Precision Machinist Jobs in Massachusetts

Role Overview

The Director of the Precision Shop is an executive-level leadership role responsible for the end-to-end strategy, operations, and organizational development of Boston Dynamics’ state-of-the-art R&D prototyping and low volume manufacturing precision shop. This leader will own four distinct manufacturing and quality disciplines - Milling, Turning, Additive Manufacturing, and Quality Control - providing unified direction across all departments and serving as the definitive authority on prototyping execution, capability investment, and operational excellence.

This role is a critical enabler of Boston Dynamics’ hardware development velocity. The Director will align manufacturing capability to humanoid, quadruped, and mobile warehouse program’s aggressive prototype targets, drive strategic investment in emerging technologies, and build an organization capable of scaling alongside next-generation robotics ambitions. The ideal candidate brings a distinguished leadership record in high-precision manufacturing, an appetite for innovation, and the executive presence to influence across operations, engineering, program management, and senior leadership. This leader should be able to operate at all levels of the business, from rolling up their sleeves to understanding machine problems through to executive-level reporting.

Scope of Responsibility

The Director holds direct ownership of four shop departments:

• Milling - Multi-axis CNC machining of complex structural and mechanism components
• Turning - Precision lathe work, threading, gear making, and rotational part production
• Additive Manufacturing - FDM, SLS, and emerging print technologies for rapid iteration and production-intent parts
• Quality Control - Dimensional inspection, GD&T compliance, CMM operations, and quality systems governance

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership & Vision

• Define and execute a multi-year strategic roadmap for the Precision Shop, including technology investment, capability expansion, and organizational design aligned to Boston Dynamics’ hardware development goals.
• Drive the evaluation, justification, and acquisition of capital equipment across all four departments; own the business case from concept through commissioning.
• Establish and communicate a clear operating philosophy that balances speed-to-prototype with part quality, safety, and long-term scalability.
• Serve as a principal voice in annual and long-range operational planning processes, partnering with the CPTO and peer Directors on cross-functional prioritization.

Organizational Leadership & Talent Development

• Directly manage the department managers for Milling, Turning, Additive Manufacturing, and QC; own their development, performance, and succession planning.
• Cultivate a cohesive, high-accountability culture across all four departments - breaking down departmental silos and establishing shared standards of craftsmanship and professionalism. This should bleed into the rest of the prototype operations organization.
• Lead workforce planning for the Precision Shop, including headcount strategy, skills gap assessment, and long-term hiring pipelines for scarce technical talent.
• Coach and develop emerging leaders within the organization, building internal bench strength for critical roles.

Operational Excellence & Continuous Improvement

• Own shop-floor productivity, throughput, and on-time delivery metrics across all departments; establish leading indicators and drive accountability at every level.
• Champion and institutionalize Lean, 5S, and data-driven continuous improvement methodologies across Milling, Turning, Additive, and QC operations.
• Develop and govern production scheduling and capacity planning processes that reflect real-time engineering demand and resource availability.
• Lead root cause analysis for quality escapes and delivery misses; implement systemic corrective actions with measurable outcomes.

Quality, Safety & Compliance

• Uphold the highest standards of dimensional accuracy, surface finish, and part integrity for all hardware leaving the shop.
• Own the quality management system for the Precision Shop, including inspection protocols, nonconformance disposition, and first-article processes.
• Maintain an unwavering commitment to shop safety—ensuring all personnel, equipment, and procedures meet or exceed applicable standards and regulations.

Stakeholder Engagement & Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Serve as the primary interface between the Precision Shop and its engineering stakeholders (Atlas Hardware, Actuators, Mechanisms, and Systems Integration teams), translating technical requirements into executable manufacturing plans.
• Engage proactively with Supply Chain, Procurement, and Inventory Management to align on material availability and procurement lead times.
• Represent Precision Shop capabilities, constraints, and needs in program reviews, executive updates, and cross-functional planning forums.
• Partner with the Central HW and Program Management organizations on prototype build schedules, risk identification, and mitigation planning.

Budget & Resource Management

• Own the Precision Shop’s operating and capital budgets; ensure spend is disciplined, well-documented, and aligned to strategic priorities.
• Develop ROI frameworks for major investments and present recommendations to senior leadership with clarity and rigor.
• Monitor resource utilization across all four departments and drive proactive capacity decisions to prevent bottlenecks. Make data more visible.

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, or a closely related technical field; advanced degree preferred.
• 15+ years of progressive experience in high-precision manufacturing or prototyping environments, with a minimum of 7 years in senior leadership roles managing multi-disciplinary technical teams.
• Demonstrated expertise across multiple fabrication disciplines, including CNC milling, turning, additive manufacturing, and quality inspection (GD&T, CMM).
• Proven track record of managing significant capital budgets and executing complex equipment acquisition and facility improvement projects.
• Experience leading organizations through periods of rapid scale or capability transformation.
• Exceptional executive communication skills - able to synthesize complex operational realities into clear strategic narratives for senior leadership audiences.

Preferred

• Experience in a robotics, aerospace, defense, or similarly demanding R&D hardware environment.
• Familiarity with ERP/MES systems and data-driven production management approaches.
• Formal training or certification in Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, or equivalent continuous improvement methodologies.
• Demonstrated success building and scaling additive manufacturing capabilities as a complement to traditional subtractive processes.
• Track record of developing talent into senior leadership positions within a technical organization.

What Success Looks Like

• The Precision Shop operates as a unified, high-performing organization - not four siloed departments - with shared standards, transparent communication, and a culture of mutual accountability.
• Engineering teams experience the shop as a reliable, fast, and technically excellent partner; feedback loops are short and issues are resolved proactively.
• Throughput, quality, and safety metrics trend consistently positive year-over-year, with the Director setting the standard for data-driven management.
• The Additive Manufacturing capability is strategically expanded and operationally integrated alongside traditional machining as a first-class fabrication resource.
• The Director is recognized as a senior organizational leader at Boston Dynamics - contributing to company-wide strategic initiatives, not just shop-floor operations.

The base pay range for this position is between $178,000 to $221,000 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.