Machine Shop Manager

Antora Energy • San Jose, CA

18h • $125,000 - $180,000 • Onsite

About The Position

Antora Energy is seeking a Machine Shop Manager to lead the day-to-day operation of our in-house machining shop for the carbon/graphite rigid insulation at the heart of our thermal energy storage batteries. We are expanding our in-house machining capacity in San Jose and this role owns how that shop runs. Reports to the Director of Manufacturing Operations and during the build-out, works day-to-day with the Program Lead.
The shop runs large-format panel-processing and machining equipment — CNC routers and mills, panel saws, wide-belt sanders, wire saws, and track saws — on a material that produces fine, abrasive, electrically conductive carbon dust. Dust control and housekeeping are part of how the shop operates every day, not an add-on.
You will hire and lead the machinist team, execute the production schedule released by Production Scheduling, own floor safety and dust control, and drive cost and throughput. The shop itself is being built out by a cross-functional project team spanning Manufacturing Engineering, Facilities, Supply Chain, and EHS&S; you join early as the operator's voice in layout, equipment selection, and commissioning, and you take ownership of each machine as it is handed over. You will partner closely with materials development, mechanical design, operations, EHS&S, facilities, and procurement.
This is a hands-on leadership role. Early on you will run and troubleshoot equipment yourself and train the first operators; as the team grows you will spend more time on scheduling, people development, cost, and capacity.

Requirements

• 6+ years hands-on in machining, fabrication, or panel processing, with 3+ years supervising or managing a production machining team or cell.
• Hands-on competence on CNC router/saw/sander-class equipment and/or CNC mills: can set up, run, and troubleshoot, including CAM programming and fixturing.
• Experience machining abrasive, dust-generating non-metallic materials (carbon/graphite, carbon-carbon, ceramics, composites, or engineered wood/MDF).
• Has worked under a formal dust-control and housekeeping program (collector maintenance, PPE, monitoring) in a production environment.
• Reads drawings with GD&T; competent with dimensional inspection tools and in-process inspection.
• Has owned operational metrics — OEE, scrap, tool life, schedule attainment — and used them to drive improvement.
• Clear communicator with engineers, technicians, vendors, and leadership.
• Willing to be onsite full time in San Jose, CA, and hands-on on the shop floor, including in dusty and PPE-required environments.

Nice To Haves

• Direct carbon/graphite machining experience; background at a graphite/carbon products manufacturer, composite fabricator, or precision non-metallic machine shop.
• Experience with CNC panel saws, wide-belt sanders, or wire saws.
• Participated in a new cell or line startup or in equipment commissioning.
• Has authored or maintained work instructions, control plans, or PM checklists.
• Lean manufacturing / continuous improvement; 5S.
• Experience in a startup or fast-scaling hardware manufacturing environment.
• Routine use of AI tools to accelerate CAM, fixture design, documentation, scheduling, and analysis.
• Exposure to thermal energy storage or adjacent energy technologies.

Responsibilities

• Hire, onboard, train, and manage material handlers, manual and CNC machinists and operators. Establish shift plans, cross-training, a skills matrix, and performance expectations. Be the hands-on leader who can set up, run, and troubleshoot any machine in the shop.
• Execute the released machining schedule. Own work order execution, setups, first-piece and in-process inspection, and scrap/rework disposition with Quality. Sequence work within the shift against the due dates and priorities set by Production Scheduling; escalate capacity, material, tooling, and equipment constraints the same shift. Report completions, downtime, and scrap accurately and on time. Hit schedule attainment and first-pass yield targets.
• Execute the shop's dust-control program on the floor: housekeeping standards, PPE compliance, collector filter and hopper maintenance, daily monitoring checks, and waste handling. Escalate system or exposure issues to EHS&S and Facilities.
• Lead by example. Execute LOTO, run job and setup risk assessments, report and lead first-line investigation of near-misses and incidents, and make safety visible and routine on the floor.
• Take ownership of each machine from the earliest stages. Perform and enforce operator-level preventive maintenance; coordinate with Facilities & Equipment on higher-level maintenance and repairs; track uptime.
• Execute released work instructions and control plans; red-line and drive revisions from floor feedback; manage tooling and consumables usage against standards; support first-article and in-process inspection with Quality.
• Own the operational cost levers — tool life, consumable usage, setup time, OEE, scrap. Report machining cost per Module and drive it down. Provide machine rates, available hours, and capability data to Production Scheduling and to make-vs-buy decisions.
• Provide operator-side requirements to layout, equipment specifications, and acceptance criteria. Lead operator training during vendor commissioning. Participate in pre-startup safety reviews.
• Provide regular status on throughput, yield, cost, safety, and risks to Manufacturing Operations leadership and, during the build-out, to the Program Lead. Serve as the shop's primary interface to Production Scheduling, Manufacturing Engineering, Quality, Facilities, Supply Chain, and EHS&S.

Benefits

• equity compensation in the form of stock options
• a premium health benefits package with life and disability insurance
• a 401K plan with employer contributions
• flexible spending accounts
• an industry leading paid-time-off policy that features flexible and inclusive holiday observance, as well as paid volunteer time off

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Manager
• Education Level: No Education Listed