Employment Type: Full-Time, Hourly
Clearance: Not required, but must be a U.S. Person
About the RoleWe are seeking a
Prototype Engineer to join our Los Angeles-based
state-of-the-art prototyping facility. We're building a state of the art prototyping facility to machine some of the world's most challenging materials from glass, titanium, to exotic wire EDM'd parts; this is not a standard machine shop position.
This role is ideal for a highly adaptable, technically-minded individual who thrives in fast-paced environments. We're looking for someone to sit with the team day in and day out to help push back on the team's wild unmanufacturable designs. While this is a full time position, the job has an on-call component - when a part is urgently needed, day or night, you may be the one called to make it. On the flip side, your
day-to-day schedule is extremely flexible, and you'll often have lighter periods or ad-hoc time off when the schedule allows.
What You'll Do- Operate a wide range of fabrication tools including:
- 3D printers
- 5-axis CNC mills and lathes
- Tube and flat-bed lasers
- Waterjets, wire EDM, and high-precision manual tools
- Participate in engineering design reviews to evaluate manufacturability
- Collaborate closely with engineering teams to iterate on part designs in real time.
- Help design novel machining processes and methodologies that will be used in our Michigan production facility
- Work from SolidWorks models and technical drawings to produce high-tolerance parts.
- Prepare CAM programs in Mastercam, Fusion 360, or similar tools.
- Help develop custom fixturing, jigs, and one-off assemblies for rapid prototyping.
- Assist in maintaining, upgrading, and tuning machines and shop infrastructure.
- Participate in design for manufacturability (DFM) reviews and provide direct feedback to engineers.
- Occasionally assist with integration or test setups when needed.
Qualifications- 5+ years of hands-on experience in an engineering prototyping shop or machine shop environment.
- Working knowledge of SolidWorks (or similar CAD tools).
- Significant experience with CAM software such as Mastercam or Fusion CAM.
- Proficient with modern CNC machine operations and part inspection.
- Ability to interpret and execute mechanical drawings and GD&T.
- Familiarity with common materials (aluminum, titanium, stainless steel, plastics, etc.) and their machining characteristics.
- Comfortable with occasional non-standard hours, including occasional late-night or weekend requests.
Bonus Qualifications- Experience with light duty fabrication - TIG welding, laser cell operation, slip rolling, fixturing and fit-up. "A grinder and paint make me the welder I aint" is our moto in a prototype environment
- Experience designing test fixturing and metrology
- Willing to shoot paint - grab the hvlp and step into the booth. Doesn't have to be pretty, just can't be boogers.
- Deep knowledge of multi-axis milling, fixturing, and workholding strategies.
- Experience building parts for aerospace, robotics, or optics applications.
- Familiarity with vacuum-compatible fabrication.
What We Offer- Build out a team of R&D specialists.
- High-trust, flexible scheduling.
- Direct impact on rapid iteration of hardware bound for space, field ops, or high-performance systems.
- A culture that respects craftsmanship, iteration speed, and creative autonomy.
