Manufacturing Applications Engineer

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 Manufacturing Applications Engineer who bridges what our customers need to build and what our factory can build. You are the engineer in the room when a prospect asks whether we can build their product, how we would do it, and what it would cost, and you carry that answer from the first discovery call to a signed PO. You turn drawings, BOMs, and volumes into a DFM review, a process flow, a cost model, and a proposal, then hand a clean technical package to manufacturing so nothing is lost between what the customer intended and what we execute. Much of this work happens at the customer: expect to travel to customer sites across the U.S. 30 to 40% of the time, for discovery visits, build shadowing, and first-article reviews.

This is an engineering role, not a support role, and you are the first person in the seat: you define how Foundry scopes and estimates programs, and you automate the parts that should not need an engineer at all. The problems waiting for you: estimating robotic assembly where no industry benchmark exists, turning a drawing package into a process flow and estimate inside a week, defining AS9100 build standards that do not slow a startup customer down, and feeding every lesson into FoundryOS so the next estimate is faster than the last. A year in, every new opportunity has a technical owner from the first call, technical estimates turn around in days, and at least two programs you scoped are in production on the timeline and margin you committed to.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Lead discovery calls and customer visits alongside go-to-market, qualifying fit before engineering time is committed
• Own technical intake: drawings, BOM, volumes, materials, tolerances, test and certification requirements, export-control status (ITAR, EAR, CUI)
• Run DFM and DFA reviews and deliver written findings the customer can act on and our engineers can build to
• Provide the technical inputs behind every quote: process steps, labor and cycle-time estimates, tooling, supplier quotes, lead times, and NRE, so go-to-market can price and package the proposal
• Scope design-services engagements (DFM, DFA, DFRA) with deliverables, milestones, an

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ed individual) as defined by ITAR and EAR, since a growing share of our programs is export-controlled

• Willing to travel to customer sites 30 to 40% of the time, including multi-day on-sites during a pilot build
• Bias toward action and scrappy problem solving without sacrificing rigor

NICE TO HAVE (NOT REQUIRED)

• Tier 1 or EMS supplier experience serving robotics, aerospace, defense, automotive, or EV customers
• A vehicle or robot program you took from prototype to volume production
• Experience with MES or ERP systems and an interest in automating estimation

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: $150,000—$250,000 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.