Senior Manager, Software Engineering

Machinalabs; West Chatsworth (CA); Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

Machina Labs in Los Angeles is seeking a Senior Manager of Software Engineering to lead the team that builds the software brain of our robotic factory. You will own the end-to-end journey from 3D geometry to robotic instructions and work with internal customers to operate production systems.

You will partner with product managers to shape the roadmap, recruit and grow the team, and balance long-term architecture with the fast pace of a growing manufacturing startup.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in CS, Software Eng, or related field.
• 10+ years in software engineering with 3-5+ years in people management.
• Proficient in JavaScript/TypeScript and Python.
• Experience running software on AWS and CI/CD pipelines.
• Containerized apps with Docker and Kubernetes.

Responsibilities

• Lead, manage, and develop a team of software engineers.
• Own delivery of software solutions.
• Partner with product managers to define priorities and scope.
• Collaborate across infra, IT, legal, robotics, and automation.
• Improve software development processes and lifecycle.
• Provide technical oversight for AI-assisted applications.
• Recruit, hire, and onboard new team members.
• Balance architectural health with startup pace.

Skills

Leadership

People management

Software lifecycle

Cross-functional collaboration

Software architecture

Education

Bachelor's degree in CS/Software Eng

Tools

AWS

Docker

Kubernetes

CI/CD

TypeScript

JavaScript

Python

Job description

About Machina Labs:

Engineering moves at software speed. Manufacturing doesn't. Yet.

Machina Labs is changing that. We build intelligent, software-defined factories that produce complex metal structures directly from digital design. By integrating advanced metal forming, robotics, and automated production inside a flexible factory architecture, we enable customers to move from prototype to production in weeks, not years.

Backed by Lockheed Martin, Toyota, and NVIDIA, we're building the manufacturing infrastructure that defense, aerospace, and advanced mobility programs will run on.

If you want to work on hard problems that matter and see them fly, drive, and defend, this is the place.

About the Role

We are looking for a Senior Manager of Software Engineering to lead the team that builds the software brain of our robotic factory. This role reports to the VP of Software & IT. This team owns the full journey from 3D geometry to robotic instructions, and its work is used every day by internal customers to operate our production systems.

The team's portfolio spans:

• Factory web applications - the suite of web applications that take a part from 3D geometry all the way to executable robotic instructions, used by internal customers to operate the factory.
• Computational geometry and business logic - sophisticated algorithms that analyze and manipulate 3D meshes and complex data structures at the core of our manufacturing process.
• Advanced visualization and simulation - tools that simulate robot movements and perform collision detection to de-risk robotic motion plans before they reach the floor.
• Machine learning - models that detect anomalies during robot motion and recommend favorable process configuration settings.
• AI-assisted application oversight - governance and technical guidance for the growing set of small applications built with AI coding tools across the organization.

As the leader of this team, you will be fully responsible for its people, delivery, and growth. You will partner closely with product managers to shape the roadmap, and collaborate across the organization with infrastructure and IT, legal and compliance, robotics and automation, and other engineering disciplines. You will also own hiring for the team: identifying gaps, recruiting exceptional engineers, and growing the team as the company scales.

What You'll Do

• Lead, manage, and develop a team of software engineers
• Own delivery of the software solutions
• Partner with product managers to define priorities, scope work, and ship high-impact features for internal customers
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams and disciplines - infrastructure and IT, legal and compliance, robotics and automation, and others
• Establish and continuously improve software development processes, quality practices, and lifecycle management across the team
• Provide technical oversight and guardrails for AI-assisted applications built throughout the organization
• Recruit, hire, and onboard new team members; build a healthy, high-performing engineering culture
• Balance long-term architectural health with the fast pace of a growing manufacturing startup

What You'll Need

• Bachelor's degree (or higher) in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related field
• 10+ years of software engineering experience, including 3-5+ years of people management experience
• Strong command of software development processes and software lifecycle management
• Working knowledge of JavaScript, TypeScript, and Python
• Experience building and operating software deployed on AWS
• Experience with CI/CD pipelines and practices
• Experience with containerized applications (e.g., Docker, Kubernetes)

Nice to Have

• Experience with robotics-related software
• Experience with CAD or 3D geometry manipulation software
• Background in computational geometry
• Experience with modern AI-assisted development practices
• Experience with machine learning

Work Arrangement

This is a hybrid role based in Los Angeles: 3 days per week on-site and 2 days per week working from home.

Machina Labs is an affirmative Action and Equal Employment Opportunity employer and considers all applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, or status as a protected veteran in accordance with state and federal law. We endeavor to make the job application process accessible to any and all users. If you have a disability that impacts your ability to complete the job application process and would like to request assistance or a reasonable accommodation, please contact us at [phone]. This contact information is for accommodation requests only, not to inquire about the status of applications.