Head of Machining Operations

Company Description

Even Platforms is a venture backed company building automated 5-axis machining centers to serve Aerospace & Defense customer. We’re are not a traditional machine shop. Our facilities center on 5-axis CNC milling with pallet loaders and robot-on-rails to manage material handling. We build a robust software stack to manage machine monitoring and back office automation. Every part we produce goes through a CMM machine to guarantee quality. We are building our first full shop from the ground up to run faster and smarter than anything before it. We are well capitalized and backed by Khosla Ventures.

Role Description

This is the most important operations hire we will ever make. As Head of Machining Operations, you will be the architect and orchestrator of our entire manufacturing capability. You'll own everything from machine selection and configuration to automation strategy, tooling, quality, and building the team that runs it all. You won't just manage a shop, you'll design one.

What You'll Own

Shop Architecture & Automation Strategy

•       Define the machine mix, tooling strategy, and automation roadmap for our 5-axis milling center

•       Configure and optimize robot-on-rails and pallet loader systems for maximum unattended run time

•       Drive a lights-out-first philosophy across all production workflows

•       Establish CMM inspection protocols and integrate metrology into the production loop

Machine & Process Expertise

•       Own setup, programming, and process development for 5-axis CNC machining operations

•       Select and configure cutting tools, fixturing, and workholding for complex aerospace geometries

•       Define feeds, speeds, and toolpaths in coordination with CAM programmers

•       Establish and enforce GD&T standards and AS9100/ITAR compliance requirements

Team Building & Leadership

•       Hire, train, and lead a team of machinists and CNC programmers

•       Set the culture: automation-first thinking, continuous improvement, zero-defect mindset

•       Define roles, SOPs, and performance standards as the team scales

Who You Are

•       You’ve played a critical role in building a high-performance CNC machine shop

•       Deep hands-on expertise in 5-axis milling and CMM: setup, programming, fixturing

•       You think automation-first — pallet systems, probing, tool management, and unattended machining

•       Experienced with CMM metrology and aerospace-grade quality systems (AS9100)

•       You've hired and developed machinists and programmers, and you take that responsibility seriously

•       Comfortable working at a startup: scrappy, decisive, and energized by building something from scratch

•       Excellent communicator who can translate shop-floor reality into capital and strategy decisions with leadership

Compensation & Benefits

This is a founding-team-level role that relies meaningfully on equity compensation.

•       Base salary: $100,000 – $160,000 depending on experience

•       Meaningful equity stake — you're not an employee, you're a builder

•       Full health, dental, and vision coverage

•       Direct influence over every major technical and operational decision

•       The opportunity to build something that doesn't exist yet