Manufacturing and Process Engineering Manager

About Standard Bots Industrial robots have long been out of reach for most manufacturers — too expensive, too complex, and built for companies with dedicated automation teams. Standard Bots is changing that. We build powerful, affordable robots that work in real factories, from small shops to growing production lines. We’re scaling fast, and the engineering discipline we build now will define the quality and cost of every robot we ship.

This role sits at the heart of that mission. You’ll have direct influence over how our robots are built, at what quality, and at what cost. It’s not a support function — it’s a core driver of the business.

Our factory is in Glen Cove, NY, 35 minutes from Manhattan. You’ll be on-site 5 days a week, with your decisions visible on the floor the next morning.

The Role We’re hiring a Manufacturing & Process Engineering Manager to take full ownership of how we build our robots — from initial process design through continuous improvement on the production floor. You’ll take charge of a small, early-stage team and build the function from scratch: defining engineering standards, tightening the loop between product design and production, and deploying automation where it creates the most leverage.

This is a player-coach role. You’ll stay hands-on — writing process documentation, running DFM reviews, designing fixtures — while simultaneously growing your team and shaping the future of manufacturing engineering at Standard Bots. As production scales, so will your scope and leadership impact.

You’ll report directly to the Head of Manufacturing and own both manufacturing engineering and process engineering as a unified function.

What You’ll Do Process Engineering & DFM

• Lead DFM reviews with product and mechanical engineering. Own manufacturing processes, fixtures, and tooling for robot assemblies. Identify and drive automation opportunities across assembly, test, and material handling.

Manufacturing Process Improvement

• Drive quality and throughput improvements on the production floor. Maintain process documentation (work instructions, BOMs, routings) and track metrics for capability, yield, and cycle time.

Team & Function Building

• Manage and grow a team of 3–4 engineers. Define the charter and hiring roadmap for the Manufacturing & Process Engineering function. Build strong cross-functional relationships with product, quality, and operations.

Basic Qualifications:

• 7+ years in manufacturing or process engineering, with at least 2 years managing engineers in a hardware environment

• Background in robotics, automation hardware, or high-complexity electromechanical assembly

• Hands-on experience with DFM/DFA, fixture design, and process documentation at a production level

• Strong working knowledge of automation systems and a demonstrated instinct for where to apply them

• Proven track record of measurable quality and throughput improvements — you know how to scope an initiative and see it through

• Experience building or formalizing an engineering function, not just stepping into a mature one

• Comfortable operating in an environment where the playbook is still being written

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience scaling from low-volume prototype to higher-volume production (thousands of units annually)

• Familiarity with MES, ERP, or manufacturing data systems in an industrial context

• Exposure to sheet metal, machined components, PCB assembly, or mixed-process manufacturing

Compensation and Benefits The salary range for this role is $165,000 to $200,000. We are open to a variety of seniority levels for this role and will build compensation packages that are commensurate with seniority and skill level. Base salary is just one part of the overall compensation at Standard Bots. All Full-Time Employees are eligible for Employee Stock Options. We also offer a package of benefits including paid time off, medical/dental/vision insurance, life insurance, disability insurance, and 401(k) to regular full-time employees.