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Job Requisition ID #

25WD93527

About Autodesk Technology Centers

Autodesk Technology Centers collaborate with industry, academia, and startups to explore, test, and validate innovative ideas shaping the future of design and manufacturing. Our mission is to inform Autodesk’s product and business strategy while creating inspiring stories for our community.

The San Francisco Technology Center at Pier 9 is a 35,000-sq-ft waterfront workshop and office space supporting advanced research under the guidance of our Chief Technology Officer. Our facility houses workshops for CNC machining, fabrication, additive manufacturing, robotics, and electronics, and hosts a global community of residents working on next-generation manufacturing challenges. It is one of four Autodesk Technology Centers located in San Francisco, Toronto, Boston, and Birmingham, UK.

Position Overview

Our Workshop Team includes five Research & Design Engineers who lead CNC, additive, robotics, motion capture, and general shop operations. The Senior Research & Design Engineer in CNC is a key contributor, reporting to the Technology Center San Francisco Manager and partnering closely with Autodesk Research and fellow engineers to support projects across the space.

This role works directly with users to demonstrate the capabilities of our hardware and software ecosystem. The ideal candidate brings strong technical depth (g-code fluency, tool library management, multi-axis machining, CAD/CAM expertise) and hands-on experience training operators, troubleshooting, and performing machine repairs. We’re looking for someone curious, grounded, and generous with their knowledge—someone excited to push the limits of our equipment and help others do the same.

**Location** : Autodesk Technology Center San Francisco

Responsibilities

Research Project Contribution & User Facilitation (60 percent)

+ Contribute as an embedded team member on internal Research projects, applying advanced CNC expertise to exploratory workflows, prototypes, and experimental manufacturing processes

+ Collaborate with Autodesk Research partners to design, program, and execute complex machining strategies that advance project goals and expand the capabilities of our hardware ecosystem

+ Help develop and refine digital-to-physical workflows, toolpaths, materials strategies, and machine behaviors that inform broader research insights

+ Support residents, internal teams, and visiting collaborators by guiding them through machine operation, CAM programming, job planning, and material selection

+ Troubleshoot user and research projects from design through machining, enabling safe, ambitious, high-quality outcomes

+ Contribute to evolving skill-development pathways that help users gain confidence and progress toward more complex CNC workflows

+ Manage clear communication and prioritization around CNC machine access and scheduling

+ Conceive self-directed technical explorations that demonstrate the full potential of the Technology Center’s CNC capabilities and feed into broader research understanding

+ Collect and interpret machine data to drive actionable insights using Digital Twin and MT Connect platforms

CNC Shop Management (20 percent)

+ Oversee day-to-day operations of the CNC shop, including basic maintenance, machine operation, post-processor and software updates, and resource development for users

+ Support the CNC Instructor Lead by providing backup instruction on advanced CNC equipment (Haas mill/lathe, Datron, Haas router, etc.) as needed

+ Demonstrate best-practice machine operation, CAM strategies, and a clear pedagogical approach that promotes safe, confident learning

+ Mentor CNC instructors in technical skills, communication, community engagement, and professional development

+ Provide engineering expertise and consultation on high-complexity machining efforts

Machine & Tooling Maintenance (20 percent)

+ Manage advanced tooling systems: tool libraries, databases, loading, labeling, repair, setup, and accounting

+ Maintain supplies, tooling replacements, and ongoing machine upgrades

+ Refine post-processors, write and edit G-code, update tooling libraries, develop solid models, and troubleshoot CAM software

+ Track the maintenance calendar and schedule service visits with technicians

+ Coordinate with EH&S, vendors, manufacturers, and service providers to maintain machine health, upgrades, and relationships

+ Work with EH&S to properly handle hazardous materials such as coolant swaps and waterjet garnet removal

+ Perform routine shop care including mopping, rust prevention, and maintaining clear, safe workspaces

Our CNC Shop Includes:

+ Mazak VC-500A/5X AM HWD 5-axis mill

+ Haas VF-2SSYT 3-axis mill

+ Haas ST-20Y turning center

+ Datron M8 3-axis mill

+ Datron Neo 3-axis mill

+ Flow Nanojet Waterjet

Minimum Qualifications

+ Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Robotics, Computer Science, or a related field; advanced degree preferred

+ Background in multi-axis machining, CAD/CAM software, and machine troubleshooting, maintenance, and repair

+ Expertise in operating a CNC mill and CNC Lathe

+ Minimum 3 years’ experience in a R&D manufacturing or academic research environment

+ Expertise with a wide range of digital design/fabrication (CAD/CAM) tools from Autodesk and others

+ Experience in successfully working with new/inexperienced shop users

+ Experience in conducting trainings for novice to expert machine users

+ Working knowledge of most equipment listed, including the ability to maintain, troubleshoot and repair

+ At least 5 years of experience working in a professional fabrication shop, dealing with a variety of production processes and materials

+ Substantial expertise operating the machines you will be teaching to users

Preferred Qualifications

+ Experience with Autodesk Fusion

+ Design for Manufacturing (DFM)

+ Inspection and Metrology

+ Experience with Generative Design and Machine Learning tools

+ Hybrid machining experience

+ Electronics experience

+ Mechatronics experience

+ Manual machining and metal work/fabrication experience (mill, lathe, welding, finishing, post-processing)

The Ideal Candidate

+ Positive and strong communication abilities

+ Ability to be adaptable and flexible in an ever-changing environment

+ Ability to support and advance a safe working environment

+ Curiosity and interest in learning about new technologies and methods of fabrication and manufacturing

+ Clear and direct communication skills, providing users with a solid understanding of our workshop expectations, as well as safe machine operation

+ Clear and direct communication skills among the workshop staff to problem solve, support the team, and bring new inspirations into the workshop

+ Personality, enthusiasm, and a creative drive

+ Strong organizational skills and consistent accountability

+ Excellent teaching capabilities and patience with new learners

+ Ability to continually improve curriculum and resources for machine learners

+ Interest in learning what you don’t know, asking questions, building an empowering workshop space, and contributing to an amazing Research & Design Engineer Team

Learn More

About Autodesk

Welcome to Autodesk! Amazing things are created every day with our software – from the greenest buildings and cleanest cars to the smartest factories and biggest hit movies. We help innovators turn their ideas into reality, transforming not only how things are made, but what can be made.

We take great pride in our culture here at Autodesk – it’s at the core of everything we do. Our culture guides the way we work and treat each other, informs how we connect with customers and partners, and defines how we show up in the world.

When you’re an Autodesker, you can do meaningful work that helps build a better world designed and made for all. Ready to shape the world and your future? Join us!

Benefits

From health and financial benefits to time away and everyday wellness, we give Autodeskers the best, so they can do their best work. Learn more about our benefits in the U.S. by visiting https://benefits.autodesk.com/

Salary transparency

Salary is one part of Autodesk’s competitive compensation package. For U.S.-based roles, we expect a starting base salary between $85,400 and $147,400. Offers are based on the candidate’s experience and geographic location, and may exceed this range. In addition to base salaries, our compensation package may include annual cash bonuses, commissions for sales roles, stock grants, and a comprehensive benefits package.

Equal Employment Opportunity

At Autodesk, we're building a diverse workplace and an inclusive culture to give more people the chance to imagine, design, and make a better world. Autodesk is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and considers all qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status or any other legally protected characteristic. We also consider for employment all qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with applicable law.

Diversity & Belonging

We take pride in cultivating a culture of belonging where everyone can thrive. Learn more here: https://www.autodesk.com/company/diversity-and-belonging

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