CNC Machinist in London

Why candidates should join:

• Real economics play: Rivan makes synthetic natural gas from air and water using its own off-grid solar. It's built to beat fossil fuels on cost. It isn't a carbon credit play.
• Huge scale ahead: Rivan already runs the UK's largest synthetic fuel plant. It plans to grow 1000x in two years and has planning permission for Europe's largest.
• Well funded: Rivan has raised about $47M including a $33.8M venture round in 2026. It's one of the few London startups scaling manufacturing this hard.
• High-leverage seat: Rivan makes almost every steel part in-house. A great machinist directly speeds up the whole engineering and build effort.
• Real ownership: You'll work straight with engineers on R&D one-offs and production batches. People here have earned two promotions in months.

• Machine parts for the UK's largest synthetic fuel plant
• Run manual and CNC mills and lathes supporting rapid iteration on Rivan's DAC, electrolyser and Sabatier plant hardware. Hands-on work on the UK's largest synthetic fuel plant.
• Building a generational, multi-billion-dollar business
• Early team members will own entire departments as Rivan scales into a new industry making fuels cheaper than fossil alternatives.
• $50M raised to build a 1000x scale-up
• Well-funded to scale from the UK's largest synthetic fuel plant to a 1000x larger plant within two years.

Role Responsibilities and Day-to-Day

Reads engineering drawings, decides the best manufacturing approach, programs machines in CAM software (e.g., Fusion 360), sets up and operates CNC lathes and mills, and delivers finished parts.

Work is a blend of rate-based production (batches of 50 to 100 parts, moving toward one system per week within about 12 months) and bespoke R&D one-offs, mainly in aluminium and stainless steel. Some assembly may be required.

Team Structure and Headcount

Immediate need is for one CNC machinist, possibly more. Priority is the CNC role; general technicians will be needed in about a month.

Technician roles (mechanically or electrically skilled, e.g., manual mill and lathe experience) are a future hiring stream, similar to SpaceX-style technician profiles.

Experience and Qualifications

Target around 3 to 4 years of professional experience, but flexible on years. Attitude and ability to do the job matter more than tenure.

Must hold a formal qualification in machining or engineering (apprenticeship, degree, or equivalent). Experience with series production in batches is valued; a strong one-off machinist can be hired with some training.

Avoid 5-axis or "Formula One" level specialists. 3-axis is sufficient, but candidates must be comfortable working across varied parts (tubing, valves, etc.).

Ideal Candidate Profile and Culture Fit

Strongly motivated by the energy transition and building cool hardware. Passion, curiosity, and high agency matter more than credentials.

Needs to be comfortable with long hours, setbacks, and startup pace, and to work with little supervision. Money alone as a motive is a red flag.

Sourcing Targets and Hunting Grounds

Best sources are purpose-driven, smaller companies (under about 500 people) building their own equipment, such as Tokamak Energy (Swindon), nuclear fusion firms, and laser or precision-hardware companies near London. Isambard and other early-stage hardware firms are also good targets.

Avoid large automotive and aerospace production environments (e.g., Volkswagen, Airbus, Boeing) and subcontract shops, which lack the dynamism and interest needed.

Compensation and Benefits

Base range is £45K to £60K. Exceptional candidates may be considered above this, and £65K to £70K may be possible, but only after internal approval. It is not pre-approved.

Benefits include unlimited holiday, equity, and relocation support. Salary is benchmarked against London manufacturing rates of about £20 to £25 per hour.

Failure Modes to Avoid

Previous submissions were rejected for consultancy or large EPC backgrounds. Avoid candidates from these environments, and from subcontract or slow-paced, one-off-only settings.

Do not send a large batch of submissions at once. Calibrate on profile fit first, with Nero and Thomas aligning before sending.

Process, Communication, and Accountability

Company uses a custom Airtable-based ATS that does not integrate with the recruiting platform. Previous candidate duplication was an issue, so tracking is important.

Robert wants a dedicated Slack channel with only the three of them, a 15-minute weekly Friday check-in, and direct messages for pushback. Recruiters should respond within 24 hours and send intro emails ahead of time.

Timeline and Next Steps

Role goes live within the weekend or by early next week. Recruiter submissions are expected in about 5 to 7 business days.

Calibration happens as submissions arrive. Candidate pool is small and specialised, so recruiters must actively source beyond inbound applications.

About this role:

We are looking for a CNC Machinist with 3–4+ years of post-qualification experience to own in-house machining as Rivan scales from R&D to production of its synthetic fuel plants. You will be a fully qualified, high-agency machinist (apprenticeship or engineering degree) who works quickly with little supervision. You would ideally come from a mission-driven hardware company that makes its own products, such as a fusion, aerospace or deep-tech startup. Nearly every steel component in Rivan's hardware is made in-house, which makes this one of the company's highest-leverage roles. A great machinist here will speed up both engineering and manufacturing.

What will you be doing?

Working directly with engineers to understand drawings and decide the best way to manufacture each part

Programming parts in CAM software (e.g. Fusion 360), then setting up and running 3-axis CNC mills and lathes from start to finish

Machining stainless steel and aluminium components, from bespoke one-off R&D parts to repeat batches of 50–100

Helping scale production as Rivan moves from one system a quarter to one a month, then one a week, over the next year

Delivering finished, inspected parts where they're needed and helping assemble complex R&D equipment

Tech stack:

CNC Mills and Lathes, Manual Mills and Lathes, Hurco WinMax, Fusion 360, CAM Software, Metrology Tools, CNC Laser Cutters, Pipe Bending.

Dealbreaker:

Work experience

Professional engineering experience in a workshop, factory, or laboratory environment (CNC Machinist or Technician)

Education

Engineering degree of some kind, or equivalent formal qualifications or apprenticeship in machining

Hard skills

Setup and operation of CNC mills and lathes (Hurco WinMax preferred, up to 3- axis)

Miscellaneous

Ability to work on- site at HQ in Bermondsey, South London (or relocate to London)

Baseline

Seniority

2 - 10 years of experience as a CNC machinist

Work experience

Machinist at a mission- driven company under ~500 people that makes its own hardware with in- house CNC (fusion, aerospace, deep tech). Examples: Tokamak Energy, Isambard, SpaceX, Blue Origin, Anduril.

Hard skills

CAM software setup, execution, and programming (Fusion 360)

Experience machining diverse materials (stainless steel, aluminium, alloy steels, plastics)

Nice-to-have

Work experience

Has run series batches (50–100 of the same part) alongside R& D one- offs.

Practical examples of hands- on project builds, personal projects, or tinkering

Hard skills

Operation of manual mills and lathes.

Submission questions

Why do I think they'd be a great fit?

Walk us through a part you took from an engineer's drawing to finished parts on a CNC mill or lathe. How'd you program it in CAM and set it up? What's the biggest batch you've run and how fast did you turn it around?

What draws you to Rivan and the energy transition?

Are you able to work full time on site at our London facility?

Can the candidate be on-site? If not, is the candidate willing to relocate?

What is their salary expectation?

How actively is this candidate exploring new opportunities?