Factory Deployment Lead

SAEKI - Manufacturing at software speed

The Role

What We're Looking For

• 7+ years of experience in factory planning, industrial engineering, or manufacturing facility buildout — ideally in automotive, aerospace, or high-volume precision manufacturing. You have personally led or been deeply embedded in at least one greenfield factory deployment or major production line installation.
• Factory Layout and Material Flow Mastery: You think in terms of value streams, takt times, and material flow. You can design a factory layout that optimizes for throughput, flexibility, and automation — and you know how to iterate it as requirements change.
• Equipment Integration: Hands-on experience specifying, procuring, installing, and commissioning capital equipment — CNC machines, industrial robots, conveyor systems, 3D printers, or similar. You understand foundations, utilities (power, compressed air, cooling), and the mechanical/electrical interfaces required to bring machines online.
• Automation Deployment: Deep understanding of how to deploy and integrate automated production systems — robotic workcells, automated material handling, vision systems, and PLC-controlled infrastructure. You don't need to write PLC code, but you must understand how automated systems fit together at a systems level.
• Program Management Rigor: You manage complex, multi-vendor buildout schedules with dozens of parallel workstreams. You are relentless about timelines, dependencies, and risk mitigation.
• Vendor and Contractor Management: Experience managing relationships with machine tool OEMs, system integrators, construction contractors, and utility providers. You know how to hold vendors accountable and negotiate effectively.
• Lean / Industrial Engineering Foundations: Strong grounding in lean manufacturing principles, line balancing, ergonomics, and continuous improvement. You design factories that are efficient from day one, not just functional.
• Software-Driven Mindset: You are energized by the idea of a software-defined factory. You understand that the physical layout must be designed hand-in-hand with the digital infrastructure — sensors, networking, edge compute, and data collection are first-class citizens in your factory plans.
• Location: Based in Munich (on-site at Factory ONE). Travel to vendor sites and future factory locations required.
• Language: Fluent in German and English.

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What we're not looking for

• Traditional plant managers who optimize steady-state operations. This role is about building factories, not running them.
• People who plan on paper but don't supervise execution. You will be on the floor during installation, commissioning, and ramp-up — hard hat and steel toes.
• Engineers who treat automation and IT infrastructure as an afterthought to be "added later." At SAEKI, digital and physical infrastructure are designed together from the start.
• Executives who need a large support team before they can be effective. You will start lean and build the team as the deployment scales.
• People who are uncomfortable with ambiguity and rapid iteration. Factory plans will change as our technology evolves — you must be able to adapt without losing momentum.

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What we offer

• Mission: Rebuild the industrial sovereignty of the West. Your work directly enables the production of mission-critical hardware for defense and space.
• Total Ownership: High-stakes autonomy in your domain. You own both the problems and the solutions — and have the authority to execute.
• The Environment: Access to a 5,000m² state-of-the-art facility featuring 5-axis CNCs, industrial robots, and industrial 3D printers. Your work runs on real hardware from day one.
• The Team: "Special Forces" model. Everyone senior, everyone ships. No politics, no bureaucracy. Direct feedback, high standards.
• Compensation: Competitive salary + meaningful equity.
• Location: Zurich HQ or Factory ONE in Munich, depending on role. Hybrid options available where applicable.

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Apply

• Resume: Focus on systems you've built and owned.
• GitHub/Portfolio: Show us work you're proud of — code, machines, or production systems.
• Cover letter: Why this mission? Why now? What would you build first?

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