Our Mission at Scythe
Humanity has lost touch with nature - we’ve traded dirt and trees for asphalt, and we rely on loud, polluting, gas-powered machines to care for our limited natural spaces.
Scythe is forging a new future by building intelligent, all-electric machines that unlock a new superpower: the ability to care for the outdoors pollution-free at enormous scale. From today’s first steps in landscape maintenance to full-fledged re-terraforming in the future, Scythe is pioneering autonomous machinery that supports the ingenuity of humans, multiplying our power to nurture our planet.
At Scythe, you’ll work with a team of world-class experts in everything from computer vision to mechanical engineering, pushing the limits of possibility and growing by overcoming hurdles along the way.
The world needs what we’re building—come join us in making it a reality.
Senior Manufacturing and Test Engineer at Scythe
The Production Engineering Team is looking for a talented Senior Manufacturing and Test Engineer to join our team to design and build testing equipment and software tools for the production line, as we scale from building tens of robots to building thousands. We anticipate filling this role with someone with the core skills of an Electrical Engineer, but it could also be a fit for a Mechanical or Computer Engineer with the right background.
Our product has PCBA’s, electric motors, batteries, and computer and network systems, and we need to install, configure, and test all of them in manufacturing. You will be the lead engineer to help provide guidance to our junior engineers. We expect you to thrive in a fast-paced, self-managed engineering environment, and to be a collaborative, low-ego teammate who helps Scythe realize its mission.
What you’ll do at Scythe
- Design and build tools (electrical, mechanical, and SW) to bring up PCBA’s and other robot components on the production line.
- Design automated functional tests for robot system components: motors, batteries, circuit boards, cables, etc.
- Troubleshoot robot failures for robots both off the production line and in the field.
- Train users and support those tools in production.
- Lead projects to resolve difficult manufacturing engineering challenges
- Design work holding fixtures to be used in the manufacturing and test process
- Document manufacturing and test procedures
- Constantly learning new tools and technologies
- Regularly spend time on-bot, verifying changes and assisting other teams
- Act as technical point of contact for assigned assemblies and/or processes on the factory floor.
- Design the factory and processes to produce our fully autonomous commercial lawn mower. This may include fabrication, assembly, and/or testing processes.
- Develop work instructions, tooling, fixtures, jigs, and a floor layout that supports our production targets and meets internal repeatability requirements.
- Conduct design for manufacturability (DFM) reviews with design engineers, supply chain, and assembly technicians to optimize the vehicle design for production.
- Own overall production risk profile for your given areas of ownership and constantly seek opportunities to minimize those risks (reduce workmanship errors, process variations, etc).
What you know well
- Experience developing work instructions for complex assemblies with a mix of mechanical and electrical components (PCBAs). Ideally, this includes acceptance and/or validation testing as well as proper ESD considerations.
- Experience designing production tooling, fixtures, or jigs with the goal of improving production repeatability.
- Strong verbal communication skills. Must have experience communicating in person with interdisciplinary team members on a daily basis (technicians, peers, supply chain, etc). Examples of this are standup meetings, team huddles, quality reviews, safety reviews, etc.
- Designing production lines
- Creating test procedures for robotics and testing robots
- Documenting manufacturing and test procedures
- Training technicians in manufacturing and test procedures
- Solving a wide variety of technical problems
- Debugging a wide range of mechanical, electrical, software, and firmware issues.
What you’ve maybe done
- Experience owning New Product Introduction (NPI) for assemblies and/or processes in a medium-to-high volume environment (cycle time less than 1 hr).
- Experience developing production acceptance testing for robotic systems including acceptance criteria.
- Worked within a supply chain engineering capacity to develop a strong supply base as well as creating performance management reporting processes for said suppliers.
- Experience working in a machining, welding or other similar fabrication environment.
- Experience designing and building test equipment for electronic systems. (ATE, Hi-Pot, bed-of-nails, ICT, etc)
- Experience troubleshooting complex electromechanical systems.
- Experience with autonomous or robotic systems.
- Circuit board design in Altium or similar.
- Mechanical design in Solidworks or another CAD program.
- Built and refined full hardware+firmware+software projects
Why Scythe?
- Scythe is an early-stage but well-capitalized startup. Have a huge impact alongside an awesome team of experts shipping something the world has never before seen
- Competitive salary and equity compensation
- Fully-sponsored medical, vision, and dental insurance, including 75% funded dependent coverage
- 401(k) retirement plan (non-matching today)
- Headquarters near beautiful Boulder, CO. Enjoy the bounties of nature and open spaces close to home with mountain biking, hiking, skiing and more.
- Satellite offices in Austin, TX and Vero Beach, FL
- Highly collaborative learning culture where personal freedom, growth, and responsibility are valued
- An opportunity to have an incredible positive impact on the world
Closing
Scythe is a total compensation company, which provides employees a comprehensive salary, equity, and benefit package. However, only the minimum salary amounts are listed here. Scythe carefully considers a wide range of compensation factors, including education, years of experience, competencies and other relevant business considerations. These considerations can cause your compensation to vary along with your compensation mode preferences. The Senior Manufacturing and Test Engineer position has an expected minimum annual cash salary of $90,000. The actual pay may be higher depending on your skills, qualifications, and experience. Equity and benefits packages are NOT included in this estimate. Please note that this information is provided for those hired in Colorado only, and this role is open to candidates outside of Colorado as well.
Scythe is an Equal Opportunity employer committed to diversity in the workplace. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, protected veteran status or any other factor protected by applicable local, state or federal laws.
