Let’s Work Together

Location: San Francisco, CA
Experience: 2–5 years

Lightmill is developing a radically new manufacturing process with the potential to transform how machined components are made. We're a small, fast-moving team working at the intersection of hardware, optics, and advanced manufacturing.

We're looking for a Founding Mechanical Engineer who wants to help design and build the physical systems that make this possible.

This role is ideal for someone who loves building things, thrives in ambiguity, and wants to have outsized ownership at an early-stage startup.

What You'll Do:

• Design and prototype mechanical systems for optical and laser-based hardware

• Build, test, and iterate rapidly on prototypes

• Own mechanical design from concept through production

• Work across disciplines including optics, electronics, and manufacturing

• Set up early mechanical engineering processes and tooling

• Solve a wide variety of technical challenges as the company grows

Because we're a small team, you'll have significant autonomy and the opportunity to influence both the product and the company.

We're Looking For Someone Who:

• Has 2–5 years of mechanical engineering experience

• Is excited about working at a fast-paced, early-stage startup

• Is a hands-on builder who enjoys prototyping and working in the lab

• Is a generalist who can wear many hats and learn quickly

• Takes ownership and moves projects forward independently

• Is comfortable working in ambiguous, evolving environments

Nice to Have:

• Experience with optics, lasers, or precision optical systems

• Experience designing for precision alignment or opto-mechanical systems

• Familiarity with rapid prototyping, machining, or fabrication

• Experience with hardware startups or small teams

Why Lightmill

• Be one of the first employees and help define the company

• Work on challenging, real-world hardware problems

• High ownership and fast feedback loops

• Build something meaningful from the ground up
  

How to Apply:

Send a resume and a description of a hands-on project you've worked on to careers@lightmill.us.

Bonus points for including pictures or slides showing what you built

Location: San Francisco, CA

Lightmill is building a radically new manufacturing process with the potential to change how machined components are made. We’re a small, fast-moving team tackling challenging mechanical problems and building real hardware every day.

We’re looking for an engineering intern who wants real ownership, not busywork.

As a Lightmill intern, you will own a subsystem end-to-end: design it, build it, test it, and integrate it into our system. You’ll work directly with the founding team and contribute to technology that will define a major manufacturing category.

What you’ll do

• Design, prototype, and test a critical subsystem

• Run experiments and iterate quickly based on real data

• Refine a solution and integrate your work into new and existing laser systems

• Move fast and solve difficult engineering problems alongside a small engineering team

You might be a fit if you

• Love prototyping and building real mechanical systems

• Take initiative and ownership

• Figure things out without waiting for instructions

• Want experience inside a fast-moving early-stage startup

• Are studying Mechanical Engineering, Mechatronics, Manufacturing Engineering, Robotics, or a related field

If you want to spend a summer developing cutting edge technology with a small team that moves fast, we’d love to hear from you.

Apply: Send your resume and a short note about something you’ve built to careers@lightmill.us