Staff Vehicle Manufacturing Engineer

Kodiak
Mountain View, CA
On-site

Who this role is best for

Geared toward experienced manufacturing engineers comfortable with electromechanical system builds and cross-functional collaboration.

Best fit for

  • Candidates with 7+ years of experience in complex manufacturing environments and a track record of scaling production.
    — “7+ years of experience of manufacturing engineering in a complex environment”
  • Individuals with hands-on experience in line bring up, test automation, and fixture design for electromechanical systems.
    — “Hands on manufacturing experience including line bring up, test, fixture design, and automation”
  • Professionals with a background in automotive, aerospace, or heavy industry and a history of managing system builds.
    — “Automotive, heavy industry, or aerospace experience”

Things to consider

  • Candidates may need to meet U.S. person status requirements for certain positions.
    — “roles that carry more sensitive requirements may be limited to candidates that can satisfy additional scrutiny”
  • The position may require in-office presence in Mountain View, CA, despite some flexibility.
    — “Our office is centrally located in Mountain View, CA”

How to stand out

  • Highlight your experience leading DFM and system-scale production in your resume and interviews.
    — “Lead electromechanical DFM and best practices”
  • Emphasize your ability to identify and resolve root causes of manufacturing issues.
    — “Ability to identify, root cause, and lead solutions for issues found on the line and in the field”
  • Showcase your history of cross-functional collaboration with supply chain and quality teams.
    — “Coordinate with Supply Chain and commercial teams to determine and ensure supply of components”
  • Demonstrate your leadership in manufacturing line design and improvement initiatives.
    — “Evaluate and contribute to manufacturing line design and improvements”
Pace · Fast PacedCollaboration · HighAutonomy · MediumDecision Impact · Team

Derived from job-description analysis by Serendipath's career intelligence engine.

What success looks like

  • launching DFM and best practices
  • managing complex system builds
  • leading manufacturing troubleshooting activities
Typical background
7+ years of experience in manufacturing engineeringproven track record of managing complex system builds

Skills & requirements

Required

Manufacturing EngineeringElectromechanical SystemsSupply Chain ManagementDFM (design For Manufacturing)Root Cause AnalysisManufacturing Line Design

Preferred

Automotive IndustryAerospace IndustryHeavy Industry

Stack & domain

Manufacturing EngineeringElectromechanical ManufacturingDFMSupply Chain ManagementComponent BuildsLine Bring UpTestFixture DesignAutomationManufacturing TroubleshootingRoot Cause AnalysisYield ImprovementManufacturing Line DesignLine Design ImprovementsManufacturing Line ImprovementsManufacturing Line Design And ImprovementsManufacturing Line TroubleshootingManufacturing Line Root Cause AnalysisManufacturing Line Yield ImprovementManufacturing Line Test And AutomationCommunicationOrganizationalLeadershipAutomotiveHeavy IndustryAerospace

About the role

Original posting from Kodiak via Greenhouse

Kodiak Robotics, Inc. was founded in 2018 and has become a leader in autonomous ground transportation committed to a safer and more efficient future for all. The company has developed an artificial intelligence (AI) powered technology stack purpose-built for commercial trucking and the public sector. The company delivers freight daily for its customers across the southern United States using its autonomous technology. In 2024, Kodiak became the first known company to publicly announce delivering a driverless semi-truck to a customer. Kodiak is also leveraging its commercial self-driving software to develop, test and deploy autonomous capabilities for the U.S. Department of Defense.

We are looking for a Manufacturing Engineer to act as a technical leader in our Manufacturing group. This position will be key in launching DFM and best practices at Kodiak.

In this role, you will:

Lead electromechanical manufacturing for ruggedized compute rack assemblies, automotive harnessing, and electromechanical assemblies

Lead electromechanical DFM and best practices

Coordinate with Supply Chain and commercial teams to determine and ensure supply of components

Identify and evaluate suppliers for component builds 

Coordinate documentation requirements with engineering, test and quality teams 

Communicate program progress, milestones, and potential risks to leadership and overall engineering team

Evaluate and contribute to manufacturing line design and improvements 

Lead all manufacturing troubleshooting activities including root cause analysis, yield improvement, and test/automation

What you’ll bring:

7+ years of experience of manufacturing engineering in a complex environment

Proven track record of managing complex system builds 

Automotive, heavy industry, or aerospace experience 

Hands on manufacturing experience including line bring up, test, fixture design, and automation 

Excellent communication, organizational, and leadership skills

Proven track record of taking a system from design to scale production 

Ability to identify, root cause, and lead solutions for issues found on the line and in the field 

Lead DFx efforts in conjunction with our in-house Design teams

What we offer:

Competitive compensation package including equity and annual bonuses

Excellent Medical, Dental, and Vision plans through Kaiser Permanente, Cigna, and MetLife (including a medical plan with infertility benefits)

MetLife Legal Services, Identity & Fraud Protection, Hospital Indemnity Insurance, Accident Insurance, & Critical Illness Insurance

Flexible PTO, 10 paid holidays, and generous parental leave policies

Our office is centrally located in Mountain View, CA

Office perks: dog-friendly, free catered lunch, a fully stocked kitchen, and free EV charging

Long Term Disability, Short Term Disability, Life Insurance

Wellbeing Benefits - Headspace through Cigna, Calm through Kaiser, One Medical, Gympass, Spring Health through Cigna, Rula (mental health navigation) 

Fidelity 401(k)

Commuter, FSA, Dependent Care FSA, HSA

Various incentive programs (referral bonuses, patent bonuses, etc.)

The pay range listed below reflects the base salary in our SF/Silicon Valley location, across several internal levels. Actual starting pay will be based on job-related factors including: work location, experience, relevant training, education, skill level and performance during interview. Total compensation at Kodiak includes base pay, equity, bonus and a competitive benefits package

California Pay Range$155,000—$220,000 USD 

At Kodiak, we strive to build a diverse community working towards our common company goals in a safe and collaborative environment where harassment of any kind is strictly prohibited. Kodiak is committed to equal opportunity employment regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, disability, or veteran status, or any other basis protected by applicable law.

In alignment with its business operations, Kodiak adheres to all relevant statutes, regulations, and administrative prerequisites. Accordingly, roles that carry more sensitive requirements may be limited to candidates that can satisfy additional scrutiny and eligibility for such positions may hinge on verification of a candidate’s residence, U.S. person status, and/or citizenship status. Should the position require, and Kodiak determines that a candidate’s residence, U.S. person status, and/or citizenship status necessitate an export license, bar the candidate from the position, or otherwise fall under national security-related restrictions, Kodiak will consider the candidate for alternative positions unaffected by such restrictions, under terms and conditions set forth at Kodiak’s sole discretion, or, as an alternative, opt not to proceed with the candidate’s application. If applicable, Kodiak may provide visa sponsorship for eligible candidates.

We use a third-party AI tool (Endorsed) to assist in the initial screening of applications. As part of the evaluation process, we provide Endorsed with job requirements and candidate-submitted applications. Final hiring decisions are made by our human recruitment team, and no automated system makes the ultimate decision regarding hiring. Certain features of the platform may qualify it as an Automated Employment Decision Tool (AEDT) under applicable regulations. We began using Endorsed on January 1, 2026. You can review the independent bias audit report covering our use of Endorsed [here](https://endorsed.com/local-law-144). By submitting your application, you acknowledge that your application may be processed by AI systems as part of the screening and selection process. If you have any questions or would like to request a separate review of your application, please contact careers@kodiak.ai with "Separate Review Request" in the email subject line.

Source: Kodiak careers (Greenhouse)

Similar roles

More roles at Kodiak