Supplier Development Engineer, Brittles

United States Digital Space LLC; San Francisco (CA); Hybrid; USD 151,000 - 203,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Salary & equity

Health benefits

Employee discounts

PTO & holidays

Job summary

United States Digital Space LLC in the San Francisco Bay Area is seeking a Supplier Development Engineer to lead end-to-end manufacturing process development for brittle materials in our new hardware products.

You will collaborate with design and engineering teams, drive global supplier qualification, and optimize processes like CIM, sintering, and laser cutting, while supporting development and ramp in a hybrid work model.

Qualifications

• 4+ years in mechanical manufacturing with 2+ years on brittle materials
• Experience driving global suppliers to establish brittle-material processes from NPI to mass production
• Hands-on knowledge of ceramic, sapphire crystal, and glass manufacturing processes and DOE, Cpk, and GD&T

Responsibilities

• Define best-in-class processes for brittle components meeting all design requirements
• Partner with Quality, Materials, and Design teams to optimize brittle-material design and manufacturing for cost, cosmetics, reliability
• Use data to drive process decisions and influence product/design tolerances
• Lead supplier development across global sites to establish and optimize manufacturing for brittle substrates
• Lead DFM reviews and set acceptance criteria for brittle materials for development and ramp

Skills

Critical thinking

Problem solving

Communication

Cross functional collaboration

Job description

Our mission at the company is to empower every person to own their inner potential. Our award-winning products help our global community gain a deeper knowledge of their readiness, activity, and sleep quality by using their the company Ring and its connected app. We've helped millions of people understand and improve their health by providing daily insights and practical steps to inspire healthy lifestyles.

Empowering the world starts with living our values and empowering our team. As a quickly growing company focused on helping people live healthier and happier lives, we ensure that our team members have what they need to do their best work — both in and out of the office.

We are looking for a Supplier Development Engineer, Brittles based in the San Francisco Bay Area who will provide concepting and end-to-end manufacturing and process solutions for the key design features in the company's new hardware products.. This includes close collaboration with industrial designers on achieving design intent, scoping manufacturing process development and capability, new supplier bring-up, automation development, and process technology R&D across our mechanical components.

This is a hybrid role; the candidate should be based in the San Francisco Bay Area and able to come into the San Francisco office 2+ days per week.

What you will do:

• Define best-in-class processes for ceramic, sapphire crystal, glass, and other brittle components that meet all the company design and operational requirements

• Partner with Quality Engineers, Material Engineers, and Product/Industrial Designers to optimize brittle-material component design and manufacturing for cost, cosmetics, reliability, and fracture resistance

• Use data (Cpk, GD&T, strength/fracture testing) to drive process decisions and influence product and industrial design, including part tolerances and specifications for brittle substrates

• Drive suppliers globally to establish and optimize manufacturing processes for the company's ceramic, sapphire crystal, and glass components — including CIM, sintering, precision CNC grinding, lapping/polishing, edge chamfering, laser cutting/drilling, and coating adhesion on brittle substrates — ensuring best-in-class quality and resolving production issues

• Lead Design for Manufacturing (DFM) reviews and set acceptance criteria specific to brittle materials (chip/crack defects, edge integrity, cosmetic standards) for tooling and processes entering development builds and production ramp

• Develop and document processes, parameters, consumables, and secondary-operation requirements (grinding, polishing, coating, laser marking) to meet defined specifications

• Provide leadership and support at manufacturing sites during development and production ramp, driving brittle-material-specific issues (cracking, chipping, warpage, thermal shock failures) to resolution with cross-functional teams

Requirements

We would love to consider you for this role if you have:

• 4+ years of direct experience in a mechanical manufacturing environment as a Supplier Development Engineer, Supply Base Engineer, Manufacturing Engineer, Manufacturing Design Engineer, Supplier Industrialization Engineer, or equivalent role with 2 or more years focused on brittle materials

• Experience driving global suppliers to establish and qualify brittle-material manufacturing processes from NPI to mass production, including DFM reviews that surface brittle-specific risks (cracking, chipping, thermal shock) before build start

• Hands‑on knowledge of ceramic, sapphire crystal, and glass manufacturing processes (e.g., ceramic injection molding (CIM), sintering, CNC grinding, lapping/polishing, edge chamfering, laser cutting/drilling, PVD/coating adhesion on brittle substrates) plus failure analysis (fractography), design of experiments (DOE), and dimensional capability (Cpk, GD&T)

• Working understanding of brittle fracture mechanics and relevant strength/reliability testing (e.g., 4-point bend, ring-on-ring, thermal shock/cycling) and cosmetic defect standards for ceramics, sapphire crystal, or glass

• Ability to travel internationally, up to ~15% of the time

• Excellent critical thinking and problem‑solving skills, with the ability to communicate challenges clearly to leadership and cross‑functional partners

• A positive, high‑urgency mindset with a willingness to learn and challenge the status quo; direct experience with ceramics, sapphire crystal, or glass on highly cosmetic parts or health wearable devices strongly preferred

Benefits

At the company, we care about you and your well‑being. Everyone here at the company has a ring of their own and we are continually looking to improve employee health.

What we offer:

• Competitive salary and equity packages

• Health, dental, vision insurance, and mental health resources

• An the company Ring of your own plus employee discounts for friends & family

• 20 days of paid time off plus 13 paid holidays plus 8 days of flexible wellness time off

• Paid sick leave and parental leave

• Amazing culture of collaborative and passionate coworkers

the company takes a market-based approach to pay, which may vary depending on your location. US locations are categorized into tiers based on a cost of labor index for that geographic area. While most offers will be closer to the starting range, successful candidates' pay will be determined based on job-related skills, experience, qualifications, work location, internal peer equity, and market conditions. These ranges may be modified in the future.

• Region 1 $151,300 - $203,000

the company is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. Individuals seeking employment at the company are considered without regard to age, ancestry, color, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, mental or physical disability, national origin, protected family care or medical leave status, race, religion (including beliefs and practices or the absence thereof), sexual orientation, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws. We will not tolerate discrimination or harassment based on any of these characteristics.

We will work to ensure individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment.