Manufacturing Production Engineer

Employer description

Peak Energy 

Job Title: Manufacturing Production Engineer 

Location: Sacramento, CA 

Department: Manufacturing Engineering 

Reports To: Senior Director of Manufacturing

Position Type: Full-time 

About Peak Energy 

Peak Energy is the first American venture to advance globally proven sodium-ion battery systems as the storage standard for the new era of renewable energy on a resilient grid.  

Sodium-ion is cheap, readily available, and safe — making it the leading contender in a rapidly evolving market.  

Our leadership team is powered by decades of expertise in scaling gigawatt-level innovation at world-class companies such as Tesla, Northvolt, Apple, Powin, Enovix, Zipline, Solid Power, SunPower, and Fluence. We are backed by strategic investment and product partners including TDK Ventures, Eclipse Ventures, and GM Ventures.  

We recently announced America's first sodium-ion grid storage factory in Sacramento with production starting Q1 2027, and over $1B in signed customer commitments including Jupiter Power and Energy Vault. 

About the Role – Manufacturing Production Engineer 

Peak Energy is seeking a Manufacturing Production Engineer to support day-to-day production at our Sacramento factory. This role sits between process engineering and equipment sustaining. You will be on the floor, troubleshooting equipment and process issues in real time, working with production to improve OEE, and driving mechanical and process improvements on the machines and lines you own. 

What You’ll Do (Responsibilities) 

Troubleshooting & Production Support 

• Serve as a front-line technical responder for equipment downtime and process disruptions on the production floor, coordinating with maintenance teams.  
• Drive root cause analysis on equipment and process failures and own corrective and preventive actions through closure across mechanical, pneumatic, and electrical scopes.
• Build out and maintain equipment documentation: PM schedules, spare parts lists, troubleshooting guides, and work instructions.
• Manage spare parts inventory and vendor relationships for critical equipment components.
• Partner daily with production supervisors and operators to track and improve OEE (availability, performance, and yield) through improvement projects. 

Process & Mechanical Improvement 

• Design and implement engineering changes to tooling, fixtures, and equipment to improve reliability, safety, ergonomics, or throughput.
• Write and maintain PFMEAs, control plans, and standard work in support of process changes.
• Participate in DFM/DFA reviews and feed floor-level issues back to design engineering.
• Coordinate with quality engineering on nonconformances tied to equipment or process issues.
• Scope, quote, and justify small capital projects for equipment upgrades or replacements in addition to continuous improvement projects (kaizen, 5S, and similar).
• Train operators and technicians on new equipment, tooling, and process changes.
• Support changeover reduction and cycle time improvement efforts on assigned lines or machines. 

 What You’ll Bring (Qualifications) 

• Bachelor's degree in a technical field (Mechanical, Electrical, Manufacturing, Industrial Engineering, or similar), or equivalent practical experience in a manufacturing/production environment. 
• 5+ years of experience working on the production floor around industrial equipment, robotics, and automated systems.
• Strong mechanical aptitude and hands-on troubleshooting ability.
• Working knowledge of manufacturing processes and equipment.
• Ability to read mechanical drawings and basic pneumatic/electrical schematics.
• Strong verbal communication, written communication, and data visualization skills using Microsoft Office suite (Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint primarily). 

Preferred Qualifications: 

• Experience in automotive, EV, battery, aerospace, or other high-volume regulated manufacturing.
• Experience with OEE and SPC chart tracking, improvement methodologies (lean manufacturing, Six Sigma), and basic statistical analysis.
• Experience troubleshooting PLC-based automation systems (Allen-Bradley, Siemens, Beckhoff, or similar) or interest in learning.
• Experience with robotic work cells (Fanuc is a plus) or interest in learning.
• Experience with laser welding systems (Trumpf, IPG) or interest in learning.
• Experience with two-part adhesive/potting/dispense systems (Nordson, Graco, or similar) or interest in learning.
• Experience with PFMEA, control plans, and root cause tools (5-Why, fishbone, 8D).
• CAD experience (SolidWorks, AutoCAD, CATIA) for tooling and fixture design.
• Experience supporting new equipment installation and commissioning (FAT/SAT).
• Familiarity with machine safety standards.
• Prior experience in a startup...