Manufacturing & Supply Chain Associate

About Menlo

Menlo Research is an Applied R&D lab building Asimov, an open-source humanoid robot platform, and the full software stack that powers it. Our mission is to make humanoid labor economically viable -- turning software into physical labor at scale. We build across the full stack: hardware architecture, locomotion, autonomy, simulation, and infrastructure. We move fast, ship to real robots, and open-source everything we can. If you want your work to matter beyond a paper or a demo, this is the place.

The Role

We're looking for a Manufacturing & Supply Chain Associate to own the physical production layer of Menlo from the ground up. This is not a reporting role. You will build and manage our supplier ecosystem, forge manufacturing partnerships, and ensure we can scale production reliably across geographies.

You'll work directly with the founders and engineering teams to translate hardware designs into manufacturable, resilient supply chains.

What You'll Do

• Own end-to-end supply chain strategy for the Asimov platform, from sub-component sourcing (motors, actuators, sensors, PCBs) to final assembly
• Build and maintain relationships with contract manufacturers and key tier-1/tier-2 suppliers
• Develop multi-country sourcing strategies to reduce single points of failure and manage geopolitical risk
• Identify, qualify, and onboard alternative suppliers as we scale
• Lead NPI (New Product Introduction) processes in close collaboration with mechanical and electrical engineering
• Drive cost-down initiatives without compromising quality or delivery timelines
• Manage supply crises when they happen, and build the systems to prevent them

Who You Are

• You have built supply chains for hardware products before, ideally in robotics, consumer electronics, EV, or drones
• You have hands-on experience with contract manufacturers (Foxconn, Pegatron, BYD-tier, or equivalent) and know how to get things done on the ground
• You understand the supplier landscape in China, Vietnam, and Taiwan, and have relationships to show for it
• You have led multi-sourcing strategies across geographies and know what geopolitical hedging actually looks like in practice
• You are a negotiator and a relationship builder, not a dashboard manager
• You have war stories. You've navigated component shortages, export restrictions, and tight NPI timelines

Nice to Have

• Background at DJI, Tesla, Apple, Xiaomi, BYD, Unitree, Agility, Figure, or similar hardware-first companies
• Experience working both sides of the supplier/buyer relationship
• Familiarity with the Chinese industrial ecosystems

Why Join Menlo

You'd be one of the first people to own this function at Menlo, which means genuine ownership over something consequential. The decisions you make here will shape how the Asimov platform gets built and scales. We're a tight-knit team that moves with urgency and trusts each other to operate without unnecessary layers. If you want to build the physical infrastructure of humanoid robotics from scratch, this is the role.