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. Our mission is to rebuild the American manufacturing industry as an AI-first, assembly-focused, dual-use contract manufacturer. As a founding member of our team, you will have a direct and significant impact on our product, culture, and ultimate success. This role is based in our Emeryville, CA office, but travel is required for this role.
The Role:
The supply of experienced robotics talent is finite and every company in this category is calling the same people. Our durable edge has to be that we are great at discovering the undiscovered — and early talent is the highest-leverage version of that. The best mechanical engineer we hire in 2029 is twenty years old right now, rebuilding a Formula SAE suspension in a university garage at 2am.
We already run interns. What we do not have is a program: a defined loop, projects that produce real signal, trained mentors, and a conversion rate we can predict. This role exists to build that, and to make a Foundry internship the best engineering summer in the country.
Key Responsibilities:
Own the intern, new-grad, and apprenticeship programs end to end: school strategy, sourcing, the loop, project design, mentorship, conversion, and alumni relationships.
Build a school strategy wider than the obvious top-ten ME, EE, CS, etcs programs — state schools, community college mechatronics and technical programs, and the competition teams (Formula SAE, Baja, FIRST, RoboMaster, rocketry) where people self-select into hard hands-on work.
Design intern projects that produce genuine signal on a specific competency and work we actually needed done. Project-based assessment is the most honest interview there is.
Build the shop-floor apprenticeship pathway with the Volume Recruiter and manufacturing leads — a credible way in for people without a four-year degree.
Reverse engineer where great people have come from, be the data master of the undiscovered gold mines of talent and potential
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.
3+ years in university or early-talent recruiting, ideally engineering-heavy.
You have run a program, not just worked career fairs. You can describe the loop you designed and the conversion rate it produced.
You know the collegiate engineering competition ecosystem, and why a strong FSAE member is often a better signal than a strong GPA.
You build durable relationships with faculty, club leads, and career services that survive you changing jobs.
You have designed an intern project that produced both real work and real assessment signal.
Your best hire came from a school nobody on the panel had heard of.
Nice to Have: (Not Required) Apprenticeship or non-degree pathway program design.
Early-career hiring into ITAR-controlled programs, including the eligibility constraints.
Robotics, aerospace, defense, or another hardware-rich industry.
Experience using Ashby
Straight Talk About this Role
We practice ethical hiring
Your cycle is the academic calendar and it does not flex. The season is intense and you cannot move it.
The engineers whose time you need are the busiest people here, and every hour you ask for is an hour off the build.
You are able and willing to travel across the US to build our employer brand and talk about our mission
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: $115,000 to $145,000 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.
