---
title: 'Senior Manufacturing Engineer at Foundry Robotics Inc.'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/senior-manufacturing-engineer-foundry-robotics-inc-emeryville-yrc3z0taccf1'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-10-15'
---

# Senior Manufacturing Engineer at Foundry Robotics Inc.

- **Company:** Foundry Robotics Inc.
- **Location:** Emeryville, CA
- **Compensation:** $150k–$250k
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Work type:** onsite
- **Posted:** 2026-05-18
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-10-15
- **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/foundry-robotics/e189e0e3-b8aa-4225-977b-ae55b2abece2/application

**Skills:** Manufacturing Engineering, RFQ Management, Vendor Management, 3D CAD, SolidWorks, CATIA, DFM, DFA, OEE Analysis, Business Case Development, ROI Analysis, Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, AS9100, ISO 9001, IATF 16949, PFMEA, PPAP, FAI

> The Senior Manufacturing Engineer leads end-to-end equipment introduction and capital tooling projects, managing the RFQ process, vendor selection, and commissioning on the shop floor. This role focuses on achieving OEE and throughput targets while transferring ownership to production and maintenance teams.

## Job description

## 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. Factory OS is building software that runs factories. Our platform spans cloud backends, on-prem services, and edge devices deployed on the factory floor. The operators, supervisors, and managers who use our tools need interfaces that are fast, reliable, and intuitive—even when network conditions aren’t perfect and the environment is demanding.

## The Role

This role is for a Senior Manufacturing Engineer who specializes in equipment introduction and the end-to-end project management of capital tooling and automation. You will own the path from production requirement to running line, driving the RFQ process, selecting and benchmarking equipment across the vendor landscape, managing external line builders through design and build, and commissioning equipment on the floor through FAT, SAT, and ramp. You will hit defined OEE, throughput, and cycle time targets, and transfer clean ownership to production and maintenance after SOP. You are equally comfortable in a vendor pre-build meeting and on the shop floor signing off acceptance tests.

## Key Responsibilities

- Own equipment introduction projects end-to-end, from requirements definition and RFQ through vendor selection, FAT, SAT, and ramp to SOP
- Benchmark, select, and manage external line builders and tooling suppliers, holding them accountable to cost, schedule, and performance
- Define and hit OEE, throughput, and cycle time targets on every project, using data to identify and close performance gaps
- Provide DFM and DFA input on product, process, and tooling designs to ensure manufacturability is engineered in, not bolted on
- Build business cases and ROI analyses to justify capital equipment decisions to senior leadership
- Transfer ownership cleanly to production and maintenance after SOP, including process sheets, work instructions, maintenance instructions, and manufacturing BOM
- Collaborate with mechanical, electrical, robotics, and software teammates to ensure equipment integrates into the broader production system

## What We're Looking For

Founder mentality: We love people who build like it’s their own company. You move fast, take ownership, and find a way through when the path isn’t obvious. You have the drive to make big things happen and the judgment to take smart risks along the way. If you prefer a clearly defined lane, a predictable pace, and all the answers before you start, there’s nothing wrong with that—but Foundry might not be the right fit.

- 5 to 8 years in manufacturing engineering with a track record of taking production equipment from RFQ through FAT, SAT, and SOP in a mass production environment
- Proven experience taking products from low-rate prototype builds to high-volume production
- Direct experience with robotic or automated assembly systems, either as the product being built or as the production method on the floor
- Strong vendor management skills, with experience holding external line builders and tooling suppliers accountable to cost, schedule, and performance
- Working proficiency with 3D CAD (SolidWorks, CATIA, or equivalent) sufficient to evaluate vendor designs and provide DFM and DFA input in cross-functional product development
- Experience defining and hitting OEE, cycle time, and yield targets
- Comfortable building business cases and ROI analyses to justify capital equipment decisions to senior leadership
- Bias toward action and scrappy problem solving without sacrificing rigor

## Nice to Have (Not Required)

- Familiarity with lean manufacturing, Six Sigma, or similar methodologies
- Experience working within a formal quality management system (AS9100, ISO 9001, or IATF 16949), including participation in PFMEAs, control plans, and PPAP or FAI submissions

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. If you want to run a mature, well-defined commercial org, this may not be the role. If you want to build the commercial engine that brings AI-driven manufacturing to every industrial and energy customer in America — this is it. 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.

## About Foundry Robotics Inc.

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Foundry Robotics is an AI-first, assembly-focused robotics company rebuilding American manufacturing with advanced automation and production systems.
- **Entity Type**: Private (Seed stage)
- **Headquarters**: San Francisco, California, USA
- **Founded**: 2026
- **Founders**: Adarsh Kulkarni

## Core Business
- **Primary industry/industries**: Robotics Engineering, Advanced Manufacturing, Defense & Dual-Use Contract Manufacturing
- **Target customers**: B2B, primarily defense contractors, hardware startups, and industrial companies needing flexible, small-to-medium scale assembly
- **Mission or purpose statement**: "AI-first, assembly-focused robotics that rebuilds American manufacturing—faster, more flexible, and ready for what’s next."

## Products & Services
- **Battery Pack Assembly**: Small to medium-scale battery pack assembly that streamlines the path from prototype to full-scale production, enabling faster iteration and secure domestic manufacturing.
- **Advanced Hardware Sub-Assemblies**: Rapid construction of complex mechanical assemblies for next-generation and legacy hardware using AI-driven robotic cells, eliminating the need for bespoke factories.
- **Defense & Dual-Use Robotics**: Modular robotic cells for defense and dual-use applications that enable rapid assembly of critical infrastructure through secure and resilient American supply chains.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not disclosed
- **Key Metric**: Total Funding — $19M in seed funding (announced April 2026)
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: Khosla Ventures, Hanabi Capital, Red Glass Ventures, Zero Shot Fund
- **Growth Signals**: The company has grown from 14 employees to over 20 builders in a short period, with a monthly headcount growth rate of +26.7%. It opened its San Francisco HQ in May 2026, just 21 days after the space was still being opened with a sledgehammer. Website traffic is growing +128.4% month-over-month.

## Competitive Advantages
- **AI-first, assembly-focused approach**: Unlike traditional contract manufacturers that require bespoke factories, Foundry uses modular, AI-driven robotic cells that can be rapidly reconfigured for different products.
- **Dual-use capability**: Serving both defense and commercial applications, which opens up a large addressable market and provides mission-driven work.
- **Speed of iteration**: The company can go from prototype to full-scale production faster than traditional manufacturers, as demonstrated by opening its HQ in under a month.
- **Team pedigree**: The founding team includes talent from Tesla, Blue Origin, Scale AI, Google DeepMind, and the UPenn GRASP Lab.

## Strategic Focus
- **Scaling the engineering and manufacturing platform**: The company is actively hiring across robotics, AI, software, operations, and quality engineering roles to scale its platform.
- **Rebuilding American manufacturing**: Foundry is focused on creating a domestic, secure, and resilient supply chain for critical infrastructure, particularly for defense and dual-use applications.
- **Rapid iteration and deployment**: The company prioritizes speed, moving from concept to production floor in weeks, not years.

## Why Work Here
- **Mission-driven work**: Employees directly contribute to rebuilding American manufacturing and strengthening national security through advanced robotics.
- **High-caliber team**: The team includes builders from Tesla, Blue Origin, Scale AI, Google DeepMind, and the UPenn GRASP Lab, offering a steep learning curve and exposure to cutting-edge technology.
- **Hybrid workspace**: The company operates a hybrid model with a strong in-office presence at its San Francisco HQ, which includes a factory floor where robots are built and deployed.
- **Early-stage impact**: As a seed-stage company, employees have significant ownership and influence over the product, culture, and direction of the company.
- **Rapid growth environment**: With a 26.7% monthly headcount growth rate and a focus on scaling, the company offers fast-paced career growth opportunities.

## Sources
1. [foundryrobotics.ai](https://foundryrobotics.ai/)
2. [LinkedIn - Foundry Robotics](https://www.linkedin.com/company/foundry-robotics)
3. [Built In - Foundry Robotics](https://builtin.com/company/foundry-robotics)
4. [Remix Reality - Foundry Robotics Raises $19 Million](https://www.remixreality.com/foundry-robotics-raises-19-million-to-build-ai-first-robotics-for-manufacturing/)
5. [Ashby - Foundry Robotics Careers](https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/foundry-robotics)

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