Manufacturing Engineering - Automation and Systems

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.
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.
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
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
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
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
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
Controls, PLC, or robotics programming exposure
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

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 criminal record will not automatically disqualify a candidate from consideration.