Manufacturing Engineer, Machine Prototyping
ConfidentialWe are hiring a hands-on Manufacturing Engineer to build the first autonomous CNC machines with us, owning subsystems from first prototype to running part, in the foothills of North Carolina. ABOUT REVENANT AUTONOMOUS America built the modern world on its manufacturing base, and we cannot defend or lead a country that has forgotten how to make things. Today the skilled machinists who keep American manufacturing running are retiring faster than they are being replaced, and the supply chains behind our defense, aerospace, and industrial base lean on foreign suppliers we do not control. We believe that is a risk to American sovereignty, and we are building the answer. Revenant Autonomous is building autonomous factories. Our first product is the autonomous CNC machine, a machine tool that runs parts without a person standing at the control, so a shop can make more with the people and floor space it already has. Our goal is to build the machines and the factories around them here in America, from a supply chain we can trust. We believe in the values that made American manufacturing great: build things that work, stand behind them, take pride in the craft, and give people real ownership of the result. Our team works out of Morganton, North Carolina, in the heart of a region that has made furniture, textiles, and precision parts for generations. We want to help it lead the next chapter. If you want your work to matter to the country, and you want to build alongside the founders instead of inside a big organization, this is the job. THE ROLE You will be one of the first people to build the Revenant machine with your own hands. We are prototyping our own autonomous CNC machines, and you will own pieces of it from first sketch to running part. Day to day you will: Own one or more subsystems of the machine, such as the base and castings, linear motion, spindle, bar feeder, or coolant and chip handling, from design through testing. Make the parts for those subsystems yourself on our machines: program, set up, run, and inspect. Assemble subsystems into the full machine and bring them up alongside the controls and software team. Fix what breaks, find out why, and redesign it so it doesn't break again. Find better ways to make each part: fewer setups, simpler fixtures, faster cycle times, tighter tolerances, lower cost. Document what works so the design can move from prototype toward production. You will see your work running in the machine every day, and you will make it better every week. Extreme ownership. We give people extreme ownership and responsibility. You will work independently and own systems you may have never touched before. You are expected to become the expert in them and to innovate on existing technologies and methods, not just copy them. WHAT YOU BRING The one non-negotiable is a maker portfolio. We want to see what you have built on your own time, because people who build in their spare time are the ones who get good fast. Must have: A maker portfolio. Real things you designed and made outside of work or class: a CNC or 3D printer build, a robot, a custom machine, a fixture system, an electric vehicle, a rocket, a motor. We want finished, working things: photos or video of the real object, built and running. CAD, renderings, and ideas on a page do not count. Send us the link in your resume for your application. We do not review applications without one. 2 to 4 years of hands-on experience in manufacturing or machining engineering, with real time on the shop floor. Working knowledge of CNC machining, CAM, fixturing, and tooling, plus mechanical design and assembly experience. You can read a print and GD&T, and you know why a part came out wrong. Comfortable using AI tools every day to write programs, analyze data, and move faster. Willing to relocate to Morganton, NC, and work on-site. Legally authorized to work in the United States. We cannot sponsor work visas. A degree in mechanical or manufacturing engineering, or equ…