Manufacturing Development Engineer

About the role

Freeform builds AI-native manufacturing systems that unify software, hardware, and physics to produce industrial-scale parts at the speed of human ideation. By treating manufacturing as a single integrated system, we unlock a new era of innovation where complex hardware is designed, built, and scaled without limits.

As a Manufacturing Development Engineer at Freeform, you will design the processes, tooling, and fixturing behind some of the most geometrically complex metal parts in production today. Tight tolerances, intricate internal features, and multi-step post-processing paths are the norm, not the exception, and these parts are headed for some of the world's most advanced hardware systems. You'll be building processes that don't exist yet, where precision and scale have to work together from day one.

This is a greenfield engineering problem, not an optimization exercise. You'll think in systems, bring a craftsman's eye to your work, and make pragmatic tradeoffs that compound in the right direction over time. If you've thrived in high-velocity hardware environments where the processes didn't exist yet and the stakes were real, this role was built for you.

Responsibilities

• Work closely with senior engineers to design and implement scalable manufacturing processes for new hardware and printed parts
• Design, build, and iterate on tooling, jigs, and fixtures to support reliable, high-throughput production
• Develop and refine test procedures and post-processing steps to improve part flow through the factory
• Develop lightweight documentation and process standards to support scaling production without slowing engineering iteration
• Help identify bottlenecks and inefficiencies in how parts, materials, and data move through the factory, and work with cross-functional teams to improve them
• Support the transition of new processes and tooling from R&D into production, partnering with the production team to ensure a smooth handoff

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in mechanical, manufacturing, or related engineering field
• Internship or professional experience in manufacturing, development engineering, or build engineering
• Experience working with hand tools, machinery, or complex hardware assembly

Nice to Have

• 2+ years of experience in a hands-on manufacturing or production engineering role
• Experience with manufacturing process development in a fast-paced hardware environment
• Understanding of GD&T and/or how to read drawings
• Experience with metal additive manufacturing or precision post-processing
• Exposure to fixturing, DFM, or process validation
• Familiarity with MRP/ERP tools and production tracking systems
• Ability to translate high-level engineering goals into practical factory processes

Location

• Based in Hawthorne, our vertically integrated facility brings technology development, R&D, and production together under one roof. We operate at the center of LA's deep tech ecosystem, surrounded by some of the most ambitious hardware innovation happening anywhere in the country.

What We Offer

• We have an inclusive and diverse culture that values collaboration, learning, and making deliberate data-driven decisions.
• We offer a unique opportunity to be an early and integral member of a rapidly growing company that is scaling a world-changing technology.
• Benefits
• Significant stock option packages
• 100% employer-paid Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance (premium PPO and HMO options)
• Life insurance
• Traditional and Roth 401(k)
• Paid vacation, sick leave, and company holidays
• Generous Paid Parental Leave and extended transition back to work for the birthing parent
• Free daily catered lunch and dinner, and fully stocked kitchenette
• Casual dress, flexible work hours, and regular catered team building events
• Compensation
• As a growing company, the salary range is intentionally wide as we determine the most appropriate package for each individual taking into consideration years of experience, educational background, and unique skills and abilities as demonstrated throughout the interview process. Our intent is to offer a salary that is commensurate for the company's current stage of development and allows the employee to grow and develop within a role.
• In addition to the significant stock option package, the estimated salary range for this role is $90,000-$130,000, dependent on the candidate's academic level (Bachelors, Masters, or PhD) and demonstrated out of classroom experience.
• Freeform is an Equal Opportunity Employer that values diversity; employment with Freeform is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.