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Waltham, Massachusetts, United States
Onsite
The Associate Director, Machining is a senior leadership role responsible for the end-to-end operation of the Precision Shop's subtractive manufacturing departments - Milling and Turning. Reporting to the Director, Precision Shop, this leader owns daily execution, throughput, and quality across both departments while driving the mid-range planning, capability development, and CNC programming talent strategy that keep machining capacity ahead of Boston Dynamics' prototype demand.
This role is the operational backbone of the Precision Shop. Where the Director sets multi-year strategy across all shop disciplines, the Associate Director converts that strategy into machining reality: production-ready programs, predictable schedules, disciplined processes, and a bench of skilled machinists and programmers capable of scaling with humanoid, quadruped, and mobile warehouse program targets. The ideal candidate is a hands-on leader who can stand at a machine and troubleshoot a toolpath in the morning and present capacity risk to senior leadership in the afternoon.
Scope of Responsibility
The Associate Director holds direct ownership of the Precision Shop's machining operations:
Milling — Multi-axis CNC machining of complex structural and mechanism components
Turning — Precision lathe work, grinding, threading, gear making, and rotational part production
Post- Processing – Cleaning, tumbling, deburring, and heat treating of machined components
Direct reports include department supervisors and individual contributors. The role partners closely with the Additive Manufacturing and Quality Control leaders under the same Director to operate the shop as one unified organization.
Key Responsibilities
Operational Leadership & Execution:
Own shop-floor productivity, throughput, on-time delivery, and first-pass yield for Milling, Turning, and Post-Processing; establish leading indicators and drive accountability at the supervisor and individual contributor level.
Own budget and staffing planning for the machining department, including CAPEX, OPEX, and compensation.
Govern daily and weekly production scheduling and workload distribution across departments, balancing engineering demand, machine availability, and programming capacity in real time.
Review and approve CNC program development for complex multi-axis machining, ensuring compliance with internal standards, tolerance requirements, and robotic integration needs.
Troubleshoot production challenges — toolpaths, fixturing,
workholding, program logic, machine behavior — and resolve issues with minimal escalation to the Director.
Lead root cause analysis for machining-related quality escapes and delivery misses; implement systemic corrective actions with measurable outcomes.
Capability & Process Development:
Translate the Director's multi-year Precision Shop roadmap into an executable machining capability plan: equipment utilization, programming standards, tooling strategy, and workforce readiness.
Develop, enforce, and continuously improve CNC programming standards, templates, and documentation processes across both departments.
Champion Lean, 6S, and data-driven continuous improvement across work centers; lead cross-functional efforts to reduce scrap, optimize cycle times, and improve tool life.
Build and maintain capacity models that reflect real engineering demand, and surface bottleneck risk to the Director early enough to act on it.
Contribute technical justification and utilization data to capital equipment business cases; support acquisition, commissioning, and ramp of new machining assets.
Organizational Leadership & Talent Development:
Directly manage supervisors and machinists; own their development, performance management, and succession planning for the machining and programming workforce.
Cultivate a high-accountability, one-team culture across the machining departments — shared standards of craftsmanship, documentation discipline, and professionalism that align with the broader Precision Shop operating philosophy.
Lead workforce planning for machining: headcount strategy, skills gap assessment, apprenticeship and cross-training programs, and hiring pipelines for scarce CNC talent.
Provide coaching, mentoring, and technical development for programmers and machinists, building bench strength for supervisory and senior technical roles.
Quality, Safety & Compliance:
Uphold dimensional accuracy, surface finish, and part integrity standards for all machined hardware; partner with Quality Control on inspection protocols, first-article processes, and nonconformance disposition.
Drive adherence to quality, safety, and documentation requirements across all machining and programming operations; ensure personnel, equipment, and procedures meet or exceed applicable standards.
Maintain rigorous documentation control across programs, setups, and process changes.
Cross-Functional Collaboration:
Serve as the primary machining interface to engineering stakeholders (Atlas Hardware, Actuators, Mechanisms, Systems Integration), translating technical requirements and DFM feedback into executable manufacturing plans.
Coordinate with engineering, quality, and supply chain on new product introduction (NPI), engineering change implementation, and material availability.
Represent machining capability, constraints, and risk in program reviews and shop planning forums; support the Director in executive reporting with accurate, data-backed operational narratives.
Qualifications
Required:
Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Engineering Technology, or a closely related technical field, or equivalent experience.
12+ years of progressive experience in high-precision CNC machining environments, with 5+ years in leadership roles managing supervisors or multi-team technical organizations.
Advanced expertise in multi-axis CNC milling and turning, CNC programming (G-code/M-code), and CAM software (e.g., Cimatron, ESPRIT, HyperMill).
Ability to interpret complex part drawings, GD&T, and CAD/CAM data for tight-tolerance components.
Strong command of fixture/tooling design, workholding strategy, and machining optimization techniques.
Demonstrated success managing production schedules, capacity planning, and multiple concurrent programs in a prototype or low-volume environment.
Skilled in root cause analysis, documentation control, and structured process improvement.
Excellent communication skills — able to align technicians, engineers, and senior leadership around the same operational picture.
Preferred:
Experience in robotics, aerospace, defense, or similarly demanding R&D hardware environments.
Familiarity with ERP/MES systems and data-driven production management.
Formal training or certification in Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, or equivalent methodologies.
Familiarity with regulated quality systems (ISO 9001, AS9100) and DFM principles.
Track record of developing machinists and programmers into supervisory and senior technical roles.
What Success Looks Like:
Milling and Turning operate as a single, predictable machining organization with shared standards, transparent scheduling, and short feedback loops to engineering.
CNC programming is a strength, not a bottleneck — standards are documented, programs are production-ready on first release, and program-related scrap trends steadily decline.
Throughput, quality, and on-time delivery metrics improve year-over-year, and the Director trusts the machining data without having to audit it.
The machining talent pipeline is self-sustaining: supervisors are developing, machinists are cross-trained, and critical-skill risk is identified and managed proactively.
The Associate Director is recognized as the Director's strongest operational partner — able to run the machining floor autonomously while contributing to Precision Shop-wide strategy.
The pay range for this position is between $175,000 - $210,000 annually. Base pay will depend on multiple individualized factors including, but not limited to internal equity, job related knowledge, skills and experience. This range represents a good faith estimate of compensation at the time of posting. Boston Dynamics offers a generous Benefits package including medical, dental vision, 401(k), paid time off and a annual bonus structure. Additional details regarding these benefit plans will be provided if an employee receives an offer for employment.
