Production Engineer

Posted by GRAYL on 08/28/2024

Job Basics

Industry Sector: Fishing, Hunting/Shooting, Outdoor

Job Categories: Design - Engineer, Materials, Sourcing

Company Type: Accessories, HardGoods/Equipment, TravelandTourism

State: WA

City: Seattle

Country: United States

Required Experience: 5 - 7 years

Contact Name: Travis Merrigan

Job Type: Full Time

Salary: $90-95,000

Required to Relocate: Yes

Required to Travel: Yes

Employee May Telecommute: No

Job Seeker Must Live Within: 50+ miles

Job Description & Requirements

Job Summary:

Grayl is looking for a talented,  enthusiastic and collaborative Production Engineer to join our small but mighty product development team. The production engineer works with manufacturers on three continents to ensure Grayl’s premium products are built to the highest quality: within tolerance, on-scope, on-time and with that extra Grayl magic. Our Production Engineer works as a technical expert supporting all aspects of pre-production and manufacturing: CAD and documentation, tooling and first article analysis, testing and QA. They will help guide new product development turning prototypes into production-ready products, with primary oversight of production documentation. Although primarily focused on the end of the process, the production engineer contributes ideas and elbow grease to all aspects of product development: ideation, R&D, prototyping, product design and logistics - all of us are smarter than any of us.

 

This is a hybrid (most-days-at-home) position. Requires 30-50/year full-day meetings at Grayl HQ. The ideal candidate resides in the Greater Seattle area. The job requires up to 6 weeks per year of travel to our manufacturing centers in the USA, Europe and Asia.  

 

We believe Grayl is the best employer in our industry. We support our employees' passions with a super flexible work schedule, great benefits including a company bonus and awesome insurance plan. Plus, our stock option program makes you an owern in a fast growing company. In exchange, you give us your all while you’re working, plus be an awesome human to your colleagues and yourself.

 

Key Responsibilities:

Pre-Production: collaborate towards excellence across these steps: 

• • Responsible for design-for-manufacturing (DFM), moving concepts from proof of concept to production ready, and ensuring industry-leading build quality. 

  • Negotiate with manufacturing partners the costing of tooling, samples and unit-cost

  • Collaborate with R&D engineers and designers to dial in aesthetic and functional aspects throughout development and pre-production

  • Review pre-production samples, perform tooling Verification and Validation analysis, maintain and communicate Shared Issues list with factories

  • Create and oversee test plans, identification of critical dimensions, FMEA

  • Communicate internally and achieve phase-gate approval

Production

• • Approve production tooling, maintain golden samples

  • Using Onshape CAD and PDM, build/maintain critical documents: CAD, flat drawings, product specs, BOMs, etc.

  • Assist factories in troubleshooting production challenges, root cause analysis, and implementing process improvements 

  • Testing & validation at all stages of pre-production

Product Data Management

• • Sync all technical docs with factories: SKU, CAD. Maintain all product data in a secure, centralize system

  • Ensure every change to every part is tracked, including versioning, traceability and communication with production partners.

  • Provide product access to colleagues as required

Quality Planning

• • Provide high value as part of a team that optimizes product quality throughout the whole product lifecycle. Quality assurance is work that never finishes and Grayl takes QA very seriously.

  • Provide the QA/QC Director with necessary drawings, dimensions, and tolerances as needed to keep inspection checklists up to date

  • Establish product specs and tolerances and ensure the manufacturer builds to them

  • Work with QA/QC Director and help identify and agree on all engineered components by which QA/QC will hold manufacturing partners responsible to meet specs.

  • Lead efforts and communications to correct factories on technical issues flagged during production runs and QA/QC inspections as requested by QA/QC Director.  Work with QA/QC Director for final resolution sign off.

  • Work with the factories to design and validate inspection jigs needed to ensure critical dimensions and tolerances are met during production.

  • Oversee QA/QC Program for Media Testing

    • Coordinate, review, and approve all media testing results

    • Lead factory and lab communications

    • Maintain database of test results

    • Develop and Implement QA/QC test plans for new media with support from PD and QA/QC teams 

    • Communicate re-tests or larger issues to QA/QC Director

    • Manage Lab Testing costing and submit invoices for payment

• Hands-on Analysis: Perform in-depth analysis of rough prototypes, 3D prints, pre-production prototypes and production run samples. Analyze, share findings, make improvements.

• Organization: Maintain highly organized files of all CAD Files, QA, BOMs and budget documents. Manage Supply Chain Map, materials compliance, regulations, etc

• Travel: Domestic and international travel, as required

Be Awesome

• • Be a rad teammate: Be respectful towards colleagues, bring stoke and joy to your work and play, and help create conditions where all can thrive. Contribute knowledge and ideas as part of a creative team building dope new shit.

  • Be an excellent human: Do what you say. Do hard things cheerfully. Be humble and help others succeed. Exude joy and pride for products we create together.

  • Be good to yourself: Work hard, play hard. Give back to causes you care about. Have fun at work and especially in your free time.

• Communications across time zones and cultures: Establish and maintain strong relationships with GRAYL's trusted and valued manufacturing partners overseas, to deliver new products for our growing line of personal water purifiers.

  • Cross cultural and language communication skills a must

  • Management of production across time zones and oceans

  • Frequent domestic and international travel required

• Passion for Product: Motivated to help build cutting-edge products and new technologies, and for the finer details to go from good to great.

• Collaboration: Collaborate with a diverse team of product developers, sales, and logistics

 

Additional Responsibilities

• Other duties and activities as assigned, this job description is not to be considered all-inclusive.

• Pitch in on special projects and roll-up your sleevesk. You could be assembling/staffing a booth at a consumer trade show in the mountains or helping to prepare the office for a non-profit partner event.

• Participate in regular one-on-one, staff, and training meetings as scheduled.

• Ability to use/learn OnShape (substantially similar to Solidworks, better in several important ways). Solidworks users need to switch enthusiastically.

 

Competencies

• Teamwork. Be trustworthy. Treat others with respect. Help others learn and grow.

• Communication. Be timely and concise in relaying information. Be aware of different communication styles and adapt for greater understanding.

• Change. Be nimble, never cynical. Embrace technology, challenges, and change.

• Judgment. Say and do the right thing. Include the right people in the right conversations.

• Time management. Use time wisely and efficiently.

• Self-review. Always look for ways to grow and improve.

• Innovation. Continually review systems and processes for better ways to reach goals.

About GRAYL

Seattle-based GRAYL® makes innovative water purifiers for international travelers and outdoor explorers so their adventures can be safe, self-reliant and awe inspiring. We are brand focused, quality obsessed and prioritize taking care of our customers. Since 2013 GRAYL purifiers have hydrated more than a million adventurers. GRAYL believes the greatest moments of life occur when one moves beyond their comfort zone, takes risks, builds connections with different cultures. GRAYL is distributed world-wide and is a member of 1% for the Planet® contributing a portion of every sale to non-profit organizations that protect and preserve the natural environment.