Senior Manufacturing Engineer (m/w/d)

Antora Energy delivers affordable, reliable energy to industry, data centers, and the grid. Our thermal batteries turn low-cost electricity into always-on heat and power, without supply-constrained critical minerals or multi-year construction timelines.

We are growing our company with people who put team and mission first, value connection through laughter and joy, and work with humility and openness. We are committed to building a diverse, passionate, and creative team dedicated to a future powered by abundant, clean, low-cost energy.

Position Summary

Antora is scaling production while preparing the newest generation of our product and a new gigafactory to build it in. We are looking for a manufacturing engineer to own continuous improvement on our current production line, develop the processes for our next-generation product, and help bring the new factory up. On the current line, you will own rate, yield, and stability, driven from data and standard work, in partnership with the skilled technicians who build the product every day. For the new product generation, you will develop station-level processes from product design through production validation. In the new factory, you will contribute manufacturing requirements to its design, commission equipment and processes on site, and hand a running line to the team that will operate it. You will be the engineer the line counts on today, and one of the people who defines how we build tomorrow.

Roles & Responsibilities

• Own the performance of the current production line
  • Be the accountable engineer for rate, yield, and stability on the mainline through the remaining Gen1 program
  • Drive continuous improvement against the established baseline: cycle time, first-pass yield, and top loss drivers, with visible results
  • Lead structured problem solving from containment through permanent corrective action, and address non-conformances as they arise
  • Share in system ownership across the line, carrying assigned subsystems through production support and product version changes: process plan and work instruction releases, ECO incorporation, tooling readiness, and technician training
  • Share in the team's standing work: EVT build support, issue triage, tooling upkeep, and equipment commissioning
  • Work with the manufacturing specialists to identify issues and drive them down, and build their capability to run and improve processes independently
  • Improve safety through partnership with production and EH&S
• Develop next-generation processes for assigned scope
  • Own station-level process development within the Gen2 line architecture: process definition, PFMEAs, work instructions, and the tooling and equipment requirements identified by PDR
  • Bring current-line evidence into early DFM reviews and drive manufacturability into designs before they harden
  • Support prototype and EVT builds, and carry assigned processes through Production Validation Testing
• Support the new gigafactory's development, launch, and commissioning
  • Support the design and development of the new factory: contribute process and equipment requirements, station footprints, and material flow input to the factory design and its review cycle
  • Install, qualify, and commission production equipment and processes at the new facility
  • Transfer proven processes to the new site with documentation and training, and hand off to the local manufacturing engineering team with a bounded open-issues list
  • Travel as required through launch and commissioning periods
• Contribute to Antora's culture
  • Put team and mission first
  • Invite critique early and treat feedback as material that strengthens the work
  • Be someone technicians and engineers want building next to them

Key Qualifications

Education

• Bachelor's degree in Manufacturing, Mechanical, or Industrial Engineering, or equivalent practical experience

Key Requirements

• 3-5 years of manufacturing engineering in a production environment, with direct ownership of a running line's or process's performance
• A demonstrated continuous improvement record with measured results: rate, yield, cycle time, scrap, or availability you can show you moved
• Structured problem-solving discipline: root cause analysis and process capability applied to real production issues; PFMEA experience
• Proven ability to author and own work instructions, control plans, and to incorporate engineering changes cleanly through MES/PLM and BOM structures
• Grounded in lean manufacturing: standard work, line balance, takt, material flow, and visual management
• Experience commissioning production equipment or bringing a line, station, or process from installation to technician-run production
• Proficiency in 3D CAD (SolidWorks preferred) sufficient to specify fixtures and review tooling designs for process fit
• Strong cross-functional collaborator, decisive with incomplete information, and comfortable in a fast-moving startup environment
• Ability to travel domestically as needed, up to approximately 25% during factory launch and commissioning periods, with typical travel expected to be significantly lower

Additional Qualifications Desired

• Welding process development or qualification: procedure development, weld DOE, and process control on production welds
• Experience specifying, integrating, or commissioning automated or robotic production equipment, vendor-built or in-house
• Experience launching a new factory or production line, including contributing to layout and equipment requirements
• Experience transferring a process or line to a new facility and training the receiving team
• Experience partnering with or leading technicians in a continuous improvement program
• Experience with the assembly and handling of very large or heavy products: crane and rigging operations, heavy fixtures, and material handling equipment
• Deep MES/PLM fluency, including system administration or configuration in a production environment
• Six Sigma or equivalent formal problem-solving training
• Experience with battery, energy storage, or other thermally or electrically demanding hardware products

Work Location: Onsite - San Jose, CA

Salary Range: $131,000 USD - $157,000 USD

Salary Basis: Annual

Please note that the salary range listed above reflects Antora Energy's estimated pay for this position. The actual salary offered will be within the posted range and determined based on several factors including but not limited to a candidate's experiences, credentials and expertise, as they pertain to the position's requirements.

In addition to a competitive base salary, Antora Energy's Total Rewards program includes 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, and an industry leading paid-time-off policy that features flexible and inclusive holiday observance, as well as paid volunteer time off.

When it comes to stopping climate change, we need everyone. We believe that having a diversity of backgrounds and experiences strengthens all of us, and we strive to create an environment where every one of us is empowered to create meaningful change.

Benefits

Compensation & Paid Time Off

• Competitive salary
• Stock options
• 401k plan with company match
• Clean commute stipend
• 15 paid vacation days per year, increasing with tenure
• 12 paid holidays (10 fixed, 2 of your choosing)
• 16 hours of volunteer time off
• 16 weeks of paid parental leave
• 24 hours of wellbeing time off

Health & Wellness

• Comprehensive medical coverage for employees & dependents
• Health savings account option with employer contribution
• Vision, dental, and life coverage
• Flexible spending account & dependent care account options
• Subsidized backup childcare, senior care, and petcare
• 80 hours of sick leave
• Personalized access to mental health support

Facilities & Community

• Kitchen with a variety of healthy snacks & drinks
• On-site gym with fitness equipment
• On-site showers and bike parking
• Dedicated mother's room
• Team volunteer events
• Monthly social gatherings
• Foosball table and lawn games for breaks and friendly competition