Manufacturing Engineer

About the job Manufacturing Engineer


At 1872 AI, we are transforming industrial manufacturing in the United States by building AI-native factories capable of lights-out production-from CAD to finished part with minimal human input. Our initial focus targets the energy and infrastructure sectors-power generation, grid infrastructure, and compute facilities-where critical supply chain bottlenecks in steel fabrication are limiting growth.

About the Role

At 1872 AI, we're building AI-native factories that take a part from CAD to finished, code-compliant product with minimal human intervention. We're looking for manufacturing engineers who think like systems builders, not caretakers - people who see a broken process, a stalled line, or a fragile automated cell and can't help but dig in and fix it at the root.

This role is intentionally broad. We care less about which box you check on paper and more about how you think. Some of the strongest fits will come from welding and fabrication backgrounds. Others will come from industrial engineering, line optimization, tooling, or product design. The best manufacturing engineers we've worked with don't stay in one lane - they move fluidly between the shop floor, the CAD model, the process data, and the automated system, picking up whatever the problem actually needs.

• Primary Interfaces: Head of Operations, Sr. Manufacturing Engineer, Robotic Fabrication Lead, Automation & Controls Engineers, customers, suppliers/vendors
• Key Metrics: Weld/part quality, automation maturity, throughput, cycle time, lead time, and cost
• Key Systems/Tools: CAD platforms, ERP/MES, robotic and CNC production equipment, in-line inspection and quality systems, data tools (Python/SQL/Excel) - exact mix depends on where your strengths take you

How You'll Operate

You'll be handed real, ambiguous problems - a process that won't hold tolerance, a cell that can't run unattended, a line that's slower than it should be - and be expected to figure out what's actually wrong and fix it at the source, not just escalate it. That might mean requalifying a weld procedure, redesigning a fixture, rebuilding a process from first principles, or questioning why something has been done the same way for years. What matters most to us is whether you get energized by fixing what's broken, inefficient, or still dependent on a person instead of a system - and whether you'll go do it yourself.

What We're Looking For

• A genuine manufacturing problem-solver - someone who's taken a part, a line, or a process from unstable to reliable and can walk through how they got there
• Hungry to learn what you don't already know, rather than staying inside a defined specialty
• Comfortable challenging legacy practices and "how it's always been done," backed by data and experimentation rather than opinion
• Excited to spend real time on the shop floor, debugging systems and working directly with production teams - this is not a desk job
• Strong communicator across technical and non-technical audiences - engineers, technicians, customers, suppliers

Background That Could Fit

• Weld metallurgy, code compliance (AWS/ASME), or NDE/inspection experience
• Quoting, estimating, or DFM review for custom or high-mix production
• Statistical process control, in-line vision inspection, or closed-loop quality systems
• Supplier/vendor coordination, procurement, or make-vs-buy decision-making
• Controls, PLC, or robotics programming exposure

We consider equivalent experience over degrees or years. If this sounds like how you already think, apply even if your resume doesn't map cleanly onto the categories above.

Why Join

• Own real problems, not a defined lane - what you work on will shift as the company and your strengths do
• As we scale, ownership can grow from a single process or job to how an entire factory runs - the scope grows with what you're ready to take on
• The processes, validation frameworks, and judgment you build become part of how every future 1872 factory runs - and train the systems that make automation possible at scale

How to Apply

Include your resume/LinkedIn and a brief description of a problem you solved end-to-end - what was broken, what you decided, and what happened as a result.

This role is based on-site in Cincinnati, OH and is not open to remote work.

1872 AI is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. We are committed to building a diverse team and encourage candidates from all backgrounds to apply. To request a reasonable accommodation during the application process, please contact View email address on click.appcast.io.

This position may be subject to a background check in accordance with applicable law. A criminal record will not automatically disqualify a candidate from consideration.