
Senior Additive Manufacturing Engineer
Velo3D · Fremont, CA
- Level
- Senior
- Team
- Manufacturing
- Degree
- Required
- Experience asked
- 8+ years
- Industry
- Industrial
- Posted
- 30+ days ago
The role in 30 seconds
A senior manufacturing role at Velo3D (industrial) in Fremont, CA. Develop, program, and optimize post-processing workflows, including furnace thermal cycles (stress relief, Sol-Age), depowdering processes, and wire EDM operations.
- They ask for
- 8+ years · degree required
- Tools it names
- Root cause, GD&T
Read from the posting. The full description is below.
From the plant jobs report · week of October 19, 2026
Manufacturing Engineer roles in California: typical posted base $114k–$167k.
Median of the low and high ends of 117 live postings that list pay, out of 320 manufacturing engineer openings in California, read from manufacturers' own careers sites.
California plant jobs report →Pay by team and state →What moves pay →
How this role compares
Against 319 other live manufacturing postings in California.
- Base pay
- Not listed in this posting
- Experience asked
- More than usual (8+ vs 5+)
Typical $111k–$157k, from 105 postings that list pay.
Similar roles usually ask 5+ years.
Skills these teams ask for most
- Tooling 53%
- New product launch 51%
- ✓ Root cause 40%
- Automation 35%
- Machining 29%
- CATIA / NX 29%
✓ = this posting asks for it too. % = share of similar postings that mention it.
At a glance
Pulled from the posting text. If it's not listed here, the posting didn't say.
How to get in at this plant
Five moves over a week or two. The first one takes ten minutes.
- 1
Pick 2–3 people on the Manufacturing team at Velo3D
Engineers who joined in the last year or two reply the most. Use the team search on this page to find them.
- 2
Send a short, curious note
One real question about their work. No favors yet. Each person gets a different note, written for this role.
- 3
Turn a reply into a short call
Questions worth asking about this team:
- What does a normal week look like on your team?
- Is the work mostly new product launches or sustaining existing lines?
- How much time do you spend on the floor versus at a desk?
- How did you land the job? What stood out in your interviews?
- 4
Apply with someone vouching for you
If the call went well, ask whether they’d pass your résumé to the hiring manager. Send your résumé link, apply that day, and let them know.
- 5
Bring proof to the interview
One page of before-and-after numbers from projects you led: scrap, OEE, cycle time, cost. Plant managers hire on results.
This plant: Velo3D in Fremont
12 other open roles at this site.
- Process Engineer II/III · Process · Senior
- Process Engineering Technician · Process
- Quality Engineer · Quality
- Capital Equipment Technician 1 · Manufacturing · Technician
- Quality Assurance Engineer II, Preprint · Quality
- Quality Assurance Engineer II, Print · Quality
Full description from Velo3DAs posted on their careers site.ShowHide
Responsibilities
- ◆Own post-build technical execution by performing post-print quality evaluations, including visual inspections, process parameter reviews, and initial assessments to ensure parts meet
requirements
immediately after printing.
- ✓Develop, program, and optimize post-processing workflows, including furnace thermal cycles (stress relief, Sol-Age), depowdering processes, and wire EDM operations.
- ✓Serve as the technical authority for wire EDM processing of additive builds by developing dynamic cut strategies based on part geometry, surface area, material, and build characteristics. Design and execute structured experiments to establish process capability and improve repeatability.
- ✓Lead Solukon and furnace process development by creating, validating, and maintaining production recipes while partnering with operations to ensure safe, consistent, and efficient thermal processing.
- ✓Drive dimensional control and metrology strategies by defining inspection plans, executing 3D scanning workflows, analyzing deviations against CAD and drawings, and generating inspection reports for high-value customer hardware.
- ✓Develop and maintain material- and condition-specific shrink-rate databases to establish scaling factors, compensation strategies, and improved first-build success rates.
- ✓Create and implement advanced scaling methodologies, including asymmetric scaling approaches based on build height, geometry, and regional deformation trends.
- ✓Provide Design for Additive Manufacturing (DfAM) guidance by analyzing distortion, cracking, support strategies, and process risks to improve part designs and manufacturing outcomes.
- ✓Investigate and resolve additive manufacturing failure modes, including cracking, deformation, and dimensional nonconformance, translating findings into actionable design rules and process improvements.
- ✓Partner cross-functionally with EDM technicians, furnace operators, depowdering teams, quality, and shipping/receiving to eliminate process handoff gaps and improve production flow.
- ✓Lead structured continuous improvement initiatives focused on throughput, yield, process capability, and manufacturing predictability across EDM, heat treatment, scaling, and inspection processes.
- ✓Support NCR investigations, root cause analyses, and corrective/preventive actions by ensuring lessons learned are incorporated into designs, build files, process standards, and production controls.
- ✓Collaborate with manufacturing leadership to prioritize and execute continuous improvement projects aligned with plant objectives.
- ✓Support customer-facing technical engagements and demonstrations that highlight Velo3D’s advanced additive manufacturing capabilities when needed.
Qualifications
- ✓8+ years of hands-on experience in metal additive manufacturing, production engineering, or advanced manufacturing environments.
- ✓Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Industrial Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Materials Science, or a related technical discipline.
- ✓U.S. Citizenship required due to the nature of company government contract work and associated security requirements.
- ✓Strong understanding of GD&T, dimensional inspection methods, scan-based metrology, and translating measurement data into process improvements and compensation strategies.
- ✓Demonstrated experience leading structured continuous improvement initiatives in a production environment, including problem definition, experimentation, data analysis, implementation, and standardization.
- ✓Ability to work effectively on the manufacturing floor, collaborate directly with operators and technicians, and resolve technical challenges in real time.
- ✓Strong communication and leadership skills with the ability to influence and align stakeholders across engineering, operations, quality, program management, and executive leadership.
Show full description ↓Show less ↑
Position Overview
The Senior Additive Manufacturing Engineer will own the technical execution, optimization, and continuous improvement of Velo3D’s Rapid Production Solutions (RPS) metal additive manufacturing operations. This role serves as the technical bridge between additive production, post-processing, metrology, and manufacturing engineering—ensuring complex customer hardware progresses from build through shipment with exceptional quality, predictable cycle times, and clear technical ownership.
The ideal candidate is a hands-on manufacturing leader who thrives at the intersection of process development and production execution, driving improvements in yield, throughput, dimensional accuracy, and overall process capability.
