Lead Manufacturing Engineer

Polar Dive USA is a cold-plunge startup in Miami building high-performance, compact water chillers. We have a working prototype, a product line already selling, and a market that's growing fast. Now we're building our first production facility in the Hialeah/Medley area to take this from small-batch to scaled manufacturing.

This is a founding role for someone who builds things. You'll be the first hire on the production floor, working directly with the founder to reverse-engineer our prototype, stand up the assembly line, and lead the team that produces thousands of units.

If you've spent your career in HVAC, refrigeration, or chiller manufacturing and you've been waiting for the right opportunity to get in on the ground floor of something, this is it.

Reverse-Engineer & Document — Tear down our current prototype, build out the Bill of Materials, source components (compressors, heat exchangers, refrigerant circuits), and finalize the design for manufacturability.

Build the Factory — Select and install production equipment including R290 charging stations, vacuum pumps, and ultrasonic sealers. You own the shop floor layout from day one.

Safety & Compliance — Serve as our internal expert on R290 (propane) refrigerant safety. Manage EPA 608 compliance, UL certification (UL 60335-2-89), and local permitting including Miami-Dade Fire Marshal approvals.

Run Production — In the early days, you are the assembly line. As we scale, you'll hire, train, and manage a team of 3–5 technicians to hit weekly production targets.

You're a mechanical engineer (BSME or equivalent hands-on experience) with 5 years in manufacturing, ideally in HVAC, refrigeration, or chiller systems. You understand the vapor compression cycle, you know why superheat and subcooling matter, and you've spent real time on a production floor — not just in a cubicle.

R290 or hydrocarbon refrigerant experience is a strong plus. If you haven't worked with flammable refrigerants yet but have a solid HVAC/refrigeration foundation and want to learn, we're open to that.

You're the kind of engineer who can model a part in SolidWorks in the morning, then put on gloves to braze a copper line in the afternoon. You're comfortable being scrappy early so you can build something real.

Bilingual English/Spanish is highly preferred given our Miami workforce.

CAD (SolidWorks or Fusion 360), R290 charging equipment, brazing and soldering (nitrogen purge), electrical testing and run-test stations.

• Salary: $90,000 – $120,000 depending on experience
• Equity: Stock options — you're joining as a core member of the founding team
• Location: On-site in Miami (Hialeah/Medley area)
• Growth: You're building a manufacturing division from scratch with a clear path to Director of Operations as we scale