About the role
We are looking for a Head of Machining Operations to help design, build, and run the first autonomous machine shop at Even Platforms, a Khosla-backed startup rebuilding U.S. manufacturing capacity through automated 5-axis machining centers for aerospace and defense.
You will be one of the first operational leaders at the company, helping turn deep machining expertise into a repeatable factory blueprint that can eventually scale across hundreds of locations. You will work directly with the founders to define the machine shop architecture, select equipment, standardize workflows, integrate automation, and build the team that runs the facility.
The ideal person has seen what excellent CNC operations look like, whether at SpaceX, Hadrian, Tesla, Anduril, a high-end precision machining environment, or a modern advanced manufacturing company. You do not need to be a 20-year machining veteran, but you do need enough domain depth to evaluate machinists and programmers, spot inefficiencies, and make sound decisions on tooling, fixturing, workholding, metrology, and production flow. This role is for someone who wants to build the first version of a new kind of machine shop from the ground up.
What will you be doing?
- Design the operating blueprint for Even’s first machine shop, including machine mix, tooling strategy, shop-floor workflows, automation roadmap, and staffing model
- Help select and configure the core production system, including 5-axis CNC machines, pallet loader systems, robot-on-rails workflows, tooling, fixturing, and workholding
- Drive an automation-first approach to machining operations, identifying every manual bottleneck that can be streamlined through robotics, software, probing, tool management, unattended machining, or better process design
- Own CNC process development for complex precision parts, including setup strategy, feeds and speeds, tooling decisions, fixturing, workholding, and coordination with CNC programmers
- Establish CMM inspection and metrology workflows that make quality repeatable, measurable, and integrated into the production loop