Manufacturing Design Engineer

About Origin

Origin (previously 10xConstruction) is building general-purpose autonomous robots for US construction to tackle rising costs, safety risks, and labour shortages. Our modular, multi-trade platform combines purpose-built hardware with real-time site intelligence to navigate complex environments and execute tasks with precision. Trained in high-fidelity simulation and already deployed on live sites, our robots deliver 5x faster execution, 250%+ margin expansion, and significant cost savings. Join India’s most talent-dense robotics team, consisting of individuals from IITs, Stanford, UCLA, etc.

About the role

The Manufacturing Engineer will build and scale Origin's mechanical supply chain to enable the production of 80 robots in 12 months — transforming engineering prototypes into predictable, manufacturable products. The role owns end-to-end technical sourcing and vendor execution for all mechanical components — CNC machined parts, sheet metal fabrication, structural and fabricated assemblies, castings, wheels, and machined housings — across cost, quality, and lead time. It also drives rapid-prototyping support for engineering and long-term vendor development for upcoming robot versions. This role acts as the technical bridge between mechanical engineering, industrial design, contract manufacturers, and mechanical suppliers across India and China.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide DFM and DFA feedback to mechanical engineering, identifying cost-down and manufacturability opportunities early in the design cycle (≥ 5 closed per quarter).
• Source mechanical components across CNC machining (milling, turning, and grinding), sheet metal fabrication (laser cutting, bending, stamping, and welding), structural fabrication, castings, wheels, fasteners, and surface treatments (anodising, powder coating, and plating).
• Build and maintain an Approved Vendor List (AVL) with 3–5 qualified mechanical vendors per critical BOM line item and 20–30 qualified fabrication / machining partners overall.
• Drive BOM standardisation and technical alignment with mechanical engineering — drawings, GD&T, tolerances, material specs, and surface finishes — before RFQ release.
• Conduct vendor audits and capability assessments at supplier facilities; verify real machine capability, inspection equipment, in-house vs. outsourced operations, process capability (Cpk), and quality systems against claims.
• Identify and onboard 3–5 dedicated CNC and sheet metal manufacturing partners for rapid prototyping; achieve a ≤ 5-day turnaround from drawing release to part-in-hand for mechanical prototypes.
• Coordinate with mechanical contract manufacturers for fabrication, assembly, FAI, and pilot manufacturing readiness; align SOPs, drawing revisions, tolerance interpretation, and rework protocols.
• Lead First Article Inspection (FAI) and dimensional capability reviews; align inspection plans, CMM reports, and acceptance criteria between Origin engineering and supplier QA.
• Drive mechanical BOM cost optimisation (30–40% opportunity) through should-cost modelling, structured RFQs, process re-engineering, raw material rationalisation, and alternate sourcing.
• Establish multi-source strategy for critical CNC and sheet metal components; evaluate tooling investments (dies, fixtures, jigs) for ROI on volume-driven parts.
• Maintain procurement trackers, lead-time master, inventory visibility, and supply chain risk dashboards for the mechanical category – single-source dependencies, geo-concentration, raw material exposure, and capacity risk.
• Implement vendor performance scorecards (quality PPM, OTIF, RFQ responsiveness, cost competitiveness) and run quarterly business reviews.
• Support long-term mechanical vendor development for upcoming robot versions and the 200 units/year scale-up.

Required Qualifications and Skills

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical / Production / Industrial / Manufacturing Engineering.
• 4-6 years of experience in technical sourcing or procurement of mechanical components — CNC machined parts, sheet metal fabrication, welded/structural fabrication, castings, and surface treatment partners.
• Hands-on global sourcing experience (mandatory exposure beyond India — China is preferred).
• Strong working knowledge of CNC machining processes, sheet metal forming and joining, welding, casting, fasteners, and surface treatments (anodising, powder coating, plating, and painting).
• Ability to read and interpret 2D engineering drawings, 3D CAD models, GD&T callouts, tolerance stack-ups, and surface finish specifications.
• Strong grounding in material selection — steel grades, aluminium alloys, plastics — and their cost/process implications.