Machine Shop Manager

antora; San Jose (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Antora Energy is expanding its in-house machining shop in San Jose and seeks a hands-on Machine Shop Manager to lead day-to-day operations. You will hire and guide machinists, own the scheduling, safety, dust-control, and cost metrics while coordinating with R&D, Engineering, and Facilities to scale production.

You will report to the Director of Manufacturing Operations and drive process discipline, tool selection, and continuous improvement across the shop floor.

Qualifications

• 6+ years hands-on experience in machining or panel processing.

Responsibilities

• Hire, onboard, train, and manage machinists and operators.
• Execute the released machining schedule and ensure on-time work.
• Own shop safety, dust control, and housekeeping programs.
• Lead safety initiatives, risk assessments, and incident investigations.
• Own machine-wide maintenance planning and uptime tracking.
• Drive cost and throughput improvements (tool life, consumables, setup time).
• Contribute to layout, equipment selection, and commissioning during build-out.
• Provide regular throughput, yield, cost, and risk updates to leadership.

Skills

Machining leadership

CNC machining

Dust-control experience

Safety leadership

Tools

CAM programming

CNC tooling

Job description

Antora Energy delivers affordable, reliable energy to industry, data centers, and the grid. Our thermal batteries turn low-cost electricity into always-on heat and power, without supply-constrained critical minerals or multi-year construction timelines.

We are growing our company with people who put team and mission first, value connection through laughter and joy, and work with humility and openness. We are committed to building a diverse, passionate, and creative team dedicated to a future powered by abundant, clean, low-cost energy.

Position Summary

Antora Energy is seeking a Machine Shop Manager to lead the day-to-day operation of our in-house machining shop. We are expanding our in-house machining capacity in San Jose and in this role you will own how that shop runs. You will work closely with the R&D team as we bring new material into the world, and then report to our Director of Manufacturing Operations as we scale its production.

The shop runs large-format panel-processing and machining equipment (CNC routers and mills, panel saws, wide-belt sanders, wire saws, and track saws) on a material that produces fine, abrasive, electrically conductive carbon dust.

You will hire, train and lead machinists, execute the R&D and production schedule as its released, own floor safety and dust control, and own cost and throughput. The shop itself is being built out by a cross-functional project team spanning Manufacturing Engineering, Facilities, Supply Chain, and EHS&S; you will join early to provide expertise in layout, equipment selection, and commissioning, and you will take ownership of each machine as it is handed over. You will partner closely with materials development, mechanical design, operations, EHS&S, facilities, and procurement. This is a hands-on leadership role.

Roles & Responsibilities

• Team leadership : Hire, onboard, train, and manage material handlers, manual and CNC machinists and operators. Establish shift plans, cross-training, a skills matrix, and performance expectations. Be the hands-on leader who can set up, run, and troubleshoot any machine in the shop.
• Production execution : Execute the released machining schedule. Own work order execution, setups, first-piece and in-process inspection, and scrap/rework disposition with Quality. Sequence work within the shift against the due dates and priorities set by Production Scheduling; escalate capacity, material, tooling, and equipment constraints the same shift. Report completions, downtime, and scrap accurately and on time. Hit schedule attainment and first-pass yield targets.
• Dust control and housekeeping : Execute the shop's dust-control program on the floor: housekeeping standards, PPE compliance, collector filter and hopper maintenance, daily monitoring checks, and waste handling. Escalate system or exposure issues to EHS&S and Facilities.
• Safety : Lead by example. Execute LOTO, run job and setup risk assessments, report and lead first-line investigation of near-misses and incidents, and make safety visible and routine on the floor.
• Equipment ownership : Take ownership of each machine from the earliest stages. Perform and enforce operator-level preventive maintenance; coordinate with Facilities & Equipment on higher-level maintenance and repairs; track uptime.
• Process discipline and quality : Execute released work instructions and control plans; red-line and drive revisions from floor feedback; manage tooling and consumables usage against standards; support first-article and in-process inspection with Quality.
• Cost and throughput : Own the operational cost levers including tool life, consumable usage, setup time, OEE, scrap. Report machining cost per Module and drive it down. Provide machine rates, available hours, and capability data to Production Scheduling and to make-vs-buy decisions.
• Build-out participation : Provide operator-side requirements to layout, equipment specifications, and acceptance criteria. Lead operator training during vendor commissioning. Participate in pre-startup safety reviews.
• Reporting and coordination : Provide regular status on throughput, yield, cost, safety, and risks to Manufacturing Operations leadership and, during the build-out, to the Program Lead. Be the machine shop's primary interface to Production Scheduling, Manufacturing Engineering, Quality, Facilities, Supply Chain, and EHS&S.

Key Qualifications

• 6+ years hands-on in machining, fabrication, or panel processing, with 3+ years supervising or managing a production machining team or cell.
• Hands-on competence on CNC router/saw/sander-class equipment and/or CNC mills: can set up, run, and troubleshoot, including CAM programming and fixturing.
• Experience machining abrasive, dust-generating non-metallic materials (carbon/graphite, carbon-carbon, ceramics, composites, or engineered wood/MDF).
• Has worked under a formal dust-control and housekeeping program (collector maintenance, PPE, monitoring) in a production environment.
• Reads drawi