Principal Manufacturing Engineer

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:

Verterra is an R&D-driven energy technology company building real hardware that must operate in demanding water environments. As we transition from prototype systems to repeatable builds and early production, we are establishing the manufacturing backbone required to scale reliably. We are seeking a senior-level manufacturing leader who has built production systems end-to-end for complex electromechanical products - not just optimized a workstation within an existing factory.

You will architect and stand up Verterra’s production capability for full-system builds of the Volturnus hydrokinetic turbine. This is whole-system ownership, from beginning to end. You will not be developing the production process for one component of a larger machine - the equivalent of a sensor on an aircraft. You will own how the entire Volturnus gets built: structure, composites, drivetrain, power electronics, controls, final assembly, and end-of-line test.

Very few manufacturing leaders ever get the opportunity to define production for a complete, first-of-its-kind machine from a blank sheet - this is that opportunity. 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.

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• Identify and benchmark companies we can learn from - hardware startups that have made the prototype-to-production leap for complex electromechanical systems (marine energy, eVTOL and…