Manufacturing Engineer (NPI Robotics)

Rugged Robotics•Houston, TX

1d•Onsite

About The Position

As a Manufacturing Engineer (NPI) at Rugged Robotics, you will own the evolution of our robot production from early builds into a scalable, repeatable manufacturing system. Building on our legacy of existing robots in the field, you will play a key role in bringing our next-generation platform into scalable, repeatable production while continuing to support and improve current builds. This role focuses on increasing build throughput, consistency, and quality as we move from smaller batch builds to more structure batch production and external manufacturing. You will lead this transition end-to-end, improving in-house production processes, developing assembly and test systems, and establishing the foundation for scaling to larger builds and contract manufacturers. You will act as a player-coach, working closely with technicians during builds while partnering with engineering, operations, and vendors to ensure we can produce robots reliably, efficiently, and at increasing scale.

Requirements

Experienced in scaling production of complex electromechanical systems from early prototypes to more structured, repeatable manufacturing
Comfortable supporting both existing production and introducing new or next-generation hardware into manufacturing
Strong in manufacturing engineering fundamentals, including process development, DFM/DFA, managing supply chains, and production ramp
Hands-on and comfortable working on the build floor to debug issues and support technicians
Able to balance speed and rigor in a fast-moving production environment with evolving designs
Effective at bridging design engineering and manufacturing execution
Comfortable owning ambiguity and building processes and systems from the ground up
Experienced (or eager) to work with suppliers and contract manufacturers
Highly collaborative across mechanical, electrical, software, and operations teams
Organized and detail-oriented, with a strong focus on quality, reliability, and repeatability
BS in Manufacturing, Industrial, or Mechanical Engineering
5+ years of experience in manufacturing engineering, NPI, or production ramp for electromechanical products
Experience supporting low-to-mid volume production (tens to hundreds of units), not solely high-volume manufacturing
Proven experience taking products from prototype or early builds into repeatable, scalable production
Background in robotics, industrial equipment, consumer electronics, aerospace, medical devices, or similar complex hardware systems
Experience working directly with suppliers and external manufacturing partners
Hands-on experience developing production tooling, fixtures, and test systems

Nice To Haves

Experience transitioning production from in-house builds to contract manufacturers
Familiarity with quality systems, process controls, and yield improvement methodologies
Experience in fast-paced startup or early production environments
Exposure to certification or regulatory processes for hardware systems
Experience supporting multiple product iterations or hardware revisions in production

Responsibilities

Own the scaling of robot production from early builds to structured, repeatable batch production, improving throughput, quality, and consistency
Support both ongoing maintenance of deployed robots and the introduction of next-generation systems into manufacturing
Lead early and mid-stage build waves, including in-house assembly, calibration, and end-of-line testing
Develop and implement manufacturing processes, work instructions, and quality standards to enable reliable, repeatable builds
Create and maintain production documentation, including BOMs, assembly instructions, test procedures, and quality checks
Design and deploy assembly fixtures, test systems, and tooling to improve efficiency, quality, and build consistency
Drive root cause analysis across build, test, and field issues; implement design or process improvements to improve yield and reliability
Partner with mechanical, electrical, and software teams to ensure designs are manufacturable and aligned with production realities (DFM/DFA)
Establish and track key production metrics (yield, build time, defects) and drive continuous improvement
Own relationships with suppliers and contract manufacturers; help transition production from in-house builds to external partners over time
Create systems to efficiently procure and inventory robot components.