Lead Manufacturing Engineer – Robotics

Watertown, MA (On-site) · Full-time
Reports to: Head of Manufacturing & Supply Chain
Compensation: $160K–$200K base + equity + benefits

About Tutor Intelligence

We believe general-purpose, generally intelligent robots will be built in our lifetimes. We develop and deploy AI-powered robots that automate real-world operations, and we're scaling manufacturing across multiple robot platforms.

The Role

You'll be the technical lead for Manufacturing Engineering, Test Engineering, Quality and NPI across our robot platforms.

This is a hands-on technical leadership role, not a people-management role. You'll set technical direction, solve hard problems and guide engineers across disciplines. You'll be measured on the reliability, quality, efficiency and scalability of our manufacturing.

What You'll Own

Technical Leadership

• Senior escalation point for complex manufacturing, electrical, mechanical and test issues
• Work hands-on with engineers to diagnose failures and drive permanent fixes
• Set technical standards and drive disciplined execution

Manufacturing Engineering

• Process development, validation, tooling, fixtures and work instructions
• Clear production blockers and eliminate recurring defects
• Improve first-pass yield, cycle time, labor efficiency, throughput and cost

Test Engineering

• Test strategy, automation and infrastructure, from component test and robot bring-up through end-of-line and FAT
• Reliable test systems with clear acceptance criteria and traceable results
• Catch defects upstream, before bring-up, final test or customer deployment

Quality & Reliability

• Process controls, error-proofing and root-cause corrective action
• Lead failure investigations and nonconforming material dispositions
• Partner with Production, R&D and Fleet Reliability to prevent repeat defects

NPI & Engineering Changes

• Drive DFX (manufacturability, assembly, test, serviceability) with R&D
• Own release readiness, engineering change implementation and controlled production cut-ins
• Transfer new products into stable, repeatable production

Systems & Scale

• Manufacturing configuration, process control and product genealogy in MES/PLM (ION, Atlas)
• Use data, automation and AI to boost engineering productivity
• Build the processes, test capability and infrastructure for rising volume

What Success Looks Like

• Robots pass bring-up and FAT with minimal rework
• Fewer manufacturing defects, out-of-box failures and repeat issues
• Higher first-pass yield and throughput; lower cycle time and labor
• Test systems deliver reliable coverage, actionable diagnostics and full traceability
• Engineering changes reach Production without disruption
• New products reach repeatable production on schedule
• Engineers show strong ownership and execution discipline

What You Bring

Required

• BS in Mechanical, Electrical, Computer or Manufacturing Engineering (or equivalent experience)
• Deep hands-on experience building and debugging complex electromechanical systems
• Proven technical leadership across mechanical, electrical, systems integration and test
• Built manufacturing processes, tooling, automated test systems and validation methods
• Track record improving quality, first-pass yield, reliability and throughput
• Taken hardware from development into scalable production
• Sound engineering judgment and structured problem-solving under pressure
• Able to mentor and lead engineers without direct authority

Nice to Have

• Robotics, industrial automation or similarly complex hardware
• Test software, Python, SQL or test automation
• MES/PLM implementation and engineering change control
• Scaling manufacturing at a startup or fast-growing hardware company
• Using AI and automation to improve engineering workflows