Director of Software Engineering

Company

Machina Labs is a smart manufacturing company backed by major investors in AI and Deep Tech (Innovation Endeavors, Nvidia NVentures, Lockheed Martin Ventures), founded in 2019 and based in Los Angeles, CA. We are on a mission to build the factory of the future through the development of modular manufacturing solutions that allow our customers to rapidly produce and iterate on their designs utilizing our robotic sheet metal forming platform. Using our first-of-its-kind software and robotics solution, we are delivering unseen innovation to industries such as aerospace, automotive and space exploration. At Machina Labs, we believe anyone can become a crafts(wo)man and bring that attitude to our work every day, come and join us!

The Role 

At Machina Labs, our software team is at the forefront of exposing our disruptive robotic manufacturing process to a wide range of industries, including aerospace, automotive, and heavy manufacturing. We enable designers, engineers, and business users to leverage our AI-powered tools to revolutionize manufacturing, allowing critical parts like those used in planes, cars, and rockets to be produced in hours, not months. 

As a Director of Software Engineering, you will lead a dynamic, hands-on team of software engineers and take ownership of developing and improving applications that provide powerful, intuitive interfaces for our robotic manufacturing cells. These interfaces allow users to perform AI-assisted design tasks, send new designs and instructions to robots, and track the manufacturing process through advanced in-house sensing technologies. 

You will work closely with software engineers, roboticists, mechanical engineers, and materials scientists to advance our mission to redefine innovation in manufacturing. Our headquarters in Los Angeles is located above our factory floor, where we are building systems and serving high-profile clients such as NASA, Yamaha, and the U.S. Air Force. 

Key Responsibilities

• Team Leadership & Management: Lead, mentor, and grow a diverse team of software engineers, providing hands-on technical leadership while also acting as a people manager. You will drive team productivity and foster a culture of high performance, accountability, and continuous improvement. 
• End-to-End Ownership: Own the complete software experience, from customer-facing applications to internal tools for factory technicians and process engineers. Ensure high-quality software is delivered across web apps, command-line tools, and applications running on robotic systems.
• Manufacturing & Hardware Focus: Experience in environments where software development directly interfaces with hardware and physical systems, such as robotics, machine learning, or advanced manufacturing. An understanding of the challenges and requirements in a manufacturing setting is a key asset. 
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work closely with roboticists, mechanical engineers, material scientists, and other key stakeholders to build and deliver integrated solutions that solve complex challenges in manufacturing. 
• Agile Development: In an early-stage startup environment, you will be expected to work iteratively, demo regularly, and adapt quickly. Be comfortable managing and delivering on tight timelines while ensuring software quality and customer satisfaction. 
• Continuous Improvement: Develop and refine software infrastructure, team processes, and company culture to enable rapid iteration and high-velocity feature releases. Balance short- and long-term roadmap goals, addressing both customer-facing features and technical debt. 
• Hands-On Contribution: Act as both a leader and an active contributor to the engineering team, ensuring that the software development process is hands-on, collaborative, and aligned with company goals. 

Key Requirements

• Experience: At least 4 years of experience in software engineering management, ideally in a fast-growing, technically complex environment
• Technical Expertise: Proven experience in full-stack software development, with a solid understanding of software architecture, design patterns, and systems thinking.
• Leadership: Strong leadership skills with the ability to mentor and inspire engineers, foster team collaboration, and effectively communicate complex technical concepts. Experience building and leading engineering teams to success in a fast-paced, agile environment. 
• Agility & Adaptability: Comfortable with a fast-paced, constantly changing environment. You should be adaptable, thrive in ambiguity, and be able to iterate and ship software rapidly while maintaining quality. 
• Security & Best Practices: Strong knowledge of engineering best practices, including code reviews, testing, and deployment strategies. Experience in environments with high security and compliance demands is a plus. 
• Developer Tools & Productivity: Advocate for a strong developer experience, helping to choose the right tools, maintain healthy repositories, and establish efficient team habits and infrastructure. 
• Communication & Decision Making: Ability to clearly articulate tradeoffs, prioritize features based on business value, and make data-driven decisions. Strong communication skills to interact effectively with both technical and non-technical stakeholders. 
• Hands-On Technical Expertise: Be willing and able to actively contribute to the codebase and provide technical direction. This includes a strong foundation in algorithms, data structures, and problem-solving in your domain, with the ability to quickly learn Machina-specific topics like 3D geometry manipulation. 
• Onsite Presence:
• Required to be onsite 5 days a week in Chatsworth, CA, working alongside the team and directly engaging with the manufacturing process. 

Preferred Experience

• Experience with robotic systems, 3D printing, or advanced manufacturing technologies. 
• Knowledge of machine learning, AI, or deep tech applications in industrial contexts. 
• Familiarity with Agile development methodologies and tools like Jira, GitHub, or GitLab. 

Machina Labs is an Affirmative Action and Equal Employment Opportunity employer and considers all applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, or status as a protected veteran in accordance with state and federal law. 

We endeavor to make the job application process accessible to any and all users. If you have a disability that impacts your ability to complete the job application process and would like to request assistance or a reasonable accommodation, please contact us at (888)444-9777. This contact information is for accommodation requests only, not to inquire about the status of applications.