, and fixtures that meet Lightship specifications, balancing near-term need with long-term reliability
• Apply structured problem-solving and process improvement methods (e.g., Lean, Six Sigma) to reduce waste and improve quality
• Support line capacity planning and lead yield improvement projects in collaboration with production and engineering
• Estimate manufacturing costs, determine time standards, and recommend tooling and process requirements
• Investigate quality feedback, drive corrective action, and confirm it holds
• Develop and maintain production documentation (work instructions and test procedures)
• Complete readiness assessments and support successful launches into production
• Provide floor-level troubleshooting support and guidance to production personnel
• Participate in daily standup to keep the team aligned on daily goals

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor of Science in Mechanical, Electrical, Materials, Industrial Engineering, or equivalent practical experience
• 3+ years of experience in a hardware manufacturing environment
• CAD experience for jig, fixture, and workstation design
• Experience building or substantially reworking manufacturing processes, tooling, or documentation
• Ability to read and apply GD&T drawings and technical documents
• Comfortable planning capacity, floor layout, and line balancing
• Solid working knowledge of Google workspace or equivalent tools
• Self-motivated, able to multitask, and thrives under general direction in a fast-paced, ambiguous environment
  Strong interpersonal and cross-functional communication skills

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in automotive, aerospace, or another regulated manufacturing environment
• CATIA preferred CAD experience
• Experience with NPI and transition to production
• Project management experience
• Experience with Atlassian suite of products (Jira / Confluence)
• Experience with facility layout and expansion in a hardware Manufacturing/Production environment
• Experience implementing and troubleshooting MES systems
• Experience with DFM/DFA feedback across complex electro-mechanical systems

Employee Benefits & Philosophy - Applies to Full Time Employees only

• Healthcare, Dental, Vision

• 401k

• Flexible Paid Time Off - that we actually want you to use!

• 13 Company Holidays: 8 throughout the year + the company observes a week of scheduled downtime during the end of the year, allowing all employees to enjoy a break

• 12 weeks paid parental leave

• Yearly LightTrip stipend for an RV trip &/or professional development opportunities

Lightship offers all of its full time employees and their dependents full benefits including health, dental and vision insurance. We are on a mission to create a more healthful all-electric experience for a pastime that millions of families enjoy and believe strongly that our team should not have to worry about quality healthcare for themselves or their loved ones along the way.

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses and identifying potential inconsistencies or verification signals in application materials based on available information. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.