Mechanical Operations Lab Lead

About the Company

Etched is building hardware for frontier intelligence. We co-design chips, racks, software, and manufacturing to deliver best-in-class throughput and latency across both prefill and decode workloads. Our first products are heavily focused on inference.

Responsibilities

• Supervise and maintain machine shop equipment including manual/CNC mills, lathes, and saws
• Oversee a high-throughput additive manufacturing suite including FDM, SLA, and Nylon SLS/FDM printers
• Maintain calibration and preventative maintenance schedules for precision instruments
• Enforce strict lab safety protocols, PPE compliance, and EH&S standards
• Manage chemical, resin, and consumable inventories and hazardous waste disposal
• Own inventory systems for raw stock, fasteners, and project-specific storage
• Define and run an intake process for engineering fabrication and assembly requests
• Optimize physical lab workflow and layout to eliminate bottlenecks

Requirements

• 5+ years of experience managing a mechanical lab, machine shop, or hardware R&D space
• Hands-on operational familiarity with manual machine shop tools
• Practical experience operating and maintaining FDM, SLA, and Nylon/SLS 3D printers
• Proven ability to build and scale organization systems like inventory management or 5S
• Deep working knowledge of OSHA standards and EH&S compliance
• Physical capability to operate in a standing shop environment and lift heavy equipment

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or Manufacturing Technology
• Experience with CNC programming (CAM) or precision laser cutter operation
• Familiarity with liquid cooling loops, facility chillers, and power distribution units
• Experience in a fast-paced hardware startup environment
• Proficiency with project management tools like Jira and basic CAD/slicing software

Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision packages with generous premium coverage
• $500 per month credit for waiving medical benefits
• Housing subsidy of $2k per month for those living within walking distance of the office
• Relocation support for those moving to San Jose
• Various wellness benefits covering fitness and mental health
• Daily lunch and dinner in the office
• Unlimited compute budget subject to ROI justification