← All roles

Prototype Engineering Lead

Etched· Production
Apply on company site
San JoseFull-timePosted 2mo ago

About the role

We are standing up an in-house prototyping division at our Milpitas facility to enable same-day or next-day prototype parts for Etched engineers. You own the entire outcome: hiring, shop setup, process, and execution.

Responsibilities

  • Own the end-to-end stand-up of the prototyping division: space planning, equipment selection and procurement, facility improvements, permits, and commissioning of the machine shop, sheet metal cell, assembly area, and prototype SMT line
  • Hire, lead, and develop a team of machinists, fabricators, and assembly technicians
  • Run day-to-day operations against the division's core metric: same-day or next-day turnaround on prototype parts for engineering
  • Build the systems that make a shop run: work intake and prioritization, quoting, scheduling, traceability, inventory and vendor-managed consumables, and preventive maintenance
  • Own the division budget (capex and opex), make build-vs-buy calls, and manage relationships with machine dealers, riggers, and overflow vendors
  • Stand up quality infrastructure: first-article inspection, calibration program, cross-section/failure-analysis lab, and inspection criteria for incoming and in-process work
  • Partner daily with mechanical, electrical, and thermal engineering teams to close design-for-manufacturability feedback loops and pull schedules in.

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering, manufacturing engineering, industrial engineering, or other engineering discipline; OR 4+ years of professional experience in manufacturing or prototype operations in lieu of a degree
  • 3+ years of experience in manufacturing, machine shop, or hardware prototyping operations
  • 2+ years of experience directly leading technicians, machinists, or manufacturing teams
  • Hands-on experience with CNC machining and/or sheet metal fabrication processes

Skills

Required:Leadership of manufacturing teamsCNC machining

Benefits

  • Medical, dental, and vision packages with generous premium coverage
  • $500 per month credit for waiving medical benefits
  • Housing subsidy of $2,500 per month for those living within walking distance of the office
  • Relocation support for those moving to San Jose (Santana Row)
  • Various wellness benefits covering fitness, mental health, and more
  • Daily lunch and dinner in our office
  • Unlimited compute budget subject to ROI justification
Last updated Sep 17, 2026. Interested? Apply on the company site.
Etched logo

About Etched

Etched is building frontier inference clusters: co-designs chips, racks, software and manufacturing to push the pareto frontier for AI hardware.

frontier inference clustersAI hardwarechipsrackssoftwaremanufacturingparto frontier
Company profileWebsite

More open roles at Etched