Manufacturing Design Program Manager

The role

This individual contributor will drive technical manufacturing readiness across new product introduction and mass production for transformer-specific AI systems. You will lead manufacturing execution from early design-for-manufacturability reviews through production ramp.

What you will do

• Drive manufacturing technical readiness across NPI and mass production
• Lead DFM reviews across L6, L10, and L11 assemblies
• Own manufacturing readiness for assigned programs
• Coordinate cross-functional execution across prototype, EVT, DVT, PVT, and production builds
• Partner with contract manufacturers and supply chain teams to develop production plans
• Drive issue resolution during engineering and production builds
• Monitor manufacturing KPIs including yield, cycle time, quality, and factory readiness
• Prepare and communicate manufacturing status, risks, and mitigation plans to leadership
• Partner with design engineering to incorporate manufacturing considerations
• Travel to domestic and international manufacturing partners

Required qualifications

• 7+ years of experience in hardware engineering, with experience transitioning into Technical Program Management, Design Program Management, or Manufacturing Program Management
• Experience managing manufacturing readiness for complex electromechanical systems or high-performance compute hardware
• Strong understanding of manufacturing development phases including EVT, DVT, PVT, and production ramp
• Experience leading DFM reviews and partnering closely with hardware engineering
• Experience working directly with contract manufacturers, FATP partners, or ODM/OEM manufacturing operations
• Excellent cross-functional program management skills
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Willingness to work in-person from San Jose office and travel internationally

Nice to have

• Background in mechanical, electrical, systems, or manufacturing engineering who have led cross-functional hardware programs through NPI and production
• Experience building AI servers, accelerator systems, networking hardware, storage systems, or other high-performance compute platforms
• Familiarity with SMT manufacturing, factory operations, automated test systems, or final system integration
• Experience with manufacturing yield analytics, SPC methodologies, process capability metrics, or manufacturing data systems
• Experience with liquid-cooled systems, advanced packaging, or high-density compute platforms
• Experience partnering closely with ASIC, systems, thermal, reliability, or validation engineering teams
• Experience working in fast-paced startup environments bringing first-generation hardware products into production

Benefits

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

About the company

Etched is building hardware for frontier intelligence by co-designing chips, racks, software, and manufacturing. The company is a fully in-person team in San Jose.