Bright Machines is a manufacturing startup that integrates robotics and AI-driven software to create a full-stack automation solution, enhancing manufacturing processes with software-defined robotics and advanced data analysis. Their innovative approach allows for faster new product introductions, increased throughput, and complete process genealogy, positioning them as a leader in the $300 billion factory automation market. With significant traction, including a 28x faster NPI process and 100% process genealogy for circular manufacturing, Bright Machines is transforming the manufacturing landscape and driving efficiency and sustainability.
Bright Machines is a manufacturing startup that integrates robotics and AI-driven software to create a full-stack automation solution, enhancing manufacturing processes with software-defined robotics and advanced data analysis. Their innovative approach allows for faster new product introductions, increased throughput, and complete process genealogy, positioning them as a leader in the $300 billion factory automation market. With significant traction, including a 28x faster NPI process and 100% process genealogy for circular manufacturing, Bright Machines is transforming the manufacturing landscape and driving efficiency and sustainability.
What they do: Full‑stack, software‑defined manufacturing automation combining AI-driven software (Brightware) with robotics and modular microfactories.
Company facts: Headquartered in San Francisco; founded in 2018.
Recent funding: Raised a $126M Series C on 2024-06-25 (company reports total funding > $400M; snapshot shows $437M).
Strategic backers: Investors include BlackRock (Series C lead), Eclipse, NVIDIA, Microsoft, Jabil, Shinhan; venture debt from J.P. Morgan and prior debt lenders.
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Company Overview
Problem Domain
Factory automation and intelligent manufacturing
Founded
2018
Industry
Software Development
Tech Stack
Amazon CloudFront
Amazon Route 53
Amazon S3
Amazon Virginia Region
Apache 2.4
BootstrapCDN
Ruby on Rails Token
U.S. Server Location
UNPKG
Ubuntu
Funding Track Record
Series C- 2024-06-25
126000000 USD
Company disclosed $126M total: $106M equity led by funds/accounts managed by BlackRock plus $20M in venture debt from J.P. Morgan; participants include NVIDIA, Microsoft, Eclipse, Jabil, and Shinhan.
Financing- 2022-10-31
132000000 USD
$132M financing reported as $100M equity (led by Eclipse) + $32M debt (debt co‑led by Silicon Valley Bank and Hercules Capital).
Series A
179000000 USD
Reported earlier Series A amount included in historical totals (reported in third‑party coverage).
Investor Signal
“Backed by institutional and strategic investors: lead investors include BlackRock (Series C) and Eclipse (earlier rounds); participation from NVIDIA, Microsoft, Jabil, Shinhan; venture debt provided by J.P. Morgan and previously by SVB/Hercules.”
Founders
What we do
Join the Team
Senior Technical Program Manager - Robotics Software & Controls
HybridSan Francisco, CA, US
Hybrid • San Francisco, CA, US
RETHINK MANUFACTURING
The only way to ignite change is to build the best team. At Bright Machines®, we’re innovators and experts in our craft who have joined together to create a new category of manufacturing that will help transform the industry. We believe software and data are the answer, thoughtfully applied to solve our customers’ unique challenges. Through intelligent automation, we give factories newfound flexibility, scalability, and resilience. We deliver products to meet the demands of today while building a platform to take advantage of what comes next.
Working with us means you’ll have the opportunity to make lasting, impactful changes for our company and our customers. If you’re ready to apply your exceptional skills to create the factory of the future, we’d love to speak with you.
ABOUT THE ROLE
As a Senior Technical Program Manager, you will lead the development of core robotics and hardware capabilities within Bright Machines’ next-generation manufacturing platform, bringing AI-enabled, software-defined automation to data center infrastructure manufacturing.
You will drive the development of complex electromechanical systems that integrate robotics, perception, controls, and ML into scalable, production-ready platforms. Operating at the system level, you’ll align hardware, software, and manufacturing teams to accelerate time from silicon to revenue, delivering faster ramps, higher yield, and more predictable performance in real-world production environments.
This role sits at the intersection of robotics, AI, and advanced manufacturing, defining how intelligent infrastructure is built and scaled.
WHAT YOU WILL BE DOING
WHAT YOU WILL BRING
BS or MS in Computer Engineering, Robotics, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or related field.
IT WOULD BE GREAT IF YOU HAD
Experience building modular, software-defined automation platforms.
Exposure to ML/AI systems deployed in real-time production environments.
Experience supporting customer deployments and resolving field integration issues.
Background in robotics startups or advanced mobility/automation companies in the Bay Area.
BE EMPOWERED TO CHANGE AN INDUSTRY
Bright Machines is a next-generation, AI-enabled manufacturer focused on data center infrastructure assembly operations. Bright Machines uses its proprietary AI-based robotics and software to assemble AI infrastructure hardware products (i.e., data center servers) for hyperscalers and leading Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs). With its new AI factory, Bright Machines addresses increasing market demands for computing power due to the surge of AI and the U.S. national mandate to reshore manufacturing by building data center infrastructure at scale with higher quality and shorter time-to-market.
Bright Machines is headquartered in San Francisco, California, with an integration center in Guadalajara, Mexico. The company has been recognized as one of Forbes’ AI 50, awarded “Best AI-based Solution for Manufacturing” by AI Breakthrough, named a “Technology Pioneer” by the World Economic Forum, and highlighted by several other leading technology and innovation organizations.
We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.
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Lead end-to-end execution of software and controls programs that power Bright Machines’ next-generation manufacturing platform. Integrate robotics, perception, motion control, and AI-driven quality systems into scalable, production-ready solutions.
Partner with robotics software, controls, perception/ML, hardware, cloud, and manufacturing teams to deliver tightly integrated, high-performance systems.
Drive program planning for major platform releases, define scope, system requirements, integration milestones, validation strategy, and deployment readiness.
Operate at the intersection of software and physical systems. Identify dependencies across motion planning, real-time controls, machine vision, ML pipelines, embedded systems, and hardware interfaces. Surface and mitigate integration risks early.
Lead execution across: Controls architecture and design milestones, Robotics software releases, Perception and ML integration, Hardware-software interface validation, System-level testing and reliability validation
Release management and deployment readiness
Provide clear visibility into program health, including technical risks, integration bottlenecks, performance trade-offs, and schedule alignment.
Deliver high-quality releases on time with production-grade reliability. Escalate issues quickly, drive decisions, and maintain momentum in fast-moving environments.
Help build scalable program frameworks that support modular platform growth, faster customer deployments, and continuous software-driven improvement.
Bring structure and urgency without creating unnecessary process overhead.
Travel: Up to 25%, primarily during late-stage builds, supplier work, and customer validation phases.
5+ years leading complex software and/or controls programs in robotics, automation, or intelligent systems.
Strong systems-level understanding of:
Robotics software stacks
Real-time controls and motion systems
Machine vision and perception pipelines
ML-enabled quality systems
Hardware/software integration
Release and deployment management
Experience delivering production-grade robotics or automation software — not just prototypes.
Demonstrated success driving cross-functional alignment across robotics, firmware, hardware, and cloud teams.
Ability to translate architectural trade-offs into executable program plans.
Experience operating in fast-paced, high-growth environments with strong engineering cultures.
