Sr/Staff Manufacturing Engineer, Robot Productization

Posted Yesterday
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Santa Cruz, CA, USA
In-Office
Senior level
Hardware • Healthtech • Robotics • Manufacturing
The Role
Lead productization of robotic subsystems from engineering builds through clinical production. Develop and qualify manufacturing processes, fixtures, tooling, documentation, line layouts, and process controls for complex electro-mechanical surgical robots. Drive DFM/DFA, risk management, validation, root-cause investigations, supplier decisions, traceability, and cross-functional issue resolution while mentoring engineers and technicians.
Summary Generated by Built In
There is no playbook for what we're building. Capstan is bringing a first-of-its-kind surgical robot to
patients, and the processes to build it reliably at scale don't exist yet – you'll help create them. This isn't
sustaining a mature product on a settled line. You'll join a newly formed team that works hand in hand
with R&D owning the productization elements of the design.
In this role, you'll lead the productization of new robotic subsystems – from early engineering builds,
through a series of pre-DV builds, to DV and clinical production. You'll develop the build and test
processes, special processes, fixtures, and documentation that turn a design into a repeatable product,
and you'll use each build to find and close gaps before they reach the line. You'll thrive here if you've
brought complex electro-mechanical systems into production before, love being on the floor with the
hardware, and want to shape how a novel robot is built from day one.
If you're a driver who seeks out issues, converges the team on solutions, and excels at pushing projects
across the finish line in a growth-stage company, this is the role for you.

Key Responsibilities:

    • Lead the productization of new robotic subsystems, partnering with R&D from early engineering
    builds through pre-DV, DV, and clinical builds
    • Own the path from design to product – drive open issues, decisions, and actions to closure
    across R&D, Quality, Supply Chain, and Manufacturing, and escalate risks early to keep builds on
    schedule
    • Plan and drive build readiness for each development build – documentation, fixtures, materials,
    equipment, line setup, and training – and use each build to find and close gaps before the next
    • Develop and characterize special processes (eg. adhesive bonding and curing, welding, press fits,
    crimping), including surrogate testing and DOEs
    • Create and mature manufacturing documentation, including MPIs, DHRs, and in-process
    inspection points, from redline drafts to released procedures
    • Design, qualify, and release assembly fixtures, tooling, and equipment, and define calibration
    and preventive maintenance needs
    • Provide DFM/DFA feedback early in development, including error-proofing (poka-yoke) features,
    to make designs easier to build, test, and service
    • Define line layout, process flow, cycle time, and staffing needs for new products, including
    facility, utility, safety, and environmental requirements
    • Make make-vs-buy decisions for processes and partner with suppliers on outsourced processes
    and critical components
    • Establish traceability and serialization for assemblies and components, and firmware/software
    versions
    • Own process risk management (PFMEA) and drive process capability (Cpk) and process
    validation plans with Quality
    • Partner with manufacturing software engineers to integrate test, calibration, and firmware
    loading into the build flow
    • Lead troubleshooting and root cause investigations (5 Whys, Fishbone, DMAIC) on build issues
    across mechanical, electrical, and software domains
    • Mentor engineers and technicians, and incorporate technician feedback into processes and
    documentation

What you'll need:

    • Bachelor's or Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering,
    Mechatronics, Electrical Engineering, or related field
    • Minimum 7 years of manufacturing engineering experience for Senior, or 10+ years for Staff (a
    Master's degree can offset years of experience)
    • Proven track record bringing complex electro-mechanical systems from development into
    production (robotics, medical capital equipment, or similar)
    • Hands-on experience developing special processes (eg. bonding, welding, press fits, crimping)
    • Experience designing and qualifying fixtures and tooling using CAD (SolidWorks or similar)
    • Working knowledge of process controls and statistics (DOE, Cpk, Gage R&R) and process risk
    tools (PFMEA)
    • Demonstrated success leading root cause investigations and implementing design and process
    fixes
    • Experience working in a regulated environment (eg. ISO 13485, 21 CFR 820)
    • Excellent communication and documentation skills, and comfortable leading cross-functional
    teams
    • Strong project leadership: able to plan, drive, and close cross-functional work without formal
    authority
    • Hands-on, detail-oriented, and able to work independently in a fast-paced environment
    • Eagerness to learn and push the envelope to bring a novel surgical robotic platform to market

Preferred:

    • Experience in an early-stage company or on a first-generation product, standing up processes,
    lines, and documentation from scratch
    • Mechatronics background: comfortable reading electro-mechanical schematics and debugging
    integrated mechanical, electrical, and software systems
    • Experience with motors, encoders, brakes, sensors, and motion control assemblies
    • Scripting and data analysis skills (Python, MATLAB, or similar)
    • Experience with supplier qualification, outsourced special processes, and first article inspection
    • Familiarity with lean manufacturing principles and line design

Skills Required

  • Bachelor's or Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Mechatronics, Electrical Engineering, or a related field
  • At least 7 years of manufacturing engineering experience for Senior level or 10+ years for Staff level; a Master's degree may offset experience
  • Experience bringing complex electro-mechanical systems from development into production
  • Hands-on experience developing special processes such as bonding, welding, press fits, and crimping
  • Experience designing and qualifying fixtures and tooling using CAD such as SolidWorks
  • Working knowledge of DOE, Cpk, Gage R&R, and PFMEA
  • Experience leading root-cause investigations and implementing design and process fixes
  • Experience working in a regulated environment such as ISO 13485 or 21 CFR 820
  • Excellent communication and documentation skills, with the ability to lead cross-functional teams
  • Strong project leadership skills, including driving cross-functional work without formal authority
  • Hands-on, detail-oriented, independent, and effective in a fast-paced environment
  • Experience at an early-stage company or with a first-generation product
  • Mechatronics experience, including reading electro-mechanical schematics and debugging integrated systems
  • Experience with motors, encoders, brakes, sensors, and motion-control assemblies
  • Scripting and data-analysis skills using Python, MATLAB, or similar tools
  • Experience with supplier qualification, outsourced special processes, and first article inspection
  • Familiarity with lean manufacturing principles and line design
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The Company
HQ: Santa Cruz, CA
82 Employees
Year Founded: 2020

What We Do

Capstan Medical is a developer of robotic-enabled, minimally invasive solutions for treating structural heart disease. By merging surgical robotics with catheter-based technology and next-generation implants, the company aims to provide a patient-optimized approach to repair and replace heart valves, offering a significantly less invasive alternative to traditional open-heart surgery to improve patient outcomes and reduce recovery times.

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