Senior Manufacturing Engineer

Solcoa Industries•San Francisco, CA

About The Position

Solcoa is scaling production of rare earth metals using a process that converts rare earth oxides into high-purity metals. The Senior Manufacturing Engineer will lead the hands-on buildout of Solcoa’s vacuum induction melting (VIM) furnaces, translating engineering designs into reliable, production-ready equipment. The role works directly with engineering, suppliers, fabrication technicians, and contractors to deliver multiple furnace systems from drawing review and procurement through assembly, commissioning, and first melts. It will also establish shop capabilities, build procedures, and quality standards to make later systems faster and less costly to build.

Responsibilities

Lead the buildout of multiple VIM furnace systems, including mechanical assembly, vacuum and gas handling, and power and controls integration.
Work with technicians and engineers to resolve integration issues, verify system readiness, and commission each furnace through first melts.
Review and sign off on fabrication packages before parts are released for manufacture; identify manufacturability, tolerance, material, and assembly issues and work with engineering to resolve them.
Own procurement of furnace components, long-lead parts, tooling, and shop consumables.
Source and qualify vendors, evaluate quotes, track deliveries against the build schedule, and resolve technical questions with suppliers and outside machine shops.
Coordinate fabrication technicians, contractors, and outside shops to deliver builds on schedule and to specification.
Translate designs into work packages and assembly sequences, manage dependencies, and resolve shop-floor problems.
Establish tooling, fixtures, shop layout, and work instructions for efficient furnace assembly and testing.
Develop safe operating procedures for high-temperature and vacuum equipment with engineering and the operating team.