Skunk Works Technical Manager
About The Position
Our never-before-seen, adaptive welding products push the limit of what physical AI in general, and machine learning in particular, can do today. We are looking for an experienced and hands-on NovAI Technical Manager to join our growing team and support existing products and help us develop new ones. As a Skunk Works Technical Manager reporting to the Senior Director of Robotics and AI, you will be responsible for developing amazing new features (from prototyping brackets and vision systems all the way to PLC and software codes) and also liaise between our product/sales team and the technical team to deliver AI-based, minimum viable prototypes (MVP) to our customers. This activity is a fundamental step in deploying our welding intelligence package (known as NovAI). You are a critical link in the team and your creativity and knowledge will enable the continued success! In addition to managing a small team of welders, machine learning and controls engineers, you will be responsible for translating product requirements from sales/product team to technical requirements and setting directions to deliver them as an MVP. You will also be responsible for updating stakeholders about project progress.
Requirements
- Experience with managing 3 to 10 individual contributors
- Bachelor's degree in Electrical. Mechanical, Software or Computer Science or similar disciplines
- Strong knowledge and experience in product delivery, from requirements definition to acceptance criteria for an MVP
- Strong understanding of computer vision concepts, mechanical designs, and closed-loop control algorithms
- Proficiency in C++ or PLC programming or CAD drawings especially in robotic applications
- Minimum 3 years experience with product delivery
- Strong software and hardware development skills to build efficient and scalable products
- Familiarity with trajectory memorization and toolpath optimization for minimal mechanical stress, energy efficiency, and time.
- Algorithmic thinking and the ability to devise and implement machine learning techniques to have outputs suitable for PLCs or robot programs
- Strong communication and documentation skills
- Strong organizational and time management skills
- Strategic, critical thinking, and analytical skills for structured problem-solving rather than band-aid fixes.
- Humble: You leave your ego at the door and lead by serving others. You prioritize active listening, collaboration, and seeking to understand over having all the answers.
- Hungry: You bring a self-driven, relentless passion for excellence. You embrace challenges head-on, commit to continuous learning, and hold yourself accountable to exceeding expectations.
- Smart: You navigate situations with high emotional intelligence and empathy. You collaborate openly, welcome feedback, and constantly challenge the status quo to drive innovation.
Nice To Haves
- Experience integrating an AI pipeline with a third party PC/PLC
- Experience with Physical AI
- Familiarity with arc welding
Responsibilities
- Manage a team of welding technologists, data scientists, machine learning and control engineers and set up quarterly goals and performance reviews
- Participate in interviews, onboarding, and building/scaling the team
- Drive the development, fast prototyping, and testing in different areas such as mechanical drawings, electrical schematics, PLC codes, software packages, and vision systems.
- Hold daily meetings with the team on critical-path projects and track progress
- Test, validate and troubleshoot prototypes and products thorough debugging of end to end integration, diagnosing and resolving software or hardware issues to improve system performance and reliability
- Work with data scientists, controls and welding technologists to integrate robotic systems with sensors, vision systems, and other automation equipment
- Debug and commission machine learning based solutions at our facility, during the system integration stage, and then remote support at the customer’s site during installation
- Create and maintain state machine documentation, architecture diagrams, and electrical/mechanical drawings for robotic systems
- Travel as required to customer sites or conferences/trade shows to add to their knowledge of the product and customer needs
- Other responsibilities as assigned
Benefits
- Annual personal development budget
- Ownership opportunities (stock options)
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Manager
