Mechanical Shop & Lab Manager

Job description

Job responsibilities

• Own the Space: Be the single point of accountability for the machine shop and lab — layout, organization, cleanliness, and day-to-day operations.
• Maintain the Equipment: Run preventive maintenance schedules, troubleshoot and repair machine issues, and manage relationships with service vendors and suppliers.
• Manage Tooling and Consumables: Track inventory, reorder consumables before they run out, and make purchasing decisions on new tooling and equipment.
• Formalize Training and Access: Help build structured trainings so employees can safely get checked out on mills, lathes, laser cutters, welding, 3D printing, and other equipment.
• Set the Safety Standard: Establish and enforce shop safety protocols — PPE requirements, machine-specific safety procedures, emergency procedures — and keep the space compliant and audit-ready.
• Make the Shop Accessible: Act as the go-to resource for anyone in the company who wants to use the space, from experienced engineers to first-timers, and remove the friction that currently keeps people out.
• Support Projects: Develop functional electro-mechanical prototypes, fixture-building, and fabrication for active FAB1 projects when shop operations allow.

Job requirements

• 3+ years of hands-on experience in a machine shop, fab shop, or similar environment.
• Deep working knowledge of mills, lathes, laser cutters, welding, and 3D printing — comfortable both operating and maintaining this equipment.
• Experience training others on shop equipment and safety procedures, or strong instinct for how to build that kind of program from scratch.
• Highly organized, with a track record of bringing structure to a space that didn't have it.
• Comfortable owning a space independently — this role has a lot of autonomy and needs someone who takes initiative rather than waiting for direction.
• Strong communicator who can set and hold boundaries on safety and access without being a bottleneck.