Production Line Supervisor
Etched · San Jose · $100,000–$120,000 (stated in the posting)
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
Etched is building a new category of AI hardware: frontier inference clusters. To deliver them at the pace this market demands, we're bringing manufacturing in-house, starting with the first Etched-operated production line. It will take our server racks from new product introduction (NPI) into high-volume manufacturing.
As Production Line Supervisor, you'll be the person who makes that line run. You'll hire and train its founding operator team, own the floor every shift, and be the connective tissue between production, inventory, lab operations, test development, and engineering. The way you staff, train, run, and recover this line will become the playbook for every Etched manufacturing site that follows.
This is a ground-floor role: you'll help build a manufacturing operation from nothing, and grow with it as it scales.
Key Responsibilities
Build the team
Recruit, hire, and develop the line's founding team of assembly technicians and production test operators
Train operators on the SOPs our production team provides, set clear standards, and hold the team to them
Build a culture of safety, quality, and ownership on the floor
Run the line
Own every shift's results: schedule and assign the team, execute work orders, and deliver builds on time and to spec
Partner with receiving and inventory to keep material flowing to the line, and head off shortages before they stop work
Be the first responder when issues hit mid-shift: triage, contain, and pull in the right engineer fast
Own day-to-day use of our inventory management, manufacturing execution, and test software, and keep the data in them accurate
Work across the company
Be the line's voice in daily coordination with production, inventory, lab operations, and engineering
Partner with our engineers and test development team to root-cause process issues, test failures, and escapes, and drive fixes to closure
Give leadership a clear, honest read on line status, risks, and what the team needs to hit plan
Build for scale
Turn lessons from the floor into better SOPs, processes, and training
Design the processes and site-readiness checklists that will let us replicate this line at future Etched manufacturing sites
What Success Looks Like
The line is fully staffed, trained, and running predictable, on-time shifts
Material problems get caught before they stop the line
Issues found on the floor get fixed at the source, not just worked around
When we open our next site, your playbook is how we do it
You may be a good fit if you have (Must-have qualifications)
Experience leading a hands-on team in a fast-paced, physical environment where the work has to be right and on time, such as a factory line, construction crew, commercial kitchen, or restaurant
A track record of scheduling people, assigning work, and running a tight, organized shift
Experience training new team members and holding them to clear standards and procedures
A knack for keeping supplies stocked and work moving, and spotting bottlenecks before they happen
Calm, practical judgment when things go wrong mid-shift
Clear, direct communication with your team, partner departments, and leadership
Comfort learning new software tools and using them every day
Excitement to build a career in AI hardware (no prior tech experience required)
Bonus Points
Experience in electronics, hardware, or server manufacturing
Hands-on use of an MES, ERP, or inventory management system
Experience opening a new site, line, or location: a factory, a store, a restaurant
Benefits
Medical, dental, and vision packages with generous premium coverage
$500 per month credit for waiving medical benefits
Housing subsidy of $2,500 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. 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.
Compensation Range
$100,000 - $120,000, plus equity