CNC Machinist

Kovari; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 75,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Kovari in San Francisco is seeking a hands-on CNC machinist who will own machining for our robots. You will program and operate Haas mills, set up fixtures, and ensure parts meet tight tolerances while collaborating with engineers in the field.

This role blends prototyping and small runs with ongoing manufacturing, requiring a bias toward action, strong metrology, and a readiness to iterate designs in real time.

Qualifications

• Hands-on CNC milling experience with Haas preferred.
• CAM fluency (Fusion, Mastercam, or similar) and reading drawings with GD&T.
• Strong metrology instincts: measure parts and judge in/out of tolerance.
• Experience in aluminum and steel; comfortable with one-offs and short runs.
• Bonus: fixture design, welding, lathe, robotics background.
• Bias toward action: program fast, cut, inspect, and fix the process if drift occurs.

Responsibilities

• Program and operate CNC mills (Haas VF-2SS and similar): CAM, setups, fixtures, tool selection, and proven processes
• Machine robot parts from engineering drawings and CAD: brackets, plates, housings, shafts, linkages, and custom fixtures
• Own shop workflow: material, tooling, workholding, inspection, and turnaround so engineers are never waiting on parts
• Inspect to print: calipers, micrometers, height gauges, and basic GD&T; catch bad parts before they hit the robot
• Maintain the machines and shop: tooling inventory, consumables, cleanliness, and basic preventive maintenance
• Partner with mechanical engineers on DFM: suggest edits that cut faster, hold tighter, or assemble cleaner
• Support quick-turn prototypes and small production batches as the robot design iterates

Skills

CNC milling

GD&T reading

Metrology

Aluminum & steel

One-offs & short runs

Fixture design (bonus)

Tools

Fusion 360

Mastercam

CAD drawings

Job description

About Kovari

Kovari develops frontier technology to transform physical businesses. We partner with established operators to change how they run, and we build and operate businesses of our own through our subsidiaries.

We are a small team of builders, operators, and researchers. We deploy on site, alongside the businesses we serve, and iterate in the field. We have raised over $6M from leading investors.

We are based in San Francisco and work in person.

The Role

You will own machining for our robots: turn drawings into precise parts on our in-house CNC (Haas VF-2SS and related equipment), keep the shop running, and feed the mechanical team with parts that survive real operations. You program it, set it up, cut it, inspect it, and fix what comes back from the field.

This is not a pure production-cell role. You work next to engineers iterating designs daily: tight lead times, prototype one-offs and short runs, aluminum and steel, and parts that have to fit actuators, drivetrains, and structures that take a beating in hotels and other live sites.

What You'll Do

• Program and operate CNC mills (Haas VF-2SS and similar): CAM, setups, fixtures, tool selection, and proven processes

• Machine robot parts from engineering drawings and CAD: brackets, plates, housings, shafts, linkages, and custom fixtures

• Own shop workflow: material, tooling, workholding, inspection, and turnaround so engineers are never waiting on parts

• Inspect to print: calipers, micrometers, height gauges, and basic GD&T; catch bad parts before they hit the robot

• Maintain the machines and shop: tooling inventory, consumables, cleanliness, and basic preventive maintenance

• Partner with mechanical engineers on DFM: suggest edits that cut faster, hold tighter, or assemble cleaner

• Support quick-turn prototypes and small production batches as the robot design iterates

What You Bring

• Hands-on CNC milling experience (Haas preferred): setup, tooling, and making good parts without babysitting

• CAM fluency (Fusion, Mastercam, or similar) and comfort reading drawings with GD&T

• Strong metrology instincts: you measure, you know when a part is in or out

• Experience in aluminum and steel; comfort with one-offs and short runs, not only high-volume production

• Bonus: lathe, welding, manual mill, or fixture design; robotics / FSAE / combat robotics / similar shop background

• Bias toward action: program fast, cut, inspect, fix the process when something drifts

Values

• Pace of learning trumps everything.

• Relentless refinement of our craft.

• Low ego, high ownership.

• All-in on the mission. We work in person, and this isn't a 9-to-5.