
Staff Engineer, Manufacturing
Sila Nanotechnologies · Alameda, CA
- Level
- Senior
- Team
- Manufacturing
- Degree
- Required
- Experience asked
- 7+ years
- Industry
- Automotive
- Posted
- Yesterday
The role in 30 seconds
A senior manufacturing role at Sila Nanotechnologies (automotive) in Alameda, CA. BS in mechanical engineering (preferred) or a similar engineering field.
- They ask for
- 7+ years · degree required
- Tools it names
- SPC, GD&T, Automation, Painting / coating, Tooling
Read from the posting. The full description is below.
From the plant jobs report · week of November 2, 2026
Manufacturing Engineer roles in California: typical posted base $114k–$168k.
Median of the low and high ends of 138 live postings that list pay, out of 369 manufacturing engineer openings in California, read from manufacturers' own careers sites.
California plant jobs report →Pay by team and state →What moves pay →
How this role compares
Against 368 other live manufacturing postings in California.
- Base pay
- Not listed in this posting
- Experience asked
- More than usual (7+ vs 5+)
Typical $110k–$159k, from 121 postings that list pay.
Similar roles usually ask 5+ years.
Skills these teams ask for most
- ✓ Tooling 52%
- New product launch 50%
- Root cause 40%
- ✓ Automation 36%
- CATIA / NX 28%
- Machining 27%
✓ = this posting asks for it too. % = share of similar postings that mention it.
Stands out: this posting asks for SPC, Painting / coating, which few similar roles mention. If you have it, lead with it.
At a glance
Pulled from the posting text. If it's not listed here, the posting didn't say.
How to get in at this plant
Five moves over a week or two. The first one takes ten minutes.
- 1
Pick 2–3 people on the Manufacturing team at Sila Nanotechnologies
We found 2 people at this company and state: 2 leaders. Engineers who joined in the last year or two reply the most. See them ↓
- 2
Send a short, curious note
One real question about their work. No favors yet. Each person gets a different note, written for this role.
Write to Kate → (free) - 3
Turn a reply into a short call
Questions worth asking about this team:
- What does a normal week look like on your team?
- Is the work mostly new product launches or sustaining existing lines?
- How much time do you spend on the floor versus at a desk?
- How did you land the job? What stood out in your interviews?
- 4
Apply with someone vouching for you
If the call went well, ask whether they’d pass your résumé to the hiring manager. Send your résumé link, apply that day, and let them know.
- 5
Bring proof to the interview
One page of before-and-after numbers from projects you led: scrap, OEE, cycle time, cost. Plant managers hire on results.
This plant: Sila Nanotechnologies in Alameda
9 other open roles at this site · 2 people we found in manufacturing roles at Sila Nanotechnologies.
- Staff Engineer, Process Controls · Controls · Senior
- Principal Engineering Technician I, Development · Manufacturing · Senior
- Director, Battery Engineering · Manufacturing · Director+
- Pilot Production Manager · Production · Manager
- Staff Instrumentation & Controls Engineer, Capital Projects · Controls · Senior
- Quality Technician (Contractor) · Quality · Technician
Full description from Sila NanotechnologiesAs posted on their careers site.ShowHide
Who You Are
You are a hands-on engineer with extensive experience in developing new manufacturing equipment and processes. You will leverage your deep technical expertise in equipment, process, and manufacturing to solve interdisciplinary problems on our pilot manufacturing line. You will lead projects to continuously improve throughput, performance and safety, ensuring that our team can consistently meet the demands for quality and quantity of our battery materials. You will help lead operations for our pilot line, working closely with a committed team of process engineers, equipment engineers, technicians, and scientists. You will architect, design, and commission first-of-a-kind manufacturing systems, translating core process chemistry and pilot processes into commercial-ready manufacturing technologies. You will collaborate closely with scientists, process engineers, and external equipment integrators to develop scalable equipment roadmaps, de-risk unit operations, and establish manufacturing platforms that enable the commercialization of our battery materials.
and Duties
- ◆Provide day-to-day technical support for manufacturing equipment and processes on our pilot manufacturing line. Embrace firefighting, analyzing, and addressing each day's operational challenges enthusiastically and rigorously.
- ◆Continuously improve and sustain the pilot manufacturing line by executing on projects that improve process throughput, equipment reliability, performance, and safety.
- ◆Spearhead the scaling of core synthesis, coating, thermal, and material handling processes from bench/lab scale to pilot and high-volume manufacturing lines.
- ◆Develop equipment concepts, 3D CAD models, detailed drawings (GD&T), sizing calculations, and functional specifications for custom automated equipment.
- ◆Act as the technical lead for contract manufacturing transfers; ensure all critical-to-quality (CTQ) process parameters are systematically mapped to vendor equipment specifications, tooling capabilities, and automation architectures.
Knowledge and Skill
Requirements
- ✓Minimum 7 years of work experience in a manufacturing environment (or fewer for candidates with an advanced degree)
- ✓BS in mechanical engineering (preferred) or a similar engineering field.
- ✓Strong equipment design principles with advanced proficiency in 3D CAD modeling, drawing standards (GD&T), tolerance stack-up analysis, and mechanical component sizing (actuators, pumps, gearboxes, vacuum/pressure vessels).
- ✓Demonstrated technical understanding of complex production equipment and processes. Ability to independently troubleshoot, problem solve, analyze data and manage controls charts (SPC). Experience with leveraging statistical software to analyze experimental data, identify trends, and drive data-backed decisions.
- ✓Proven track record of managing turn-key equipment builders and custom automation vendors from initial scope through FAT, SAT, and commissioning.
- ✓Can effectively manage multiple responsibilities, is self-motivated and can work autonomously with minimal guidance; comfortable with ambiguity and proactive about creating workflows and manufacturing process structure.
Show full description ↓Show less ↑
About Us
We are Sila, a next-generation battery materials company. Our mission is to power the world’s transition to clean energy. To create this future, our team is building a better lithium-ion battery from the inside out today. We engineer and manufacture ground-breaking battery materials that significantly increase the energy density of batteries, while reducing their size and weight. The result? Smaller more powerful batteries that can unlock innovation in consumer devices and accelerate the mass adoption of electric cars to eliminate our dependence on fossil fuels. We're tackling one of the biggest challenges of our time every day, and together we're redefining what's possible. Are you ready to be a part of a team committed to changing the world?
Physical Demands and Working Conditions
- •Pass a respirator fit test and be able to wear respiratory protection on a periodic basis
- •Wear personal protective equipment including, but not limited to, a lab coat, gloves, safety glasses, and steel toe safety shoes
- •Move items up to 50 lbs with the assistance of lift equipment and carts
- •Move long distances (such as from building to building)
Working at Sila
