Hiring: Director of Manufacturing & Supply Chain
At Cargo, we’re backed by some of the best robotics investors in the Valley to transform a massive legacy industry and we’re more than doubling our engineering team to satisfy overwhelming customer demand.
If you’re an exceptional supply chain and manufacturing leader who has scaled complex hardware from prototype to production, we want to talk to you. See the JD and instructions on how to get in touch with us below.
About us
Cargo Robotics is creating the logistics infrastructure of the next 100 years by automating the entire delivery chain with containerized physical AI, starting at the delivery van.
After taking jobs at UPS and FedEx, our founders realized that a new approach was needed. Delivery volumes have exploded 5x in the past decade, and the people and processes of parcel logistics are breaking under the load of trying to deliver this volume with a 1950’s network model. Today’s logistics has rampant injuries and attrition, nonstop errors and delays, and delivery drivers spending more time sorting packages than delivering.
Our first product is the X1 Robotic Cargo Bay which reimagines the guts of every delivery van you see on the road, and saves hours of labor per day for each vehicle. This is the first step in fully automating the delivery chain with radically more efficient networks that reduce carbon emissions and congestion to enable a more prosperous and healthy future.
We’re looking for an unstoppable and highly practical supply chain and manufacturing leader to help us turn X1 from a small number of prototypes into 10’s, 100’s, and eventually 1000’s of deployed systems. You’ll work directly with the founders and hardware team to shape product architecture, build the supplier and manufacturing engine, and enable us to dramatically accelerate production ramp up. This is a hands-on leadership role. You should be equally comfortable walking a factory floor in Asia, pushing engineering on DFM/DFA tradeoffs, negotiating with a critical supplier, building lightweight inventory and purchasing workflows, and jumping into a production or field issue when that is what it takes to keep Cargo moving.
We’re a user and product-centric company, so expect to deliver some actual parcels in your first week at work!
Get ready, there’s lots to build :)
What you’ll do
Architect and be the chief builder of the supply chain and manufacturing engine that takes X1 from prototypes to 10’s, 100’s, and 1000’s of units operating continuously with customers
Source, qualify, and manage world-class suppliers and contract manufacturers for key mechanical, electrical, motion-control, sensing, and assembly systems
Work tightly with engineering to guide design decisions that materially affect manufacturability, cost, supplier availability, reliability, and time to scale
Lead DFM/DFA, supplier feedback loops, production documentation, assembly planning, quality plans, and pilot builds as we transition from prototype to scaled manufacturing
Establish the systems we need to scale: BOM and revision control, RFQs and purchasing workflows, inventory tracking, supplier scorecards, inspection criteria, and production planning
Build a resilient supply base, especially in Asia, that avoids single-source risk, long-lead surprises, tariff/geopolitical issues, festival delays, etc.
Drive manufacturing quality so problems are caught at the supplier or factory, not after parts arrive in the US
Own cost reduction and manufacturing refinement as X1 scales, helping us hit aggressive COGS, assembly cost, quality, and delivery targets
Directly support customer deployments, field issues, packaging, installation workflows, and reverse logistics where supply chain or manufacturing choices affect system reliability
Help recruit, manage, and mentor the supply chain, manufacturing, quality, and operations teammates we need as we grow
Personal characteristics: you are
Biased toward action: take initiative and get stuff done
Driven and gritty: can take punches and keep on going
A quick study: learn fast and teach those around you
Calm in chaos: keep your composure and work through the hurricane
Self-aware and low ego: take and give feedback with grace
You need to bring this:
10+ years of experience in supply chain, manufacturing, NPI, operations, or hardware productization, with significant experience scaling complex physical products
A track record taking electromechanical hardware from prototype / pilot builds into hundreds or thousands of units in production
Deep experience sourcing, qualifying, and managing suppliers and contract manufacturers, ideally including China or broader Asian manufacturing ecosystems.
Strong technical fluency with mechanical systems, motors, drives, linear motion, electronics, sensors, cables, assemblies, and production processes relevant to robotics or automation
Experience driving DFM/DFA, production documentation, assembly processes, inspection criteria, validation plans, supplier quality, and manufacturing yield improvement
Strong cost and supply-chain instincts: BOM cost ownership, supplier negotiation, cost-down roadmaps, dual sourcing, lead-time management, and risk mitigation
Experience building lightweight systems for purchasing, inventory, revision control, production planning, and supplier communication that can evolve as the company scales
Excellent communication and cross-functional leadership skills; you can push back on engineering, align vendors, and give founders clear tradeoffs under uncertainty
You thrive in startup environments, can travel internationally, and are willing to do both executive-level strategy and gritty hands-on execution
We’d love if you also have this:
Mandarin fluency or deep China operating experience.
Existing relationships with high-quality suppliers or CMs relevant to robotics, motion control, linear axes, gantry systems, CNC / laser equipment, AMRs, ASRS systems, or automotive-grade electromechanical products
Experience at companies that scaled complex hardware aggressively, such as robotics, warehouse automation, CNC / laser cutter systems, 3D printers, automotive / EV, drones, smart appliances, or consumer robotics.
Experience with PLM, ERP, MES, inventory systems, supplier portals, and practical implementation of these tools in a startup or high-growth environment.
Hands-on technical fluency with mechanical assemblies, motors, drives, linear guides / actuators, sensors, wiring, controllers, power systems, and test equipment.
Experience designing or managing packaging, installation, spare parts, field service, reverse logistics, or global deployment logistics for large hardware systems.
Experience recruiting and building high-performing supply chain, manufacturing engineering, NPI, supplier quality, and operations teams.
Prior exposure to logistics, last-mile delivery, vans / vehicles, warehouse automation, or customer-site deployment of robotic systems.
What’s in it for you?
Be one of the first 10 employees in a trailblazing startup transforming the delivery industry
Team culture driven by passion, ambition, empowerment, inclusion, curiosity, and fun! (One engineering offsite involved exploring temples and meeting with Softbank in Japan)
Grow together – your professional growth and ours is critical to our company’s success
Help us build a culture that empowers individuals, emboldens teams, and rewards achievement
Early stage equity in a company backed by top founders and investors with multiple successful robotics exits
Working late? Dinner is on us.
Competitive pay + equity plan, 401k with generous company match, company-sponsored health and dental insurance, unlimited vacation
Benefits and Workplace
Salary: $150k-$200k
Equity: 0.2% — 0.7%
Benefits: Healthcare plan, 401k, PTO, parental leave, and much more!
On-site 5 days a week (Menlo Park)
We’re a small team with a big mission, and are passionate about building the future. This takes a lot of time and focus, but we believe it’s also important to invest in the other parts of your life as well to maintain a fast pace long term.
We work in person 5(+) days per week from our office in Menlo Park (industrial loft feel with high ceilings and tons of natural light). We believe this is important to enable tight collaboration and fast iteration.
Does this sound like you?
Does this sound like you? If you’re excited about Cargo’s mission and think you can rock this role, then we’d love to meet you! We also value generalists with the motivation to learn and solve important problems, so please reach out even if you don’t have every qualification.
Please submit your resume and a brief cover letter highlighting your relevant experience and why you are interested in joining Cargo over email here: jobs@withcargo.com.
Cargo is an equal opportunity employer and values diversity in the workplace. We encourage all qualified individuals to apply. We’re excited about the future Cargo is building and look forward to meeting you!
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