Graphite Production Lead - Equity & High-Impact Startup

Valar Atomics; El Segundo (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity ownership in a rapidly growing?

Unlimited PTO

Free daily lunch and dinner onsite

Generous PPE stipend

High-impact startup environment with|"

Opportunities for rapid career growth

Direct collaboration with engineers

Build and scale transformative energy技

Job summary

Valar Atomics is seeking a Graphite Production Lead to run day-to-day operations for graphite machining and lead a growing team of CNC programmers and machinists. The role owns the production schedule, tooling strategy, and quality standards for graphite parts from programming through final inspection.

You will mentor the team, partner with engineering and EHS on safe handling of abrasive material, and contribute to continuous improvement in a fast-paced startup environment.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of CNC machining or programming experience, including graphite or abrasive materials.
• 3+ years in a lead or supervisory role over a machining or production team.
• Proficiency with CAM software (ESPRIT EDGE, Fusion 360, or similar) for mills and/or lathes.
• Strong understanding of tooling wear, feeds/speeds, and work-holding strategies for graphite or abrasive materials.
• Ability to read and work from complex engineering drawings, GD&T, and CAD models.

Responsibilities

• Lead, schedule, and mentor a team of CNC programmers and machinists focused on graphite production.
• Own tooling and consumable strategy for graphite machining, including rapid tool wear management.
• Review and refine CNC programs and toolpaths for graphite parts and troubleshoot setups with programmers.
• Ensure dust collection, ventilation, and PPE protocols are followed for safe, compliant graphite machining.
• Coordinate production priorities and schedules with Management to hit build timelines.
• Collaborate with Engineering and QC on DFx feedback and first-article inspection for new graphite parts.
• Maintain 5S, continuous improvement, and quality standards on the graphite floor.
• Hire, train, and develop team members as graphite production scales and conducts reviews.

Skills

CNC programming

Lead / supervision

GD&T reading

Tools

ESPRIT EDGE

Fusion 360

Job description

Valar Atomics is seeking a Graphite Production Lead to run day-to-day operations for graphite machining and lead a growing team of CNC programmers and machinists. The role owns the production schedule, tooling strategy, and quality standards for graphite parts from programming through final inspection.

You will mentor the team, partner with engineering and EHS on safe handling of abrasive material, and contribute to continuous improvement in a fast-paced startup environment.