CNC Machinist

About Etched

Etched is building hardware for frontier intelligence. We co-design chips, racks, software, and manufacturing to deliver best-in-class throughput and latency across both prefill and decode workloads. Our first products are heavily focused on inference. Backed by hundreds of millions from top-tier investors and staffed by leading engineers, Etched is redefining the infrastructure layer for the fastest growing industry in history.

Job Summary

Hardware as ambitious as we are building is won or lost in iteration speed. To meet that requirement, we are standing up an in-house quick-turn prototyping shop at our 80,000 square foot Milpitas facility: CNC machining, a full sheet metal cell (waterjet + CNC press brake), and system assembly. As one of the first machinist/fabricators on the floor, you will take parts from CAD to finished metal the same week — sometimes the same day — and help shape how the shop itself runs.

Key Responsibilities

- Program CAM (Fusion 360 / Mastercam) from engineering CAD models and own jobs end-to-end: setup, first article, and production of prototype parts

- Design and build fixtures, soft jaws, and workholding to make repeat jobs fast

- Set up and operate 3-axis CNC vertical mills, manual mill and lathe, and supporting shop equipment

- Operate the sheet metal cell: waterjet cutting and CNC press brake forming, including nesting and bend programming

- TIG weld brackets, enclosures, and fixtures as needed

- Fabricate parts end-to-end: hardware insertion (PEM), deburring and surface finishing, and final fit-up of formed and welded assemblies

- Manage the tool crib: track cutter and consumable inventory, buy tooling, and own vendor relationships for cutters, stock, and shop supplies

- Inspect your own work using surface plate, height gauge, micrometers, and calipers to drawing GD&T

- Support assembly and integration of prototype systems and racks when the schedule calls for it

- Be flexible and help out around the shop: machine maintenance, material handling, rigging support, and keeping the floor safe and organized

- Give design-for-manufacturability feedback directly to the engineers who sit a few steps away

You may be a good fit if you have (Must-have qualifications)

- Trade school, apprenticeship, or journeyman machinist certification

- Experience with Fusion 360 or Mastercam and Haas controls

- Sheet metal fabrication experience: CNC press brake setup/operation, waterjet or laser cutting

- TIG and/or MIG welding proficiency on aluminum and steel

- Background in prototype, R&D, or quick-turn job shop environments where every job is different

- Experience owning tool crib inventory and tooling purchases

- Basic CAD ability (Fusion 360, SolidWorks, or similar) for fixture design

- Experience machining thermal/cooling components (coldplates, manifolds) or server/rack hardware

- Comfort in a fast-moving startup environment with shifting priorities

Strong candidates may also have experience with (Nice-to-have qualifications)

- Experience owning tool crib inventory and tooling purchases

- Basic CAD ability (Fusion 360, SolidWorks, or similar) for fixture design

- Experience machining thermal/cooling components (coldplates, manifolds) or server/rack hardware

- Comfort in a fast-moving startup environment with shifting priorities

Additional Requirements:

- This position is based on-site in San Jose, CA and Milpitas, CA

- Willingness to work extended hours and occasional weekends to support program-critical builds

- Ability to lift up to 50 lbs. with assistance and stand for extended periods on a shop floor

- Ability to obtain forklift certification

Benefits

- Medical, dental, and vision packages with generous premium coverage

- $500 per month credit for waiving medical benefits

- Housing subsidy of $2.5k per month for those living within walking distance of the office

- Relocation support for those moving to San Jose (Santana Row)

- Various wellness benefits covering fitness, mental health, and more

- Daily lunch and dinner in our office

- Unlimited compute budget subject to ROI justification

How we’re different

Etched believes in the Bitter Lesson http://www.incompleteideas.net/IncIdeas/BitterLesson.html. We are the first inference-focused frontier AI system, betting early on transformer and transformer-like architectures and on increasing model sizes. Our addressable market is the entirety of inference, unlike many of our competitors.

We are a fully in-person team in San Jose (Santana Row), and greatly value engineering skills. We do not have boundaries between engineering and research, and we expect all of our technical staff to contribute to both and work across disciplines as needed.