Lead Mfg Dev Engineer – AI-Driven Factory Automation

Freeform; Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision insurance

401(k) retirement plan

Paid vacation and holidays

Free daily catered lunch

Job summary

Freeform is hiring a Staff/Lead Manufacturing Development Engineer to design and implement scalable post-processing and delivery systems for a high-throughput metal 3D printing facility in Hawthorne, CA. The role blends hands-on hardware development with manufacturing execution and cross-functional leadership.

You will lead integration of new hardware, drive efficiency using first-principles analysis, and collaborate across mechanical, electrical, software, and controls teams to accelerate

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Aerospace, or related Engineering.
• 5+ years of professional experience in engineering development or manufacturing engineering.
• Experience in a fast-paced hardware development or manufacturing environment.

Responsibilities

• Design and implement scalable systems and processes to automate post-print operations, reduce lead time, and enable factory throughput expansion.
• Lead development and integration of new manufacturing hardware and tooling to support next-generation factory architecture.
• Identify and eliminate process inefficiencies using first-principles analysis and a data-driven approach.
• Act as a force multiplier for R&D teams, bridging development and operations to maximize efficiency and velocity.
• Collaborate with mechanical, electrical, software, and controls engineers to co-develop factory solutions.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives across the full post-processing workflow.

Skills

Hardware development

Manufacturing engineering

Data analysis

Technical leadership

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Aerospace, or related Engineering

Tools

CNC machining

Automation tooling

Job description

Freeform is hiring a Staff/Lead Manufacturing Development Engineer to design and implement scalable post-processing and delivery systems for a high-throughput metal 3D printing facility in Hawthorne, CA. The role blends hands-on hardware development with manufacturing execution and cross-functional leadership.

You will lead integration of new hardware, drive efficiency using first-principles analysis, and collaborate across mechanical, electrical, software, and controls teams to accelerate