Manufacturing Engineer (New Grad December 2026)

Freeform; Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Freeform is seeking a Manufacturing Engineer (New Grad December 2026) to help scale production of high-performance metal 3D printed parts at our Hawthorne facility. The role is hands-on and fast-paced, bridging R&D and production while refining post-processing and machining workflows for speed and precision.

You will collaborate with engineers to design scalable processes, improve fixtures and test procedures, and develop documentation to support rapid production growth.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in mechanical, aerospace, or manufacturing engineering from an ABET-accredited university or college.
• Hands-on manufacturing or build experience from internships or engineering clubs such as FSAE, Baja SAE, solar car, rocket club, robotics club, or similar.
• Experience working with hand tools, machinery, or complex hardware assembly.

Responsibilities

• Work closely with engineers to design and implement scalable manufacturing processes for new hardware and printed parts.
• Support part flow through the factory by improving fixturing, test procedures, and post-processing steps.
• Develop lightweight documentation and process standards to support scaling production without slowing engineering iteration.
• Build and iterate on tooling, jigs, and test setups to support reliable, high-throughput production.
• Help identify bottlenecks and inefficiencies in how parts, materials, and data move through the factory, and work with cross-functional teams to improve them.
• Support early production of high-performance printed parts, helping bridge the gap between R&D and high-rate manufacturing.
• Contribute to CNC machining workflows, including programming, setup, and optimization of multi-axis operations for post-processing of printed parts.

Skills

Hands-on manufacturing experience

Education

ABET-accredited degree in mechanical/aerospace/manufacturing engineering

Job description

MANUFACTURING ENGINEER (NEW GRAD DECEMBER 2026)

Freeform builds AI-native manufacturing systems that unify software, hardware, and physics to produce industrial-scale parts at the speed of human ideation. By treating manufacturing as a single integrated system, we unlock a new era of innovation where complex hardware is designed, built, and scaled without limits.

As a Manufacturing Engineer at Freeform, you will be at the forefront of scaling production for high-performance metal 3D printed parts. You will work with a talented engineering team from some of the world's most innovative companies across a range of projects to develop and refine the processes, tooling, and CNC machining workflows that enable precision manufacturing at speed and scale. This role is hands-on and fast-paced, ideal for someone eager to learn and contribute to the development of our autonomous metal 3D printing factories. You will focus on optimizing post-processing and machining operations, helping to bridge the gap between R&D and production.

3D printing experience is not required to be successful here - rather we look for smart, motivated, collaborative individuals who love solving hard problems and creating amazing technology!

Responsibilities:

• Work closely with engineers to design and implement scalable manufacturing processes for new hardware and printed parts
• Support part flow through the factory by improving fixturing, test procedures, and post-processing steps
• Develop lightweight documentation and process standards to support scaling production without slowing engineering iteration
• Build and iterate on tooling, jigs, and test setups to support reliable, high-throughput production
• Help identify bottlenecks and inefficiencies in how parts, materials, and data move through the factory, and work with cross-functional teams to improve them
• Support early production of high-performance printed parts, helping bridge the gap between R&D and high-rate manufacturing
• Contribute to CNC machining workflows, including programming, setup, and optimization of multi-axis operations for post-processing of printed parts

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in mechanical, aerospace, or manufacturing engineering from an ABET-accredited university or college
• Hands on manufacturing or build experience from internships or engineering clubs such as FSAE, Baja SAE, solar car, rocket club, robotics club, or similar
• Experience working with hand tools, machinery, or complex hardware assembly

Nice to Have:

• Advanced degree (Master's, PhD) in mechanical, aerospace, or manufacturing engineering
• Experience with CNC machining, including 3 or 5-axis programming and/or setup
• Experience with metal additive manufacturing or precision post-processing
• Exposure to fixturing, DFM, or process validation
• Experience scaling early-stage R&D into production
• Familiarity with MRP/ERP tools and lightweight production tracking systems
• Familiarity with manufacturing process development in a fast-paced hardware environment
• Ability to translate high-level engineering goals into practical factory processes
• Comfortable working in fast-paced, ambiguous environments and iterating quickly (comfortable building the plane as we fly it)
• Strong communicator who collaborates across disciplines and proactively seeks support when needed
• Willing to take ownership of tasks big and small, with a hands-on, problem-solving mindset
• Strong work ethic with a refuse-to-fail mindset
• Demonstrated indicators of excellence and/or achieving success against adversity (i.e. top academic performance, leadership in engineering clubs, first-generation college student, or other examples of resilience and achievement)

Location:

• Based in Hawthorne, our vertically integrated facility brings technology development, R&D, and production together under one roof. We operate at the center of LA's deep tech ecosystem, surrounded by some of the most ambitious hardware innovation happening anywhere in the country.
• Our fast-paced, cross-functional environment is built on close collaboration, and as such, this role requires full-time onsite presence (five days a week), with very limited exceptions.

What We Offer:

• We have an inclusive and diverse culture that values collaboration, learning, and making deliberate data-driven decisions.
• We offer