MANUFACTURING DESIGN LEAD

Finiterobotics; Kitchener; Hybrid; CAD 110,000 - 165,000; Full time

Job summary

Finiterobotics is seeking a Manufacturing Design Lead to bridge concepts and scalable production for harsh-environment hardware. You will own the entire lifecycle of new product introduction for mechanical and mechatronic components and act as the hub between internal design and external manufacturing partners.

You will drive DFM, optimize for yield and assembly, manage BOMs, and lead supplier relationships to prevent lead-time bottlenecks during prototypes and ramps.

Qualifications

• Proven ability to design systems that include mechanisms, actuators, motors, etc.
• Experience with design for manufacturing.
• Hands-on fabrication and testing of prototypes.

Responsibilities

• Develop scope, estimates, risk assessments to coordinate with the team.
• Design, prototype, integrate, and test mechanical components and assemblies.
• Collaborate to design systems integrating motors, sensors, actuators, electronics.
• Coordinate with outside companies for design or fabrication services.
• Prepare drawings, BOMs, and order off-the-shelf components.
• Support real-world robotic testing and iterative improvements.

Skills

DFM

CAD software

Vendor management

Cross-functional

Tools

SolidWorks

Job description

We are looking for a Manufacturing Design Lead to join the team to bridge the critical gap between initial product concepts and scalable physical production. In this high-impact role, you will be the driving force behind how our hardware is built and who builds it, owning the entire lifecycle of new product introduction for mechanical and mechatronic components. You will act as the central hub between our internal de sign team and external manufacturing partners, ensuring that our products are designed for agricultural operation (read: harsh environments!) and are practical to manufacture and can be delivered on schedule.

On the technical side, you will own Design for Manufacturability (DFM), optimizing for yield, reliability, and assembly. This involves diving into mechanical CAD models to review the overall design, tolerances, materials, and guide tooling/fabrication strategies. You will collaborate closely with others on the design team to refine designs and catch potential manufacturing risks early, acting as sign-off before designs are pushed to production.

Equally important is your leadership over our hardware supply chain and vendor operations. You will be responsible for sourcing highly capable manufacturing partners, help negotiate component costs (with assistance, if needed), and actively managing the Bill of Materials (BOM) to prevent lead-time bottlenecks during prototype builds and production ramps.

By managing the day-to-day relationships with our suppliers, you will ensure clear communication of technical requirements, oversee quality control during initial production runs, and work with vendors to ensure we are ready for season.

We work primarily out of our Kitchener office. Nothing replaces real-world experience, so we have robots in orchards as much as possible and we prioritize everyone on the team having a chance to see their work in action in real orchards. As a result, some travel should be anticipated for this role; however, the amount of travel can be adjusted based on team member’s interest and focus.

You will thrive in this role if you:

Want to work in a small and collaborative team where projects cut across disciplines and everyone takes ownership of our success.

Are comfortable in an early-stage and dynamic environment where tasks and priorities can shift quickly.

Enjoy hands-on work , moving from board layouts and design reviews in the office, to fabrication and assembly in the lab, as well as supported lab testing and rework.

Like to take initiative and work independently , but also know when to involve the team to tackle a problem together.

Own your part of the design process and technical decision making , building a structure to the decision making process fit for your domain.

You are unlikely to thrive in this role if:

You're looking for a proven recipe that you are repeating daily. If so, totally understand. That’s not where we are at. We are a small team trying to do things that haven't been done before. We look for approaches that have worked elsewhere and see if they could work in our application. Our plan is evolving daily.

You're hoping to avoid AI in the workplace . We are looking to smartly integrate AI into each part of the work we do. Not blindly - we respect the risks and need to implement it smartly. Done right, we've seen first hand how we can use AI to amplify what we do, not replace it.

You want to be part of a large organization. There can be a lot of perks of being part of a large organization. Better defined roles. Ability to move up the ladder. Bluntly, we're too small to have a "ladder". Even if we succeed, there probably won’t be much of a ladder to climb up. There may be a stepping stool, at best. We measure success through growth and ability, even if they don't always result in a LinkedIn promotion update. We'd rather have a small group of people that we can invest a lot in.

LOCATION

EMPLOYMENT TYPE

Permanent

Your main responsibilities:

Develop scope of work plans, time and cost estimates, risk assessments, and other project information as needed to coordinate with the rest of the team.

Design, prototype, integrate, and test mechanical components and assemblies. Yes, even with the manufacturing process, we view the ability to rapidly iterate a core function of the team.

Collaborate with other technical team members to design systems that integrate specific components like motors, sensors, actuators, electronics, wiring, etc.

Coordinate with outside companies for design or fabrication services.

Prepare drawings, BOMs, and other design documentation. Specify, source, and order off the shelf components.

Assist the team in assembling and testing robotic systems in both lab and field environments, and use that feedback to rapidly iterate on mechanical designs.

Who You are

Proven ability to design systems that include mechanisms, actuators, motors, etc. Specific experience and training on design for manufacturing.

Competent using CAD software for 3D part modelling, assemblies, and analysis.

Hands-on experience fabricating and assembling prototypes, developing and executing test plans (in both a lab setting and deployed environment), troubleshooting and learning from observed issues, and iterating to achieve objectives.

Experience managing relationships with outside contractors.

Familiarity with autonomous robots or other software-controlled systems is a plus.

Experience within a production or manufacturing environment is an asset.