Contract: Full-time (40 hours per week)
Location / working pattern: India (Pune or Mumbai) / Hybrid
Reporting to: R&D Project Team Lead
Salary band: 12.018.0 lakh per annum
Travel: Local travel to supplier / manufacturing sites and occasional travel to partner / field locations as required
Life at The Washing Machine Project meaningful work. Exceptional people.
Handwashing clothes may sound simple, but it poses a major obstacle to the wellbeing and livelihood of many women worldwide. We recognise that unpaid labour is compromising lives. This needs to change.
We're The Washing Machine Project (TWMP). Our mission is to empower displaced and low-income communities with accessible, off-grid washing solutions. Founded by Navjot Sawhney in 2018, TWMP develops practical innovations designed to improve women's lives. People are at the heart of everything we do, and listening to communities is integral to our work and design process.
The purpose of the role
The Design / Production / Quality Engineer provides advanced capability across design engineering support, manufacturing engineering, quality assurance and procurement, helping to ensure TWMP products are built safely, consistently and to specification, at the cost, scale and reliability required for humanitarian impact.
This role owns key production and quality workstreams end-to-end, working independently with suppliers and manufacturing partners in India. As TWMP scales, including new product introductions and increased production output, the role will also lead value engineering and cost-down initiatives, while providing hands-on design engineering support through CAD, drawings and DFM / DFA input.
This is a critical role in ensuring TWMP's products are production-ready, high quality and fit for use in low-resource contexts.
Who we are looking for
You are a practical, mission-led engineer with strong technical judgement and a hands-on approach to solving manufacturing, quality and supplier challenges. You are comfortable working independently, while also collaborating effectively across teams and with external partners.
You bring experience across production or manufacturing engineering and quality, and you are confident moving between documentation, suppliers, build issues, process improvements and design-for-production conversations. You care about building products that last and making sound decisions that support both operational excellence and humanitarian impact.
Your duties and responsibilities includeMission & impact delivery
- Apply mission-led judgement to ensure production and quality decisions protect product safety, user wellbeing and programme outcomes.
- Ensure manufacturing and supplier choices reflect TWMP's commitment to dignity, usability and reliability in low-resource contexts.
- Integrate field learning, including repairs, failures and user feedback, into corrective actions and product or process improvements.
Production engineering & manufacturing support
- Support production readiness for assigned products and assemblies.
- Work with manufacturing partners to establish stable processes, including assembly steps, jigs, fixtures and work instructions.
- Provide DFM / DFA input to R&D and design colleagues.
- Identify production risks early and propose mitigation plans.
- Support new product introductions and ramp-up activity.
Value engineering & cost-down initiatives
- Identify and deliver value engineering and cost-down opportunities across product design, components and production processes.
- Support structured cost-reduction workstreams such as design simplification, part consolidation, alternative materials or processes, yield improvement, cycle time reduction, and scrap or rework reduction.
- Evaluate trade-offs across cost, quality, lead time and risk, and implement agreed changes.
- Track savings, impacts and risks, and communicate progress clearly.
Design engineering support
- Provide hands-on design engineering support during product development and production readiness.
- Create, update and maintain CAD models, technical drawings and BOMs.
- Apply DFM / DFA principles to simplify designs and improve assembly efficiency.
- Translate manufacturing feedback into design improvements.
- Support prototyping and pre-production builds as needed.
- Ensure design changes are implemented through clear engineering change control.
Quality assurance, control & continuous improvement
- Support and maintain practical quality plans for incoming, in-process and final inspection.
- Define inspection and test methods, acceptance criteria and traceability requirements where appropriate.
- Support root cause analysis and corrective / preventive actions for non-conformities, failures, field issues and recurring defects.
- Establish simple quality reporting routines with manufacturing partners.
- Conduct supplier and manufacturer quality reviews or audits.
- Drive improvements to reduce waste, rework and scrap.
Procurement & supplier management
- Support sourcing for components and materials, including RFQs, comparisons, supplier evaluation and selection recommendations.
- Coordinate purchasing activity with Operations and Finance.
- Maintain supplier records, including pricing, lead times and specifications.
- Monitor supplier performance and manage quality or delivery escalations.
- Support ethical and responsible sourcing expectations.
Collaboration, safeguarding & risk management
- Work closely with R&D / Design Engineering, Programmes, Logistics and external partners.
- Communicate progress, risks and decisions clearly to technical and non-technical stakeholders.
- Ensure production and quality activities adhere to relevant safety, quality and regulatory expectations.
- Uphold TWMP's Safeguarding & Protection Policy and maintain accurate, secure documentation.
- Identify and manage operational, quality and supplier risks within assigned workstreams.
Essential requirements
- Masters degree in Mechanical, Manufacturing or Industrial Engineering, or equivalent relevant experience.
- Minimum of 5 years post-graduation experience in production / manufacturing engineering and quality engineering, with independent responsibility for key activities or workstreams.
- Proven experience taking products into production and supporting manufacturing at scale.
- Hands-on experience working directly with suppliers and manufacturing partners, ideally within India.
- Experience in procurement, including RFQs, supplier selection, cost negotiation and supplier performance management.
- Strong practical experience implementing quality control and leading root cause analysis and corrective actions.
- Solid mechanical / manufacturing engineering foundation, including drawings, CAD / BOMs, and design for manufacturability and assembly.
- Demonstrated ability to reduce cost and improve efficiency through value engineering, supplier choices, process improvements and smart trade-offs.
- Strong data and documentation capability, including Excel or Google Sheets.
- High ownership and accountability, with the ability to work independently in a fast-moving environment.
- Strong communication and relationship-building skills.
- Culturally sensitive, collaborative and aligned to a mission-driven organisation.
- Fluency in English.
Desirable requirements
- Training or exposure to quality systems and audits, such as ISO 9001 concepts.
- Lean or continuous improvement training, whether formal or practical.
- Experience in contract manufacturing or multi-supplier production models.
- Experience with mechanical assemblies, sheet metal, plastics, fabricated parts, or appliance-like products.
Additional requirements
- Right to work in India.
- Willingness to travel locally to supplier and manufacturing sites and occasionally to partner or field locations.
What you'll get
We offer a genuinely purpose-led career with a culture built on trust, autonomy and flexibility. This role is a rare opportunity to shape TWMP's presence and impact in India at scale, while staying deeply rooted in ethical, community-led practice.
Equal Employment Opportunity
We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at TWMP. We do not discriminate based on race, religion, colour, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.
To apply
Please complete the online form to express your interest. Attach your up-to-date CV in PDF format clearly demonstrating your fit for this role.
If you need any support or adjustments in the application process, please contact [Confidential Information].
Closing date: 7 April 2026
What you can expect after you've applied
- Submit your CV
- Receive an email with a link to the application form
- Complete the application form so we can learn more about your relevant experience and motivation
- 2030 minute video call with one of our team
- 6075 minute competency-based interview with the hiring team (you may also complete a task / presentation)
- For some positions, an additional interview with senior leadership and profiling
Please note: We kindly request no contact from recruitment agencies or third-party recruiters.
