About Etched
Etched is building the world’s first AI inference system purpose-built for transformers - delivering over 10x higher performance and dramatically lower cost and latency than a B200. With Etched ASICs, you can build products that would be impossible with GPUs, like real-time video generation models and extremely deep & parallel chain-of-thought reasoning agents. 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 hiring a Factory Manufacturing Engineer based in Taiwan to lead on-the-ground execution at our L10 contract manufacturer. You will be the in-factory owner of daily manufacturing performance across assembly and system build/test. This role is directly responsible for ensuring that material, processes, and people align to deliver on build schedules, yield, and quality targets.
You will act as the single-threaded execution lead, driving build readiness, managing bottlenecks, escalating issues, and maintaining real-time visibility into factory performance. This is a highly hands-on role for someone who thrives in fast-paced, high-volume production environments and enjoys working side-by-side with CM teams to deliver results.
Key Responsibilities
Process Development & Optimization
Design and implement the processes that transform raw materials into finished products.
Lead electrical manufacturing readiness for new product introductions (NPI) and sustaining engineering activities at board and system level
Work with EMS partners to define and refine PCBA SMT processes to be high yielding and reliable.
Develop assembly instructions, tooling, jigs, and fixtures to ensure consistency and quality.
Develop and validate manufacturing structural inspection strategies (AOI, 5DX/3D, boundary scale).
Drive DFM (Design for Manufacturability) and DFT (Design for Test) for PCBAs and electrical subsystems to ensure robust, scalable, and cost-effective production.
Continuously refine processes to reduce cycle time, waste, and costs (lean manufacturing, Six Sigma methods).
Equipment & Tooling
Select, design, or modify production equipment and machinery.
Ensure machines are set up for maximum throughput and minimal downtime.
Maintain and improve tooling to keep tolerances tight and quality high.
Quality & Reliability
Work closely with quality engineers to monitor defect rates and root causes of failures.
Perform failure analysis and root cause investigations for electrical issues
Implement error-proofing methods (poka-yoke).
Perform board bring-up and debug, applying DOE/EFA and hands-on lab work.
Review and influence Process FMEA and Design FMEA, providing diagnostics input.
Validate processes to ensure they meet product specifications and customer requirements.
Production Support
Provide leadership in complex issue resolution and drive defect/yield improvement initiatives.
Train operators on processes and equipment.
Respond to line stoppages and quickly troubleshoot issues to minimize downtime.
Analyze production data to improve quality, cost, and cycle time.
Cost & Efficiency Improvements
Use data analysis to identify inefficiencies in production.
Drive continuous improvement initiatives like yield improvements, scrap reduction, or automation projects.
Evaluate tradeoffs between cost, speed, and quality.
You may be a good fit if you have (Must-have qualifications):
5+ years of experience in server or complex system manufacturing execution with a factory operations role.
Proven track record managing day-to-day production at Tier 1 CMs in Taiwan.
Strong demonstration of familiarity with assembly and test flows
Bilingual proficiency in Mandarin and English, with excellent communication skills is preferred.
Ability to work full-time onsite at the L10/L11 factory and travel within Taiwan as needed.
Hands-on problem solver with a bias for action in fast-moving production environments.
Strong candidates may also have (Nice-to-have qualifications):
Exposure to test station setup, line balancing, or automation deployment at CMs.
Background in yield management, quality system audits, or continuous improvement projects.
Electrical Engineering degree preferred or equivalent technical background in ME or IE.
Benefits
Competitive compensation packages including generous equity packages
Comprehensive insurance coverage and other top-of-market benefits
How we’re different
Etched believes in the Bitter Lesson. We think most of the progress in the AI field has come from using more FLOPs to train and run models, and the best way to get more FLOPs is to build model-specific hardware. Larger and larger training runs encourage companies to consolidate around fewer model architectures, which creates a market for single-model ASICs.
We are a fully in-person team in San Jose and Taipei, 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 as needed.
etched