Fabricator​/Hands-On Builder​/Engineer – Collective

Innovating The Dream, A collective of Serial Problem Solvers:

Some people want a safe job and a swivel chair.

You want to build the impossible in the real world.

If you’d rather be in the shop at midnight making a first‑of‑a‑kind rig actually work than sitting in another status meeting, keep reading.

Innovating The Dream is a startup‑focused collective that embeds into deep‑tech and manufacturing teams to take technologies from concept to construction to commercialization. We live in the messy middle where prototypes, first‑of‑a‑kind systems, and scaled manufacturing all collide: biotech, advanced materials, automation, energy, and industrial systems. We don’t parachute in with slide decks. We plug in as an extension of the core team and do the unglamorous work required to get real hardware running safely, reliably, and at scale.

This is a 1099‑style contractor position inside the collective, not a traditional W.

You’ll pick up projects and sprints as we plug into startups and scaling companies that need senior, hands‑on execution without bloated headcount.

You’ll be:

• Turning half‑baked concepts, lab rigs, and whiteboard sketches into manufacturable assemblies, fixtures, and systems.
• Building, wiring, plumbing, and integrating equipment in shops, labs, and facilities, not just modeling it.
• Standing in the gap between founders, scientists, and system integrators, translating “we think it should do X” into “here’s the rig, here’s the drawing set, here’s the test plan.”
• Dropping into projects for intense bursts (4–12 weeks at a time) to unblock manufacturing, automation, or scale‑up bottlenecks.

Typical work includes:

• Designing and fabricating mechanical and electromechanical assemblies, skids, and test stands (cutting, welding, machining, fastening, basic wiring).
• Installing and commissioning equipment with process, controls, and operations teams.
• Debugging ugly, real‑world issues: misaligned tolerances, vibration, leaks, operator usability, maintainability.
• Documenting enough that the next builder, operator, or integrator can scale what you made without needing you on speed dial.

You’re probably not “looking for your next role” as much as you’re looking for the right problems to attack.

You might be a fit if:

• You’ve spent real time in fabrication shops, R&D labs, or on industrial sites, welding, machining, assembling, or doing field installs.
• You’re comfortable with saws, welders, mills/lathes, hand tools, measurement tools, and basic electrical wiring, and you know when something crosses into “get a licensed pro.”
• You can read and mark up drawings, but you’re also happy to build from a sketch and a conversation when the spec is still fuzzy.
• You naturally own outcomes: if something doesn’t work in the field, you feel it in your bones and want to fix it.
• You can handle a mix of in‑person build work (Triangle / NC‑heavy) plus some remote design / planning / documentation.
• Experience in biotech, advanced manufacturing, automation, or process equipment (skids, reactors, tanks, custom fixtures, pilot lines).
• Comfort collaborating with controls / process engineers and external fabricators or integrators.
• A portfolio of “this shouldn’t have worked, but I made it work” builds—photos, videos, or write‑ups.

This is not a loose freelance marketplace and it’s not corporate consulting.

• You join the collective as a senior, trusted contractor—this is about long‑term relationship, not one‑off gigs.
• We bring you into projects where your skills unlock manufacturing, hardware, or scale‑up progress for startups and emerging tech companies.
• You get high‑value, well‑scoped work, clear ownership, and the ability to flex your hours and intensity across multiple projects instead of betting everything on a single startup.
• We optimize for impact and outcomes, not billable hours and bureaucracy.

If traditional workplaces have felt toxic, political, or allergic to real builders, you’ll feel the difference here.

• Type:
  Contractor (1099) role within the Innovating The Dream collective.
• Location:
  
  Strong preference for builders who can be on‑site in the…