Machinist

Kovari; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Kovari is seeking a hands-on CNC machinist to own our in-house machine shop, program, run, and inspect parts for live robot operations. The role emphasizes speed, quality, and adaptability as designs evolve weekly.

You will work on CNC mills and lathes, read drawings with GD&T, and collaborate with engineers to optimize manufacturability for low-volume, high-mix production.

Qualifications

• 3+ years hands-on CNC milling/turning experience.
• Strong CAM programming skills and fluency with G‑code.
• Ability to read engineering drawings and apply GD&T.

Responsibilities

• Own the machine shop: equipment, tooling, workholding, maintenance, and safety.
• Program and run CNC mills/lathe and manual machines.
• Write CAM toolpaths in Fusion 360 or similar, incl. multi‑op setups.
• Machine metals and plastics from billet to spec, with tight tolerances.
• Build fixturing to cut cycle times and improve setup time.
• Inspect parts to drawing and GD&T with calipers and micrometers.
• Provide DFM feedback to engineers for cheaper, faster parts.
• Source stock and manage tooling, heat treat, finishes as needed.
• Support robot builds, field repairs, and rapid fixes.

Skills

CNC milling

CNC turning

G-code & CAM

GD&T

Reading drawings

Manual mill/lathe

Tools

Fusion 360

Mastercam

Job description

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 our in‑house machine shop and turn designs into real robot parts, fast. You program, set up, run, and inspect parts that go straight onto robots running in live operations.

This is not a production‑line role. Part counts are low, designs change weekly, and the parts you make get tested in the field days later. Speed, judgment, and quality all matter.

What You'll Do

• Own the machine shop: equipment, tooling, workholding, maintenance, and safety
• Program and run CNC mills and lathes (Haas VMC, Tormach, Haas TL-series lathe) and manual machines
• Write CAM toolpaths in Fusion 360 or similar, including adaptive roughing and multi‑op setups
• Machine aluminum, 4140 and mild steel, and plastics like POM and PEEK from billet
• Build fixturing and quick‑change workholding to cut cycle times and setup time
• Turn, bore, thread, and broach precision features like lead screws, shafts, and bearing fits
• Inspect parts to drawing and GD&T with calipers, micrometers, indicators, and gauges
• Give mechanical engineers DFM feedback so parts are cheaper and faster to make
• Manage tooling inventory and source stock, cutters, and outside services (heat treat, anodize, finishing)
• Support robot builds, field repairs, and rapid fixes for deployed robots

What You Bring

• 3+ years of hands‑on CNC milling and turning experience
• Strong CAM programming skills (Fusion 360, Mastercam, or similar) and fluency with G‑code
• Ability to read engineering drawings and apply GD&T
• Solid grasp of speeds, feeds, tool selection, and workholding across materials
• Experience on manual lathes and mills
• Comfort with low‑volume, high‑mix, fast‑turnaround work
• Bonus: 5‑axis or 4th‑axis experience, probing, welding, fabrication, or 3D printing (SLS, SLA, FDM)
• Bonus: FIRST, FSAE, combat robotics, or similar build teams
• A portfolio of parts you've made
• Bias toward action: make it, test it, fix what breaks

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.