About AVFAlert Venture Foundry (AVF) is a technology venture studio that creates and develops technology-driven businesses from pure research through positive cash flow, then launches them as independent companies. Our projects span a diverse range of technologies and markets, including Flying Tools, robots with a long flexible arm and flying end effectors; Georgie's Kitchen, a direct-to-consumer food business delivering chef-crafted, premium chilled meals through a proprietary distribution technology; and several other projects still in early-stage research. AVF's ventures are moving rapidly from working prototypes to products that ship and operate in the field, on compressed timelines and without the luxury of a mature production organization behind them.
About the Role:
We are looking for a Senior Manufacturing Engineer who will own the transition from bench-built hardware to repeatable, buildable, field-ready product. To make that transition successful, you'll work across design, engineering, program management, suppliers, and assembly teams to make products easier to build, more repeatable, and ready to scale. You'll own DFM/DFA, build processes, fixtures and tooling, supplier engagement, and the issues that inevitably surface when a design leaves the bench and gets built by real people. This is a hands-on, get-in-the-build role. You'll be on the assembly floor as often as you're in a DFM review, working directly with mechanical, electrical, and program teams to identify and close the issues that show up during real builds. You'll be expected to make sound engineering decisions with incomplete information, establish processes where they don't yet exist, and drive problems through to resolution.
What you'll do:
Own the transition of hardware from prototype builds to repeatable production-representative builds across active AVF ventures, including driving design-for-manufacturability (DFM) and design-for-assembly (DFA) reviews Identify and resolve build issues that surface during assembly and field deployment – including fit, tolerance stack-up, fastening, material handling, accessibility, and serviceability - and drive corrective changes back into the design and build process Lead hands-on assembly of prototype and pilot builds, working directly with assembly teams to ensure build quality, consistency and repeatability Develop and document repeatable build processes, work instructions, and quality checkpoints for small-batch and scaling production Design and specify fixtures, jigs, and tooling to support assembly, test, inspection, and field service Manage relationships with manufacturing partners, machine shops, and fabrication vendors, from prototype quoting through production runs, including quality and technical issues Partner with program management on NPI phase-gate readiness, including stage -entry and stage-exit criteria, and with product safety and compliance on production-related certification requirements Mentor and coordinate with other manufacturing and mechanical engineers as AVF's build volume grows
What we're looking for:- 7+ years of manufacturing or production engineering experience, including significant hands-on experience taking hardware products from prototype through production
- Strong DFM/DFA background across mechanical assemblies, with a track record of closing the loop between build issues, root causes and design changes
- Hands-on experience designing fixtures and tooling, with a willingness and ability to work directly on the assembly floor, not just from a specification
- Experience managing contract manufacturers and fabrication vendors, including quoting, tolerancing conversations, and quality issues
- Comfort owning production readiness in a startup environment with limited process maturity and building manufacturing systems as you goBachelor's degree in Mechanical, Manufacturing, or Industrial Engineering, or equivalent experience
- Preferred, but not required
- Experience with consumer robotics, sheet metal fabrication, large appliances, or outdoor/weatherized electromechanical products
- Experience with battery-powered, thermal-management, or refrigerated products
- Familiarity with NPI phase-gate processes and formal design reviews (SAR/PDR/CDR or equivalent)
- Experience scaling hardware from single-digit prototype builds to repeatable small-batch production
If you want to be the person who makes AVF's hardware buildable at scale, we encourage you to apply.
Alert Venture Foundry is an equal opportunity employer and values diversity across all dimensions. We are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.
