Aescape builds AI-driven, fully automated massage systems combining autonomous massage tables and analytics software to deliver customizable, on-demand recovery treatments for hospitality, fitness, medical, and sports operators.
Aescape is a New York-based physical AI and robotics company redefining human recovery through intelligent, precision bodywork, elevating it into a consistent, outcomes-driven practice. Powered by real-time body mapping, advanced robotics, and proprietary software, Aescape delivers deeply personalized bodywork that continuously adapts to the individual. This creates a superior way for members to move with greater ease, recover more efficiently, and optimize how they feel every single day. Aescape is building a defining brand for recovery, shifting behavior from a sporadic experience into a progressive, measurable routine, unlocking compounding benefits that build lasting resilience and laying the groundwork for an entirely new category of proactive human health and performance. Aescape powers recovery across leading fitness, hospitality, and wellness environments, including Equinox, Life Time, Marriott, Hilton, Four Seasons, Pause Studios, and Remedy Place, and is backed by Valor Equity Partners, BroadLight Capital, and Mecha Ventures. Aescape is looking for a Senior Manufacturing Engineer who will own the manufacturing engineering effort that brings Aescape’s products to life. You will develop repeatable, high-yield manufacturing and assembly processes, drive their implementation at our contract manufacturer and key component suppliers, and be hands-on supporting the build. You will ensure suppliers are tracking the right metrics through the NPI phases and into production, giving us process stability and clear visibility into cycle times and any throughput issues. You will support the resolution of process-related issues across suppliers. You will sit within the Operations team, providing direct support to Quality and Reliability Testing and working closely with Mechanical, Electrical and Software Engineering. If this sounds like you, we’d love to hear from you! This role is hybrid, based out of our NYC office in Chelsea, three days a week. WHAT YOU’LL DO - Manufacturing Process Development: Develop repeatable, high-yield manufacturing and assembly processes for components, assemblies, and subassemblies. Drive continuous improvement, cost reduction, and production optimization across the supply chain, running trials to validate improvements and ensure high yield. - Production Line Setup: Work hands-on with suppliers to set up and ramp the production line, optimizing layout, line balancing, and material flow to meet target cycle times and throughput. - Design for Manufacturability: Participate in new product design and development to ensure manufacturability and production efficiency. - Assembly & Build Support: Support the assembly and build of parts and subassemblies hands-on; develop and validate assembly processes, work instructions, and fixtures for repeatable production. Support the bring-up of new contract manufacturers and suppliers, and installation and service procedures as required. - Factory & Supplier Implementation: Define and deploy manufacturing processes, workstation layouts, fixtures, and gauges at our contract manufacturer and key suppliers. Lead PFMEA and Control Plan development to control process risks prior to production. - Documentation & Data Management: Maintain process documentation, updating SOPs and work instructions with the manufacturer. Ensure manufacturing and inspection data is captured, uploaded, and reviewed promptly, and build reports and dashboards that surface and prioritize the highest-impact issues. Establish a closed-loop process for issue resolution, tracking issues to closure in Jira and managing document release in Arena. - First Article Validation: Assemble and validate first-article components through the NPI phases, hands-on in the office or on-site at the manufacturer, and support approval of FAI data covering dimensional, cosmetic, and assembly inspection. - Issue Resolution & Root Cause: Lead failure analysis with our suppliers, Quality, Mechanical, Electrical, and Software Engineering to drive issues to root cause and verify corrective actions are effective. Support resolution of quality issues across components, assemblies, and suppliers — including containment, audits, and corrective actions. - Testing Support: Support the reliability and manufacturing test program as needed, including deploying test stations and rigs at suppliers, setting up data collection and analysis, reviewing and reporting results. WHAT YOU’LL BRING - Hands-On Manufacturing Engineering: Strong mechanical aptitude; comfortable developing and deploying manufacturing and assembly processes, building fixtures, and getting hands-on with the product on the line. - Supplier / CM Management: Direct experience driving performance and building relationships at contract manufacturers and key suppliers. - Process & Yield Focus: A track record of implementing highly repeatable, high-yield processes across plastics molding, metal fabrication, welding, and mechanical assembly with a continuous improvement mindset that drives production optimization and cost reduction. - NPI / Production Ramp: Experience taking products through EVT/DVT/PVT or a similar phase-gate process and into volume production. - Problem-Solving & Data-Driven Decisions: Experience resolving supplier process, component, and assembly issues with a structured approach to root-cause analysis and corrective action. Solid grasp of statistical analysis (SPC, Cpk, Gauge R&R) to ground process and acceptance decisions in data. - Communication & Collaboration: Strong verbal and written skills for presenting findings and clear documentation, and for partnering across engineering teams and suppliers. Able to influence decisions and drive alignment across stakeholders. - 3D Modelling: Experience with SolidWorks or an equivalent CAD tool for fixture and process tooling design. - GD&T & Drawing Fluency: Able to read and interpret engineering drawings and GD&T, and reso