Manufacturing Engineer

About Springcraft Today, building robots and intelligent machines means navigating fragmented tools, incompatible hardware, and closed ecosystems. It takes too long, costs too much, and locks builders in. There is no default platform for physical AI. We're building it. Springcraft brings together purpose-built hardware, developer tools, and AI models into one open, integrated system so that builders can create machines that sense, understand, and act in the real world.

Founded by the team behind 8th Wall, the largest AR platform for the web (acquired by Niantic), we bring deep experience in spatial computing. Backed by Night Capital, Eric Semler of TCS Capital, Village Global, and exceptional angels, we're based in Palo Alto and hiring our core team now. The Role Springcraft doesn't have a production line yet.

You'll decide what it becomes, and then build it. As the first manufacturing hire, you'll own how our hardware gets made, from first builds through volume production. That means the assembly processes, fixtures, tooling, calibration, throughput, and the supply chain behind it all. But the mandate is bigger than managing vendors.

We believe owning fabrication in-house is a competitive advantage, and you'll decide what we bring in first, pick the machines, and stand the capability up yourself. This is a foundational, hands-on hire. You'll be on the bench and at the machines, partnering directly with our hardware engineers. You'll build the manufacturing function from zero and lead it as the company grows.

What You'll Do

assembly sequences, fixtures, jigs, tooling, work instructions, and process documentation Stand up in-house fabrication where it beats outsourcing: evaluate, purchase, and commission the equipment, and build the shop around it Own the throughput of our test and measurement process, from per-unit calibration to end-of-line test Build the supply chain: component sourcing, vendor qualification, lead-time management, and second-source planning Partner with hardware engineers on DFM feedback ahead of design freezes Drive yield improvement and root-cause analysis as production ramps What We're Looking For 4+ years in manufacturing, production, or process engineering for electromechanical hardware Hands-on experience taking a product from prototype to volume production Fixture and tooling design experience with strong CAD proficiency Working knowledge of DFM/DFA principles and experience running DFM reviews with design teams Supply chain fundamentals: sourcing, vendor management, BOM cost and lead-time tradeoffs Comfortable building the process and the shop, rather than inheriting one Authorized to work in the United States; we are unable to sponsor work visas at this time Nice to Have Experience standing up a machine shop, production line, or fabrication capability from scratch End-of-line test development, including automated test fixtures Scripting skills (Python or similar) for test automation and production data analysis Precision assembly and calibration experience from any demanding domain: motion systems, optics, instrumentation, medical devices Quality systems experience: incoming inspection, in-process checks, unit traceability Experience scaling production at a hardware startup Location Palo Alto, CA (In-Person) Compensation Competitive salary ($120,000–$190,000) + meaningful early-stage equity Health, dental, and vision insurance Paid time off and holidays Springcraft is an equal opportunity employer.