Senior CNC Machinist

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 be the person who figures out how to make a part before anyone — or anything — else does. At SAEKI, "Part Zero" is the first physical proof that a component can be manufactured. Your job is to take an engineering drawing, devise the manufacturing strategy, write the CAM program, set up the machine, and cut the first good part. Once you've proven it out, your process becomes the foundation that our automation systems scale.

As a Part Zero Machinist at Factory ONE, you are the bridge between engineering intent and proven manufacturing reality. You'll receive new part geometries — often complex, often in demanding materials — and own the full journey from CAM programming through first-article approval. You'll select tooling, define workholding strategies, write and optimize multi-axis toolpaths, set up the machine, and run the first part. Then you'll document everything so the process can be handed off to our automated production cells.

Based on-site at Factory ONE in Munich.

• 7+ years of CNC machining experience, with significant time spent programming and proving out new parts — not just running established jobs.

• CAM Programming: Advanced proficiency in HyperMill. You can take a STEP file and a drawing and produce a complete, collision-checked, multi-axis program.

• Process Engineering Mindset: You think in terms of manufacturing strategy — fixturing concepts, operation sequencing, datum schemes, and how to hold tolerance across multiple setups. You see the full process before you cut anything.

• 5-Axis Mastery: Deep experience with simultaneous 5-axis machining. You understand tool-axis control, lead/lag angles, and how to use the full kinematic envelope of a machine.

• Material Expertise: Proven track record machining aerospace-grade materials — titanium, Inconel, high-strength aluminum, stainless steel. You know the feeds, the speeds, and the failure modes.

• Tooling & Workholding: Strong knowledge of cutting tool selection, custom fixture design, and creative workholding solutions for complex geometries and thin-walled structures.

• First-Article Discipline: Experience with first-article inspection processes (AS9102 or equivalent). You understand what it takes to prove a part meets spec — and you document your process so others can repeat it.

• Handoff to Automation: Willingness and ability to document your process — tooling lists, setup sheets, parameter sets, inspection plans — in a way that enables automated or semi-automated production. Your tribal knowledge doesn't stay in your head.

• Location: Based in Munich (on-site at Factory ONE).

• Language: Fluent in German; English proficiency is a plus.

• Production operators who run the same job on repeat. This role is about solving a new manufacturing puzzle every day.

• Programmers who only work in CAM and never touch the machine.

People who hoard knowledge. If it only works when you're the one running it, it doesn't work.

• Mission: Rebuild the industrial sovereignty of the West. Your work directly enables the production of mission-critical hardware for defense and space.

• Total Ownership: High-stakes autonomy in your domain. You own both the problems and the solutions — and have the authority to execute.

• The Environment: Access to a 5,000m² state-of-the-art facility featuring 5-axis CNCs, industrial robots, and large-scale 3D printers. Your work runs on real hardware from day one.

• The Team: "Special Forces" model. Everyone senior, everyone ships. No politics, no bureaucracy. Direct feedback, high standards.

• Compensation: Competitive salary + meaningful equity.

• Location: Factory ONE in Munich.

• Resume: Focus on production challenges you’ve tackled and solved.

• Cover letter: Why this mission? Why now? What would you build first?