Vendra

We’re a fast growing manufacturing startup (30%+ MoM growth) working with top aerospace and defense teams, and we’re hiring a mechanical engineer to help scale how complex parts go from CAD to reality. This is a highly technical, hands-on role. In a normal day, you’ll Read and interpret 2D drawings and CAD Identify manufacturing risks before parts ever get to a supplier Match parts to the right supplier and process using tons of real data Work directly with customer and manufacturers to resolve issues Run supplier operations from RFQ to quote to production management to delivery Help turn human engineering judgment (aka all of the above) into reliable, automated software systems What you’ll work on You’ll operate across engineering, operations, and product, and help build out internal processes and tools from scratch. This isn’t a typical CAD-only mechanical design role. You’ll wear hardware engineering, software engineering, and supply chain hats as needed. Core Responsibilities Evaluate parts for manufacturability Read and interpret 2D drawings and 3D CAD to understand customer requirements (GD&T, material, finish, setup, etc.) Flag manufacturing risks early (DFM, impossible geometry, material inconsistencies, etc.) Supplier matching and qualification Match customer requirements to suppliers in the Vendra network based on capabilities, real-time capacity, and past experience Help qualify new suppliers and processes (what they can build well, not just what they claim) Build structure around capturing supplier experience (past performance, on-time-delivery, etc.) and feed it into our matching systems System and automation Help design internal tools for supplier matching, drawing/CAD analysis, and automating RFQ and production workflows We capture a ton of valuable data on suppliers - technical details of the parts they win, quality metrics, response times and feedback, etc. - all of which needs to feed into the core RFQ analysis and matching system we’re building What we’re looking for Required Qualifications Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering (or equivalent practical experience) Strong experience with manufacturing, specifically in CNC machining (metals, plastics, composites) Additive manufacturing (FDM, SLA, SLS, DMLS, or similar) Proven ability to Read and understand complex 2D drawings (GD&T, tolerances, notes) Analyze CAD models to understand manufacturing processes and identify manufacturing issues quickly and accurately Hands on experience taking parts from design → prototype → production Experience with Python or other software tools to analyze data and automate parts of your workflow (parsing 2D drawings, analyzing supplier performance, building internal tools) Experience with using AI effectively for research, data analysis, and problem solving Preferred Qualifications Familiarity with supplier qualification and capability assessments Experience in high-mix manufacturing (at both low and high volume) Experience building or working with software tooling (especially process automation) Experience in fast-moving startups without day-to-day structure You’ll thrive in this role if you’re a hands-on engineer who’s naturally curious about how things are made. If you look at a part and immediately think about fixturing, tolerances, or failure modes, you’re a good fit. Comfort with code is also important. You don’t need to be a software engineer, but you should be able to use tools like Cursor or Claude Code to write simple Python scripts to analyze data and automate parts of your work. We expect engineers on this team to constantly be thinking about ways of turning the manual sourcing and manufacturing process into smart internal tools and workflows over time.

Vendra is building the AI-native operating system for manufacturing procurement and supply chain. Our goal is simple: build platforms, both external and internal, that allow fewer people to accomplish dramatically more. Think about what Claude Code did for engineers. We are doing that for supply chain (and are well on our way). You will be part of the core engineering team at Vendra. This is a high-ownership role where you will help shape everything from our architecture across multiple connected platforms to the product experiences our customers rely on every day. As an SDE here, you will work across the backend, APIs, frontend, and core AI workflows that power our manufacturing marketplace. You will collaborate directly with the founders, move fast, and work closely with customers building some of the most advanced hardware in the world. We are already working with some of the most ambitious companies in aerospace, defense, robotics, and advanced manufacturing, including teams at Anduril, Mach Industries, Relativity Space, and more. Click here to see some of those names This is a role for builders who want to work on products that are used by the companies building the future of hardware. We are growing faster than anyone in this space, and the only way to keep up with the demand in front of us is to build faster, think bigger, and raise the bar on what one great engineer can ship. What You Will Do Within days Take ownership of a real production workflow across our marketplace, supplier portal, internal tools, or AI automation systems Ship improvements used directly by customers, suppliers, or the Vendra team Work directly with Anish and the founding team to support our newest product lines Within weeks Become responsible for one of our core platforms Suggest, plan, and execute product and engineering improvements Help us design and build the next product in our stack Improve backend systems, APIs, internal tools, and AI workflows that directly impact customers Within months Help define product and technical vision Build new platforms and products that support our mission Develop a deep understanding of supply chain, procurement, and custom part manufacturing Work with us to automate more of the manufacturing procurement lifecycle from RFQ to supplier matching, quoting, ordering, tracking, and fulfillment using Agentic Workflows Who You Are You have 1+ years of experience building and shipping real products We don't care about your degree; we care about the systems you've put into production. Tell us about those in the message you send over You understand software engineering principles. You also understand that they could be wrong at this stage. You know when to follow them and when to break past them. Confused? You should be. That’s what makes this fun. You DO NOT need experience in Supply chain or Hardware. You just need to be a really good engineer You are a US Person (Greencard works too) You are strong in at least one part of the stack and excited to work across the rest: frontend, backend, APIs, data systems, infrastructure, and AI workflows You can take ambiguous product or customer problems and turn them into working software quickly You are comfortable working directly with founders, customers, and suppliers to understand what needs to be built You are excited by AI, automation, marketplaces, infrastructure, and the opportunity to transform a massive offline industry You want a high-ownership role where your work ships fast and matters immediately You are willing to learn fast. Requirements change, processes change. We iterate at lightspeed and prioritize on a case by case basis. Our Tech Stack Frontend: React, Next.js, TypeScript Backend: Node.js, Python AI Stack: OpenAI models, Anthropic models, custom fine-tuned models, agentic workflows Infrastructure: AWS, Postgres, Redis, S3, MongoDB Data: Real-time quote intelligence, supplier availability, historical manufacturing performance, customer and supplie