Head of Machine Shop

Atomic Machines is ushering in a new era of micromanufacturing with its Matter Compiler™ technology platform. This platform enables new classes of micromachines to be designed and built by providing manufacturing processes and a materials library that are inaccessible to semiconductor manufacturing methods. It unlocks MEMS manufacturing not only for device classes that could never be produced by semiconductor methods, but also for entirely new categories. Furthermore, this digital platform is fully programmable in the way 3D printing is digital—but whereas 3D printing produces parts of a single material using a single process, the Matter Compiler™ technology platform is a multi-process, multi-material system: bits and raw materials go in, and complete, functional micromachines come out. The Atomic Machines team has also created an exciting first device—made possible only through the Matter Compiler™ technology platform—that we will be unveiling to the world soon. Our offices are in Emeryville and Santa Clara, California. About the role The Director, Machine Shop is accountable for building, scaling, and continuously improving Atomic Machines' prototype machining capability as a strategic engineering asset. This role owns the shop operating model, leadership structure, safety and compliance system, capacity planning, capital roadmap, vendor strategy, and cross-site coordination required to support rapid hardware iteration. The Director should be technically credible with machining, CAM, DFM, metrology, and fabrication processes, but the primary expectation is organizational leadership, systems design, budget ownership, and executive-level communication - not default hands-on machining. What You'll Do Lead the Emeryville Machine Shop ● Own day-to-day shop operations, priorities, staffing, and execution. ● Build, manage, and develop a strong team of machinists and shop personnel. ● Create a safe, organized, high-quality prototype shop environment. ● Partner closely with Engineering, Supply Chain, Facilities, Safety, Finance, and leadership. Build the Systems to Run the Shop ● Put clear systems in place for job intake, planning, scheduling, execution, and real-time communication. ● Create metrics and forecasting tools to understand capacity, demand, throughput, quality, and bottlenecks. ● Use data to make trade-offs, set priorities, and communicate shop performance. ● Standardize workflows across machining, CAM, inspection, tooling, inventory, maintenance, and vendor work. Improve Shop Capability and Throughput ● Visualize how the shop should operate and identify layout, process, staffing, and equipment improvements. ● Improve turnaround time, quality, reliability, and engineering support. ● Decide when work should be done in-house versus outsourced based on urgency, capability, cost, and risk. ● Plan for future shop growth, including tools, equipment, staffing, and capital needs. Institutionalize DFM and Technical Quality ● Build a culture where machinists and engineers work together early and regularly on DFM. ● Create lightweight DFM processes that improve designs without slowing down the shop. ● Ensure the team understands machining risk, GD&T, inspection strategy, workholding, and manufacturability. ● Capture lessons learned and turn them into standards, templates, and training for the shop. Develop People and Culture ● Hire, coach, and develop machinists and shop leaders. ● Set clear expectations, provide feedback, and hold the team accountable. ● Build a culture of ownership, craftsmanship, safety, collaboration, and continuous improvement. ● Make sure the shop operates as a high-quality internal prototype shop, not a transactional job shop. . What You'll Need 15+ years in machining, prototype manufacturing, or advanced hardware operations, including 5+ years leading teams or managers in a technical shop environment. Demonstrated experience scaling a prototype shop, production-adjacent manufacturing function, or technical o