> Markdown version of [/jobs/ext/4013187-manufacturing-applications-engineer](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/jobs/ext/4013187-manufacturing-applications-engineer). Every page supports `.md` or `Accept: text/markdown`. Links point to the HTML versions so they work for humans too. Agent guide: [/agents.md](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/agents.md). --- # Manufacturing Applications Engineer - **Company:** Foundry Robotics - **Location:** Emeryville, CA, United States - **Experience:** Experienced - **Salary:** $150,000.0 - $250,000.0 - **Contract:** Permanent contract - **Skills:** 3d Models, Computer-Aided Design, SolidWorks (CAD), Software Version Control - **Published:** October 29, 2026 - **Apply:** https://www.indeed.com/viewjob?jk=2e6c5e2c472761c5 ## About the Role 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. * 5 to 10 years in manufacturing engineering, NPI, or applications engineering, including 2+ years customer-facing at a contract manufacturer, EMS provider, or hardware supplier * You have estimated real programs: from a drawing package and BOM to a process flow, labor estimate, and cost model that holds up when the parts arrive * Hands-on familiarity with mechanical and electromechanical assembly, wire harness build, and the associated test and inspection * Working proficiency in 3D CAD (SolidWorks, Onshape, or equivalent) sufficient to review customer designs and give credible DFM and DFA feedback * Comfortable in front of customers at the engineering-manager and VP level, in a conference room and on their shop floor, and a clear, fast writer whose proposals and SOWs get read and acted on * Experience within a formal quality system (AS9100, ISO 9001, or IATF 16949) and defining build standards with revision control * U.S. person (citizen, permanent resident, or protected individual) as defined by ITAR and EAR, since a growing share of our programs is export-controlled * Willing to travel to customer sites 30 to 40% of the time, including multi-day on-sites during a pilot build * Bias toward action and scrappy problem solving without sacrificing rigor Nice to Have (Not Required) * Tier 1 or EMS supplier experience serving robotics, aerospace, defense, automotive, or EV customers * A vehicle or robot program you took from prototype to volume production * Experience with MES or ERP systems and an interest in automating estimation ## Description This role is for a Manufacturing Applications Engineer who bridges what our customers need to build and what our factory can build. You are the engineer in the room when a prospect asks whether we can build their product, how we would do it, and what it would cost, and you carry that answer from the first discovery call to a signed PO. You turn drawings, BOMs, and volumes into a DFM review, a process flow, a cost model, and a proposal, then hand a clean technical package to manufacturing so nothing is lost between what the customer intended and what we execute. Much of this work happens at the customer: expect to travel to customer sites across the U.S. 30 to 40% of the time, for discovery visits, build shadowing, and first-article reviews. This is an engineering role, not a support role, and you are the first person in the seat: you define how Foundry scopes and estimates programs, and you automate the parts that should not need an engineer at all. The problems waiting for you: estimating robotic assembly where no industry benchmark exists, turning a drawing package into a process flow and estimate inside a week, defining AS9100 build standards that do not slow a startup customer down, and feeding every lesson into FoundryOS so the next estimate is faster than the last. A year in, every new opportunity has a technical owner from the first call, technical estimates turn around in days, and at least two programs you scoped are in production on the timeline and margin you committed to., * Lead discovery calls and customer visits alongside go-to-market, qualifying fit before engineering time is committed * Own technical intake: drawings, BOM, volumes, materials, tolerances, test and certification requirements, export-control status (ITAR, EAR, CUI) * Run DFM and DFA reviews and deliver written findings the customer can act on and our engineers can build to * Provide the technical inputs behind every quote: process steps, labor and cycle-time estimates, tooling, supplier quotes, lead times, and NRE, so go-to-market can price and package the proposal * Scope design-services engagements (DFM, DFA, DFRA) with deliverables, milestones, and engineering-hour estimates for go-to-market to turn into the SOW * Define the build standard with the customer before PO (frozen revisions, deviation process, customer-furnished material), working with Quality to keep it AS9100-compliant * Hand off a complete technical package at PO and remain the customer's technical point of contact through first-article and pilot delivery * Build the reusable technical intake form, process-estimate templates, and cost models, and feed customer needs into the FoundryOS and robotic cell roadmaps