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Senior Principal Manufacturing Engineer - Full Product Line Development

New Brighton, Minnesota, United States

What We Do at Verterra Energy

At Verterra Energy, we're on a mission to harness the power in the world's rivers, canals and oceans. To accomplish this, we are commercializing our first device called VOLTURNUS, a pioneering water-power technology that deploys in harmony with the current to capture baseline, zero emission electricity.

Backed by top-tier investors and a multi-year government contract, we are growing our founding team to help achieve key milestones. Partners and collaborators include: NIRON, DoD, DoE, University of Minnesota, WEG Group, Beckhoff, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and the US Army Corp of Engineers.

Recent press releases can be found on our website: 

https://www.verterraenergy.com/news

Role Overview

You will architect and stand up Verterra’s production capability for full-system builds.

This includes defining the production strategy, facility layout, assembly flow, tooling, quality systems, supplier integration, test strategy, and ramp plan. You will work cross-functionally with electrical, mechanical, composites, and test engineers to ensure designs are manufacturable and scalable.

This role requires someone who has personally led the transition from engineering builds to structured production and understands the realities of throughput, takt time, yield, rework, supply chain constraints, and cost control.

Core Responsibilities

Production System Architecture

  • Define the end-to-end production strategy for Verterra products
  • Develop facility layout and material flow plans
  • Design scalable assembly sequences and build flow
  • Establish production cell structure and station design
  • Define tooling, fixtures, and required capital equipment

DFM and Cross-Functional Integration

  • Drive design-for-manufacturing reviews across mechanical, electrical, and composite systems
  • Identify design changes required to reduce assembly complexity and variability
  • Ensure tolerances, stack-ups, and interfaces support repeatable builds
  • Work closely with engineering to prevent “prototype-only” thinking

Tooling, Fixtures, and Capital Equipment

  • Specify, design, or oversee development of assembly tooling and production fixtures
  • Define torque strategies, bonding processes, electrical integration processes, etc.
  • Evaluate and select capital equipment required for repeatable production
  • Ensure production tools support safety, ergonomics, and repeatability

Supplier & Production Readiness

  • Develop supplier qualification and incoming quality frameworks
  • Define make-vs-buy strategies
  • Work with suppliers to ensure manufacturability and consistent quality
  • Establish inspection criteria and acceptance standards

Test & Validation in Production

  • Define production test strategy for full-system validation
  • Develop end-of-line test requirements and pass/fail criteria
  • Ensure traceability and documentation standards are implemented
  • Establish rework and failure analysis processes

Ramp & Scale

  • Develop production ramp plans with throughput targets
  • Define labor models and skill requirements
  • Implement quality control systems appropriate for early production
  • Reduce variability and improve yield over time
  • Drive cost reduction initiatives without compromising reliability

Minimum Qualifications

  • 12+ years of manufacturing engineering experience
  • Demonstrated experience leading the setup of a full product manufacturing line from concept through ramp
  • Experience with complex electromechanical products (not just subassemblies or single components)
  • Proven track record transitioning from prototype builds to structured production
  • Deep understanding of production flow, yield, takt time, throughput modeling, and cost drivers
  • Experience designing production tooling and fixtures
  • Experience working cross-functionally with product engineering teams
  • Strong understanding of quality systems and production documentation

Preferred Qualifications

  • Experience in marine, energy, aerospace, heavy equipment, or similar durability-focused industries
  • Experience building production capability inside a startup or early-stage company
  • Experience setting up low-to-mid volume production (not just mass consumer scale)
  • Experience with composite, power electronics, and mechanical system integration
  • Familiarity with ERP/MRP systems and production data tracking

What Success Looks Like

  • Production flow is defined, documented, and executable
  • Assembly variability decreases over time
  • Engineering designs become increasingly manufacturable
  • Tooling and fixtures reduce build time and rework
  • Production ramp occurs without structural quality failures
  • Cost per unit trends downward as throughput increases
  • Verterra moves from “engineering builds” to disciplined production

 

Verterra Energy does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, color, religion, age, national origin, marital status, disability, veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity or any other reason prohibited by law in provision of employment opportunities and benefits.

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