Supplier Industrialization Engineer

Neuralink · South San Francisco · $68,000–$177,000 (stated in the posting)

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About the Team

Supply Chain owns the external manufacturing network that builds and delivers every component going into the Implant and the Robot. The Supplier Industrialization Engineering (SIE) function partners with Design, Quality, Manufacturing, and Strategic Sourcing to take parts from prototype through volume production at our external partners — ensuring suppliers can deliver to Neuralink’s technical, cost, schedule, and regulatory requirements throughout the product lifecycle.

About the Role

As a Supplier Industrialization Engineer, you will own component industrialization at our external suppliers across the full breadth of what goes into the Implant and the Robot. This is explicitly a generalist role: rather than specializing in a single commodity, you will move across machined parts, molded plastics, electromechanical assemblies, PCBAs, optics, hermetic packaging, coatings, and biocompatible materials — going wherever the program needs the most engineering horsepower. You will lead parts from supplier selection and process qualification, through NPI builds, ramp, and into sustaining production, working hands-on at supplier sites to ensure manufacturing processes are capable, controlled, and audit-ready. Because Neuralink’s products are implanted in patients, the bar for supplier quality, traceability, and process discipline is exceptionally high — your work directly enables us to put more devices into more patients, safely.

We expect this person to be biased toward learning new manufacturing domains rapidly, to be comfortable owning parts they have not personally built before, and to bring strong first-principles engineering judgment to every supplier conversation.

We are hiring across multiple levels. Early-career engineers will own a focused portfolio of parts with strong mentorship; senior and staff engineers will own multi-commodity strategy across programs, lead the toughest supplier recoveries, and set the technical bar for the function.

What You'll Do 

Industrialization & NPI

• Own industrialization end-to-end for a portfolio of parts spanning mechanical, electromechanical, electronic, optical, and materials commodities going into the Implant and the Robot.
• Drive supplier readiness for NPI builds, design changes, and ramp-to-volume — including capacity planning, fixture and tooling design, and line build-outs.

Design & Manufacturing Engineering

• Partner with Design Engineering on DFM/DFA/DFT reviews early in the development cycle to drive manufacturability, yield, cost, and reliability into the design.
• Translate design intent (drawings, GD&T, specifications) into supplier-actionable manufacturing requirements, control plans, and inspection plans.

Process Qualification & Quality

• Qualify supplier manufacturing processes through PPAP/APQP, FAI, capability studies (Cp/Cpk), gage R&R, and process validation (IQ/OQ/PQ where applicable); ensure first-time-right launches.
• Partner with Quality Engineering  to ensure our suppliers meet ISO 13485 and 21 CFR Part 820 expectations — with appropriate change control, traceability, and validation documentation.

Supplier Performance & Corrective Action

• Lead containment, root cause, and corrective action (8D, RCCA) for non-conforming material; close issues quickly while raising the underlying process bar so they do not recur.
• Build supplier scorecards and apply SPC, Lean, and continuous-improvement methods to improve yield, cycle time, cost, and on-time delivery across the supply base.

Cross-functional Partnership & Site Presence

• Travel to suppliers (domestic and international) to lead on-site audits, process walks, line qualifications, and corrective-action verification.
• Partner with Strategic Sourcing on supplier selection, dual-source strategy, and should-cost/piece-price negotiation; provide the technical voice in supplier business reviews.

Required Qualifications

Background & Education

• B.S. in Mechanical, Manufacturing, Industrial, Electrical, Materials, Chemical, Biomedical, Aerospace, or a related engineering discipline — or equivalent practical experience that demonstrates the same technical depth.
• Generalist mindset: a demonstrated track record of moving between multiple manufacturing domains and learning new processes quickly, rather than specializing in a single commodity. You should be able to point to at least two distinct process areas in which you have personally driven engineering outcomes.
• Working familiarity with multiple major manufacturing process domains, such as: precision CNC machining, injection or micro-molding, sheet metal and stamping, PCBA and electronics assembly, additive manufacturing, coatings and plating, optics, hermetic packaging, laser or micro-welding, EDM, or cleanroom assembly.

Engineering & Metrology

• Demonstrated ability to read complex engineering drawings and apply Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing (GD&T) per ASME Y14.5 — including reading datum schemes, selecting appropriate tolerance callouts, and understanding the manufacturing implications of a given drawing.
• Strong working knowledge of metrology and inspection: CMM, optical comparators, vision systems, surface profilometry, leak/hermeticity testing, electrical test, and the tradeoffs between in-process, end-of-line, and incoming inspection strategies.
• Proficiency with common engineering and data tools (e.g., SolidWorks or equivalent CAD for reading models, Minitab or Python/R for data analysis, ERP/PLM systems, JIRA or equivalent for tracking work).

Supplier Quality & Process

• Working knowledge of the core supplier-quality toolkit: PPAP, APQP, PFMEA, control plans, First Article Inspection (FAI/AS9102), Measurement System Analysis (MSA, gage R&R), process capability studies (Cp/Cpk/Ppk), and Statistical Process Control (SPC).
• Hands-on experience leading structured root-cause and corrective-action work (8D, RCCA, fishbone, 5-Whys, fault-tree) on real production issues — from containment through verified, closed-loop fix.
• Familiarity with at least one Quality Management System framework (ISO 13485, 21 CFR Part 820, AS9100, IATF 16949, or ISO 9001) and the discipline required to operate inside it — change control, document control, deviations, and traceability.

Execution & Communication

• Project-management chops: able to drive a parallel portfolio of supplier deliverables to aggressive dates, sequence dependencies, escalate cleanly, and communicate status to stakeholders without being chased.
• Solid commercial instincts: comfortable reading a should-cost breakdown, participating in piece-price and tooling negotiations alongside Strategic Sourcing, and pushing back technically when a quote does not match the process or volume.
• Strong written and verbal communication. You can run a productive technical meeting with a supplier engineering team one hour, then write a crisp summary of risk and recommended actions for Neuralink leadership the next.
• Comfortable in a hands-on, fast-moving, ambiguity-tolerant environment where you are expected to own outcomes, not just tasks — and to make sound decisions with incomplete information.

Logistics

• Willingness to travel up to 25–50% to supplier sites, including international travel; valid passport (or ability to obtain one) is required.
• Must be able to physically work on supplier production floors, including standing for extended periods, gowning into cleanrooms, and handling small precision parts.
• Must be able to work on-site in South San Francisco, CA or Austin, TX.

Preferred Qualifications 

Regulated & Complex Hardware Experience

• Experience industrializing parts at external suppliers in a regulated environment: medical device (ISO 13485/21 CFR Part 820), aerospace (AS9100), automotive (IATF 16949), or semiconductor.
• Launch experience with Class II or III medical devices, implantable electronics, micro-fabrication, or biocompatible materials.
• Experience taking parts from high-mix/low-volume clinical builds into higher-volume commercial production.

Technical Depth

• Direct hands-on experience with PPAP, APQP, FAI, PFMEA, control plans, MSA, SPC, and process validation (IQ/OQ/PQ).
• Track record of leading 8D/RCCA on supplier quality escapes — from first containment through verified closure.
• Familiarity with one or more of: micro-machining, micro-molding, thin-film processes, laser micro-welding, hermetic feedthroughs, flex circuits and HDI PCBs, BGA/flip-chip assembly, surgical instrument manufacturing, or precision motion systems.

Certifications & Language

• Lean/Six Sigma certification (Green Belt or Black Belt).
• Working proficiency in a second language commonly used with international suppliers (Mandarin, German, Japanese, or Spanish a plus).

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