Head of Manufacturing Engineering

The posting, as Foundry Robotics wrote it

ABOUT US

Foundry Robotics is building an AI-native robotics manufacturing company focused on deploying advanced assembly and production capability for leading robotics companies and national-security-critical hardware. Basically, we’re building robots that build robots.

We are reimagining manufacturing through advanced robotics. Our mission is to rebuild the American manufacturing industry as an AI-first, assembly-focused, dual-use contract manufacturer. We aim to empower manufacturers with intelligent, efficient, and adaptable robotic systems that redefine productivity and quality. As an early member of our team, you will have a direct and significant impact on our product, culture, and ultimate success. This role is 100% in-person at our office in Emeryville, CA.

THE ROLE

This role is for a Head of Manufacturing Engineering who will set the technical manufacturing automation roadmap for Foundry and build the teams that execute it. Reporting to the Chief Manufacturing Officer, you will stand up and lead two groups: Manufacturing Engineering, which owns DFM/DFA for our customers, line and cell design, tooling, automation and new product launches; and Process Engineering, which owns process optimization, standard work, yield and cycle time across every program on the floor.

You are also the owner of Foundry's hardest problem. Our customers bring us different products at different volumes, and the factory has to absorb them without being rebuilt each time. That means a flexible assembly line that runs multiple products on shared stations, automation driven by foundation models rather than hand-programmed cells, autonomous material movement from dock to station, and a factory layout designed around all of it. You will decide what we build, in what order, and why, and you will be on the floor when it gets built.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Own the multi-year manufacturing automation roadmap: which operations get automated, in what sequence, with what technology, and defend it with takt, capex and risk numbers
• Design and launch a flexible assembly line that runs multiple customer products on shared stations, fixtures and conveyance, with changeovers measured in hours rather than weeks
• Partner with our software and robotics teams to deploy foundation-model-driven automation on the floor (assembly, inspection, kitting, material handling), and decide where learned automation beats fixed automation and where it does not yet
• Specify and deploy autonomous material movement (AMR/AGV fleets, kitting, line-side replenishment) so material reaches the station without a person pushing a cart
• Own the factory layout of our Emeryville facility as a living design: flow, cell boundaries, material routes, utilities and ITAR-segregated areas, working with Facilities on the physical build-out
• Build the DFM/DFA practice that turns a customer's prototype into something we can build at rate and yield, with your engineers in customer discove

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U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3)) due to ITAR and export control requirements for the hardware we build

NICE TO HAVE (NOT REQUIRED)

• Experience applying ML-based robotics (learned grasping, vision-guided assembly, foundation-model policies) in a production setting, or close partnership with a team that has
• AMR/AGV or autonomous intralogistics deployment
• Multi-product or contract-manufacturing environment where changeover and flexibility were the constraint
• AS9100 or ITAR-controlled production exposure
• Electromechanical assembly of robots, drones, or defense hardware

WHY JOIN US?

This is one of the only places where world-class manufacturing operators, mechanical engineers, robotics researchers, and software engineers sit in the same room — building production systems together.

We are committed to being deeply embedded in the U.S. industrial base. Our focus is simple: build adaptive robotic assembly systems that make American manufacturing scalable, resilient, and competitive again.

The base salary range for this full-time position in the location of Emeryville is: $200,000—$350,000 USD

Compensation packages at Foundry Robotics for eligible roles include base salary, equity, and benefits. The range displayed on each job posting reflects the minimum and maximum target for new hire salaries for the position, determined by work location and additional factors, including job-related skills, experience, interview performance, and relevant education or training. Foundry Robotics employees in eligible roles are also granted equity based compensation, subject to Board of Director approval. You'll also receive benefits including, but not limited to: Comprehensive health, dental and vision coverage, and generous PTO.

Foundry Robotics is an equal opportunity employer. We evaluate all applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic.