Manufacturing Engineer, Robotics Hardware

FieldAI’s Irvine team is where embodied AI meets real robots, real sensors, and real field deployments. Based in the heart of Southern California’s robotics ecosystem, we build risk-aware, reliable, field-ready AI systems that solve the hardest problems in robotics and unlock the full potential of embodied intelligence. If you want your work to ship, get tested on hardware, and improve through real deployments, Irvine is the place. We go beyond typical data-driven approaches or pure transformer-only architectures, combining rigorous engineering with learning systems proven in globally deployed solutions that deliver results today and get better every time our robots run in the field.

About Us

Field AI is transforming how robots interact with the real world. We are building risk-aware, reliable, and field-ready AI systems that address the most complex challenges in robotics, unlocking the full potential of embodied intelligence. We go beyond typical data-driven approaches or pure transformer-based architectures, and are charting a new course, with already-globally-deployed solutions delivering real-world results and rapidly improving models through real-field applications.

Manufacturing Engineer, Robotics Hardware

The Manufacturing Engineer will be responsible for designing, implementing, and continuously improving assembly and manufacturing processes for Field AI products. This individual will serve as the bridge between Engineering and Manufacturing, ensuring products are designed for manufacturability, assembly, testability, and long-term scalability.

The ideal candidate is highly hands-on, thrives in fast-paced hardware development environments, and has experience bringing complex electromechanical products from prototype through production. This role will play a critical part in improving product yields, reducing assembly complexity, establishing quality standards, and developing functional test strategies that ensure reliable field performance.

1. Manufacturing Process Ownership

• Own the development, implementation, and continuous improvement of assembly processes for robotic systems, payloads, and subassemblies.

• Create and maintain manufacturing work instructions, assembly procedures, process flows, and build documentation.

• Design assembly workflows that optimize throughput, quality, ergonomics, and repeatability.

• Lead manufacturing readiness activities for prototype, pilot, and production builds.

• Support contract manufacturers and internal production teams with process development and troubleshooting.
  
  

2. Design for Manufacturing (DFM) & Design for Assembly (DFA)

• Partner closely with Mechanical, Electrical, and Systems Engineering teams during product development.

• Drive DFM and DFA reviews throughout the product lifecycle to reduce manufacturing complexity, cost, and assembly time.

• Identify opportunities to simplify assemblies, reduce part count, improve tolerance stack-ups, and increase manufacturability.

• Provide feedback on component selection, fabrication methods, and assembly approaches to improve product robustness and scalability.
  
  

3. Yield Improvement & Production Support

• Establish manufacturing KPIs and yield tracking systems.

• Analyze production data to identify root causes of defects, failures, and inefficiencies.

• Lead failure analysis and corrective action (FACA) initiatives to improve process capability and product quality.

• Drive continuous improvement projects focused on yield, cycle time, labor efficiency, and cost reduction.

4. Quality & Test Development




• Define manufacturing quality requirements and inspection strategies for components, assemblies, and finished products.

• Develop acceptance criteria, inspection plans, and quality checkpoints throughout the manufacturing process.

• Establish functional test requirements and validation procedures for payloads, subsystems, and completed systems.

• Collaborate with Engineering and Quality teams to develop automated and semi-automated test solutions where appropriate.

• Ensure manufacturing processes consistently produce products that meet performance and reliability requirements.
  
  

5. Tooling, Fixtures & Automation




• Design and implement assembly fixtures, tooling, and manufacturing aids to improve consistency and efficiency.

• Evaluate opportunities for automation and process optimization.

• Develop calibration and maintenance requirements for manufacturing equipment and test stations.

• Ensure production tools and fixtures are documented and controlled.

• Experience in robotics, autonomous systems, aerospace, automotive, industrial equipment, or similar industries.

• Experience supporting products from prototype through scaled production.

• Familiarity with PCBAs, wiring harnesses, sensors, motors, actuators, and precision mechanical assemblies.

• Experience developing production test equipment and functional test procedures.

• Knowledge of GD&T, tolerance analysis, SPC, Lean Manufacturing, and Six Sigma methodologies.

• Experience working with contract manufacturers and external production partners
  

Our salary range is generous and we consider each individual’s background and experience when determining final compensation. Base pay may vary based on role scope, job-related knowledge, skills, experience, and the Irvine, California market.

In Irvine, you will work where the robots are. Our local team builds and tests systems on real hardware with real sensors, then ships them to operate in unstructured, previously unknown environments around the world. We are solving one of robotics’ hardest challenges: reliable deployment outside the lab. Our Field Foundational Models™ raise the bar for perception, planning, localization, and manipulation, with an emphasis on explainability and safety for real-world use.

You will collaborate with a world-class team that thrives on creativity, resilience, and bold thinking. We bring deep experience from organizations such as DeepMind, NASA JPL, Boston Dynamics, NVIDIA, Amazon, Tesla Autopilot, Cruise, Zoox, Toyota Research Institute, and SpaceX, along with a track record of field deployments and strong performance in DARPA challenge segments.

We are looking for builders who want their work to leave the whiteboard and show up on robots. If you enjoy tackling tough, uncharted questions and working across disciplines, you will find your people here. Our teams span AI, software, robotics engineering, product, field deployment, and technical communication, all focused on shipping systems that perform in the real world.

Our headquarters is in Irvine, and we partner closely with teams there as well as colleagues across the US and around the world. Join us in Southern California and help define what dependable, field-ready autonomy looks like.

We value diverse perspectives and are committed to fostering an inclusive workplace. We evaluate candidates and employees based on merit, qualifications, and performance, and we do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, national origin, ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, or any other legally protected status.