---
title: 'Engineering Development Technician at Vital Lyfe'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/engineering-development-technician-vital-lyfe-los-angeles-mrh4hn1h95qs'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-09-12'
---

# Engineering Development Technician at Vital Lyfe

- **Company:** Vital Lyfe
- **Location:** Los Angeles, CA
- **Compensation:** $34–$38/hr
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Work type:** onsite
- **Posted:** 2026-08-07
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-12
- **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/vital-lyfe/d6009864-101d-49b8-bd1e-f91e790e4821

## Job description

## About Vital Lyfe

Vital Lyfe is a tech company redefining water autonomy through innovation, creating a new category of personal water making technology built to scale where infrastructure can’t. Mission The engineering development technician will be a hands on liaison with engineering, helping to carry out ideas from concept to reality. A strong background in troubleshooting, manufacturing, R&D, and qualification testing is desired. As a development technician, you will also be responsible for supporting engineering on planned and unplanned repairs, modifications, and upgrades of production systems. The ideal candidate is highly skilled in mechanical and electrical disciplines, hands on, flexible, a quick learner, works well in a fast-paced environment, and possesses a can do attitude.

## What You'll Do

- Support production engineering during development and pre-production phases of hardware life-cycles, including building pre-production, qualification, and hardware.
- Assist with transitioning product lines from engineering development to full rate production.
- Support production engineering in the setup and activation of production lines and development and qualification of hardware test setups.
- Support engineering in rework and recovery efforts on non-conforming hardware.
- Support of existing production lines, including tooling fabrication, test rack builds (structure, low voltage, and network), test system maintenance, factory automation projects, and general production improvement projects.
- Build, repair, and rework harnessing to support hardware as well as equipment and development/qualification test assets.
- Provide targeted surge support for company critical production or qualification test efforts.

## What We're Looking For

- AA/BS or US Military or equivalency certificate.
- 3+ years of experience in manufacturing, mechanical builds, equipment assembly/test (or equivalent years of higher education).

## Preferred Qualifications

- Experience working with engineers in development and production environments.
- Able to work independently and problem solve efficiently with minimal supervision.
- Positive attitude and able to work well on a team.
- Willingness to provide constructive feedback to the engineering and production teams to improve tooling designs, processes and parts.
- Able to stay organized with strong attention to detail.
- Able to read and interpret wiring schematics and assembly drawings.
- Proficient with Microsoft Excel, Word, and PowerPoint.

Additional Requirements

- Must be willing to work all shifts, over-time, and weekends as needed.

Physical Job Requirements - Essential Functions

- Hands on work on development hardware.
- Must be able to lift 50 lbs. unassisted.
- Hands on work on development hardware.
- Long periods of standing, crouching, walking.
- Must be able to climb ladders and be comfortable working in tight spaces.
- Must be able to move repetitively, bend or twist, and use hands to handle, control, or feel objects, tools or controls.

Why Join Vital Lyfe?

- Work on high-impact problems with global relevance.
- Help scale breakthrough technology in water security and climate resilience.
- Early ownership in a high-growth, engineering-led startup.
- Join a tight-knit, mission-driven team in a fast-paced environment.
- Build long-term career equity as we grow.

Location Requirement: Ability to work 100% onsite in Torrance, CA (remote or hybrid work will not be considered)

Vital Lyfe is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with Vital Lyfe is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.

## About Vital Lyfe

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Vital Lyfe is a climate technology company building portable, aerospace-grade water purification systems that turn any naturally occurring water source—including saltwater—into clean drinking water on demand.
- **Entity Type**: Private (Seed stage; total funding $42.1M)
- **Headquarters**: Hawthorne, California, United States
- **Founded**: 2024
- **Founders**: Jon C. (CEO) and Andrew Harner (COO)

## Core Business
- **Primary industry/industries**: Climate Technology Product Manufacturing, Water Purification
- **Target customers**: B2C (outdoor enthusiasts, emergency preparedness, off-grid living), B2B (disaster relief organizations, military, remote operations), and potentially B2G (government/municipal infrastructure alternatives)
- **Mission or purpose statement**: “Rewriting how the world thinks about water” by creating a platform for water autonomy—personal water-making technology that scales where infrastructure can’t.

## Products & Services
- **[Access]**: A portable, intuitive device that uses a simple three-step process (place hose in water → press start → hydrate) to purify water from any natural source, including ocean water. Type: Hardware (personal water-maker) with an integrated platform for monitoring and reliability.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not disclosed
- **Key Metric**: Total funding of **$42.1M** across four rounds (Pre-Seed led by Cantos; Seed rounds led by Interlagos Capital and General Catalyst, including $18M in December 2025 and $6M debt financing)
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: Cantos, Interlagos Capital, General Catalyst
- **Growth Signals**: Headcount grew **1000% YoY** to 29 employees; LinkedIn followers up 440% yearly; website traffic surged 747% yearly; currently has 5 active job postings and has opened pre-orders for its first product.

## Competitive Advantages
- **Aerospace-grade engineering** applied to consumer water purification—founders and early team include alumni from SpaceX and other aerospace/defense firms.
- **Field-tested simplicity**: The device requires no complex installation or logistics, enabling water autonomy anywhere.
- **Platform approach**: Not just a single product but a scalable platform designed for solo missions, everyday readiness, and large-scale deployment.
- **First-mover in a new category**: Personal water-making that works with saltwater, addressing the 70% of Earth’s surface previously out of reach for portable purification.

## Strategic Focus
- Scaling manufacturing and reducing unit cost to make water autonomy accessible globally.
- Expanding use cases from individual outdoor/adventure to disaster relief, military operations, and off-grid communities.
- Building a brand around “liberation” and independence from fixed water infrastructure.

## Why Work Here
- **Culture**: Described as “engineering liberation”—a mission-driven environment where employees push boundaries and reimagine essential resources. The team is heavily technical (39% in engineering/technical roles) and includes alumni from SpaceX, L3Harris, and other advanced engineering companies.
- **Remote/Hybrid/Office**: Offices in Hawthorne, CA (HQ) and Long Beach, CA. Likely on-site given the hardware and manufacturing focus, but roles may offer flexibility.
- **Notable Perks**: Competitive salary, equity, 401K, health/vision/dental insurance, paid holidays, cellphone & internet stipend, referral bonus, team outings, meals & snacks, EV charging station, spot bonuses.
- **Growth Opportunity**: With 29 employees and rapid scaling, new hires will have significant impact and ownership from day one.

## Sources
1. [vital-lyfe.com](https://www.vital-lyfe.com/)
2. [vital-lyfe.com/about](https://www.vital-lyfe.com/about)
3. [vital-lyfe.com/careers](https://www.vital-lyfe.com/careers)
4. [jobs.ashbyhq.com/vital-lyfe](https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/vital-lyfe)
5. [linkedin.com/company/vital-lyfe](https://www.linkedin.com/company/vital-lyfe)

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