Bachelor's degree in mechanical, electrical, manufacturing, aerospace engineering, physics, or equivalent hands-on experience
Hands-on experience building hardware
Proven track record of managing a build or hardware program from start to finish
Familiarity with manufacturing processes, reading technical drawings, and GD&T
Ability to communicate effectively with technicians, engineers, and leadership
Calm under pressure and capable of making quick decisions with incomplete information
Responsibilities
Own internal rack and subassembly builds from kickoff to delivery
Conduct clear-to-build checks against the BOM and resolve inventory shortages
Write and maintain build procedures and manage transitions from development to production
Review CAD models with design engineers to identify manufacturability issues
Design or specify necessary fixtures, tooling, and build stations
Integrate subsystems into full rack assemblies and develop test procedures
Lead build technicians and troubleshoot issues during the build process
Streamline build flow by questioning requirements and simplifying processes
Track build status and communicate risks and blockers to leadership
Document lessons learned to improve future builds and scaling processes
Benefits
Medical, dental, and vision packages with generous premium coverage
$500 monthly credit for waiving medical benefits
Housing subsidy of $2,500 per month for local residents
Relocation support for new hires moving to San Jose
Wellness benefits covering fitness and mental health
Daily lunch and dinner provided in the office
Unlimited compute budget subject to ROI justification
Full Job Description
Job Summary
Etched is building a new category of AI hardware: frontier inference clusters. To bring them up at the pace this market demands, we build and integrate our own server racks in-house, and that work is growing fast as we move from early builds into NPI and production.
As a Build Engineer, you'll own our internal builds end to end. Think of the role as an operations program manager for internal builds who is also a hands-on engineer: you'll plan each build, get the parts, tools, and people in place, run it on the floor, and fix whatever slows it down. You'll work closely with our mechanical, electrical, thermal, test, inventory, and lab operations teams, and the processes you set up will become how Etched builds hardware as volume ramps.
Key Responsibilities
Own internal rack and subassembly builds from kickoff to delivery, including schedule, material readiness, staffing, and on-time completion
Run clear-to-build checks against the BOM and work with inventory and supply chain to close shortages before they stop a build
Write and maintain build procedures, work instructions, and travelers, and manage the transition of assemblies from development builds to production
Review CAD models and drawings with design engineers to flag manufacturability, assembly, and serviceability issues early
Design or specify the fixtures, tooling, and build stations the team needs
Integrate mechanical, thermal, power, and electrical subsystems into full rack assemblies, and develop and run the test procedures that go with them
Lead build technicians on the floor and be the first engineer on the problem when a build hits an issue
Question requirements, remove unnecessary parts and steps, and simplify the build flow to cut cycle time
Track build status, risks, and blockers, and give leadership a clear read on what will ship and when
Turn lessons from each build into the processes and documentation we'll use as we scale into NPI and higher-volume production
You may be a good fit if you have (Must-have qualifications)
A bachelor's degree in mechanical, electrical, manufacturing, or aerospace engineering, physics, or equivalent hands-on experience
Hands-on experience building hardware
A track record of owning a build or hardware program end to end and delivering it on time
Working knowledge of manufacturing and assembly processes, reading drawings, and GD&T
Comfort working on the floor alongside technicians, and clear communication with technicians, engineers, and leadership
The ability to move fast with incomplete information and stay calm when a build goes wrong
Strong candidates may also have experience with (Nice-to-have qualifications)
Server, rack, data center, or other electronics hardware integration
Building hardware at a high-rate company in aerospace, automotive, or consumer electronics
Designing fixtures and tooling in CAD
PLM, MES, or ERP systems such as Teamcenter
Scaling a build from prototype to volume production
Python, Excel, or other scripting for build tracking and analysis
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
