SAEKI - Manufacturing at software speed
Europe's defense industrial base cannot respond at the speed modern conflict requires. Legacy suppliers operate on month-long timelines. Tribal knowledge is retiring. Supply chains are fragile. SAEKI is building the operating system for autonomous factories — the infrastructure that lets Europe manufacture mission-critical components at software speed.
You'll own the intelligence layer that makes autonomous manufacturing possible: the perception engine that understands geometry, the reasoning engine that plans production, and the algorithms that capture decades of manufacturing expertise in code. Your work directly determines whether a part can go from CAD upload to machine queue without human intervention.
The Role
As the Tech Lead — Manufacturing Intelligence (MI), you are the Architect and Owner of our MI stack's core intelligence capabilities. Your mandate is twofold: building the foundational AI that powers our Factory OS, and building the engineering team required to deliver it. You are a Player-Coach who owns a core division of the company.
Based at our HQ in Zurich (Oerlikon), you'll lead development of the intelligence layers that turn raw geometry into execution-ready manufacturing plans — spanning computational geometry, ML/AI, and manufacturing systems integration.
What We're Looking For
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5–7+ years of experience as a software engineer with a track record in ML/AI systems, computational geometry, or complex algorithmic software that operates under real-world constraints.
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Advanced Academic Depth: MSc/PhD or equivalent research depth in Computer Science, Robotics, or AI (ideally ETH Zurich, EPFL, TUM, or similar).
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Algorithmic Ownership: You have architected and shipped systems where the logic was the product, algorithms that solve hard combinatorial or geometric problems.
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Team Construction: Experience recruiting and mentoring high-performance engineering teams. You know how to identify and attract elite technical talent.
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High-Tempo Execution: You thrive in high-stakes environments and possess a strong sense of urgency. You lead by example and are willing to engage directly with hardware integration challenges.
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Industrial Grit: You are comfortable spending time on the production floor in Germany to ensure your algorithms survive the reality of manufacturing.
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On-site: Ability to work in-person at our HQ in Zurich, Switzerland.
What we're not looking for
- Pure researchers who haven't shipped production systems.
- Engineers who need a fully defined spec before they start building. You define the spec.
- Managers who've stopped writing code.
- People uncomfortable with ambiguity. Our problem space is being defined as we build it.
What we offer
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Mission: Rebuild the industrial sovereignty of the West. Your work directly enables the production of mission-critical hardware for defense and space.
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Total Ownership: High-stakes autonomy in your domain. You own both the problems and the solutions — and have the authority to execute.
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The Environment: Access to a 5,000m² state-of-the-art facility featuring 5-axis CNCs, Metal 3D-printers and more. Your work runs on real hardware from day one.
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The Team: "Special Forces" model. Everyone senior, everyone ships. No politics, no bureaucracy. Direct feedback, high standards.
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Compensation: Competitive salary + meaningful equity.
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Location: Zurich HQ
Apply
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Resume: Focus on systems you've built and owned.
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GitHub/Portfolio: Show us work you're proud of — code, machines, or production systems.
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Cover letter: Why this mission? Why now? What would you build first?
