Job & Company Background
Some roles have real purpose—and real room to grow—that a paycheck alone can't match.
Today, fewer than a few hundred North Atlantic right whales remain. Once driven near extinction by industrial whaling, they now face a different deadly threat: entanglement. About 85% carry scars from the ropes and buoys used in lobster and crab fishing. When entanglement doesn't kill outright, it can still weaken a whale to the point where reproduction becomes impossible.
Fishing communities with generations of history depend on these industries, but they can't keep operating in ways that steadily harm marine life. Our solution is ropeless fishing, made possible by our ARC-1XD acoustic release. This summer, our CEO and team are working directly with fishers from Canada to San Diego, CA to validate the technology against the specific requirements of each fishery.
Ropeless fishing is only one part of what we do. Over the past 30 years, Desert Star has built products on a modular architecture spanning electronics, firmware, software, and mechanical design—supported by unified communication protocols, efficient test procedures, and high component reuse across overlapping bills of materials. That approach has helped a small team of 5–10 people build a product line far broader than you'd expect for our size. The payoff is real: lower costs that enable adoption in large-scale fisheries, and the ability to expand ocean sensing and real-time reporting through an initiative we call the Ocean Dashboard.
At the center of our work is production—timely, cost-efficient, and high quality. A broad product line makes that challenging, but our modular design means understanding one product translates quickly to understanding the rest.
Job Description
We're seeking a Production Supervisor to join our production leadership team. This is a hands-on role for someone with strong electronics skills, excellent workmanship, and the ability to teach, document, and lead on the floor.
Your main responsibilities will include:
- Supervising, operating, and continuously improving production workstations and procedures to ensure high-quality output, on time and at the best cost.
- Coordinating with our Purchasing, QC, and Inventory Managers to ensure parts and sub-assemblies arrive on schedule.
- Testing sub-assemblies and diagnosing issues as they arise, using your electronics expertise.
- Reviewing and improving work steps and procedures, and coordinating with Engineering on new fixtures that increase production speed and quality.
- Updating written procedures as production processes evolve.
- Supervising and teaching assemblers, inspecting their work, and taking part in production yourself.
In short, this role combines the work of a technician, assembler, teacher, and supervisor—with a manager's focus on throughput, quality, and process improvement.
Skills Desired
You may not have every requirement today—the key is strong aptitude, curiosity, and the ability to quickly learn what you're missing. The most important foundations include:
- Electronics fundamentals: reading schematics and mechanical drawings, component knowledge, and basic circuit understanding—so you can diagnose issues such as an incorrect component value from a PCB/assembly vendor, or tune an acoustic receiver filter.
- Test instruments: familiarity with current-limited power supplies, oscilloscopes, multimeters, signal generators, and relevant power, spectrum, and modulation analysis tools.
- Workmanship and attention to detail: soldering, crimping, cable assemblies, working with epoxy, and other assembly tasks you can perform, inspect, and teach.
- Manufacturing process understanding: experience with multi-level BOMs, Gerber files, kit assembly, pick-and-place workflows, parts programming data, and related production documentation.
- Production computer and tool use: running test sequences using terminals and specialized test software, basic COM port and cabling troubleshooting, and using Excel to record results and perform calculations.
- Teaching and teamwork: a natural ability to support assembly staff, communicate clearly, and collaborate effectively with Engineering and QC.
Work Environment
Desert Star is a small company, so each team member brings strong skills—and real growth areas. A shared thread across the team is an excitement for working in and around the ocean: this isn't only a job, it's a mission and an adventure.
We're a mix of young, unconventional builders and experienced mentors who both teach and keep learning. We all work toward the same goals, so it's essential that you collaborate well with everyone—resolving conflicts and problems quickly, with understanding and a good attitude, regardless of background, age, experience level, or role.
Desert Star doesn't require a specific degree. We prioritize skills, knowledge, aptitude, hands-on experience, fast learning, and a strong work ethic and team awareness—no matter how you developed those strengths.
Pay and Benefits
We maintain a transparent compensation approach, leadership included, to keep our payroll resources distributed fairly. Pay is moderate, but you'll be compensated in line with your skills, contributions, and responsibilities. Compensation can grow as your knowledge and impact grow—and as the business improves.
Some people call us "the University of Desert Star." The skills and experience you gain here often translate into strong career advancement, including for people who start from humble beginnings. The work is demanding—but it can be a real path forward.
Benefits include:
- Free SCUBA lessons: encouraged, to deepen your understanding of the underwater environment and how our technologies fit into real conditions.
- Regular hands-on opportunities: taking part in harbor testing before equipment ships, plus occasional ocean testing to see how our systems perform in the field.
- Growth within the company: opportunities to take on new responsibilities based on your aptitude and evolving business needs—after training a successor for your current role.
- Schedule flexibility: where compatible with the role and well managed by you.
Career Background
This role depends on strong fundamentals. Prior experience in a similar production environment is helpful, but not required.
You may have worked as a production manager, supervisor, lead assembler, or assembler. Or you may have developed electronics skills through teaching or as a serious hobby, and are ready for a career shift. You could even be early in your career—if you learn quickly and already have a solid electronics and workmanship foundation. Retirees are welcome too, especially those who still enjoy the careful work of inspecting tiny SMD components and solder joints.
Pay: $25.00 - $30.00 per hour
Benefits:
- Flexible schedule
- On-the-job training
- Paid time off
- Tuition reimbursement
Application Question(s):
- What’s your approach to building a “safety-first” culture without slowing production unnecessarily?
- Why do you want this role now, and what would “success in 6 months” look like to you?
- If you were to take this job, would you need to give your employer a two-week notice?
- When you’re not satisfied with results, how do you hold people accountable while coaching them to improve?
- Give an example of a process that used to be ‘tribal knowledge’—what did you put in place to make it repeatable?
- Please provide professional references who can speak to your work performance. References should be work-related only; friends and family members may not be listed.
Education:
- High school or equivalent (Required)
Experience:
- Manufacturing engineering: 1 year (Required)
Work Location: In person
