MANI | Manufacturing Automated Network Interface, Inc.

MANI is seeking a Research & Intelligence Assistant to support our research, communications, and organic growth as we work toward our seed round.

MANI is building operational intelligence infrastructure for manufacturing. Our work sits at the intersection of manufacturing, industrial technology, data infrastructure, artificial intelligence, economic development, sustainability, and emerging product innovation.

We are looking for someone deeply curious about how industries, technologies, markets, and economies evolve — and who enjoys finding important information before it becomes obvious.

The Role

The Research & Intelligence Assistant will conduct ongoing academic and market research and help translate that research into MANI’s public communications.

Research will support:

A MANI newsletter published multiple times per week
LinkedIn posts and other organic outreach
Market and industry research
Product and technology research
Internal research on emerging opportunities relevant to MANI

Research Areas

The role will cover a broad and evolving range of subjects, including:

Manufacturing and industrial development
Macroeconomics and economic development
Global production and supply chains
Industrial automation and robotics
Artificial intelligence and data infrastructure
Software and data engineering
Mechanical and process engineering
Chemical engineering and advanced materials
Sustainable biotechnology and biomanufacturing
Energy, climate, and industrial sustainability
Emerging technologies and new product development
Venture capital, industrial investment, and market development

You do not need to be an expert in all of these areas. We are looking for someone with the ability to investigate unfamiliar subjects, identify credible evidence, understand technical concepts, recognize patterns across disciplines, and explain why a development matters.

Responsibilities

You may:

Review academic papers, industry reports, government data, company announcements, patents, market research, and technical publications
Identify emerging trends, technologies, companies, products, and investment activity
Track important developments across manufacturing, engineering, economics, sustainability, and technology
Compare academic research with real-world market activity
Analyze data and identify patterns worth investigating
Maintain organized research notes, sources, and topic pipelines
Develop ideas for MANI’s newsletter and LinkedIn content
Draft research summaries, newsletter sections, and LinkedIn posts
Help turn complex technical information into clear, engaging communication
Identify developments that may affect MANI’s product strategy, customers, partnerships, or market positioning

Whom This Role May Suit

This role may be especially suitable for students, recent graduates, researchers, or early-career professionals in:

Data Science
Software Engineering
Mechanical Engineering
Chemical Engineering
Biotechnology or Bioengineering
Economics
International Development
Development Journalism
Economic and Business Journalism
Science and Technology Journalism
Sustainability
Industrial Engineering
Manufacturing
Public Policy
Finance or Venture Research

Interdisciplinary backgrounds are strongly encouraged. We are particularly interested in candidates who can move between technical, economic, and human perspectives — whether their background is in engineering, research, journalism, economics, or development.

What We Are Looking For

The strongest candidate will be:

Intensely curious
Comfortable researching unfamiliar subjects
Able to distinguish strong evidence from weak claims
Interested in both academic research and real-world markets
A clear and thoughtful writer
Comfortable working independently
Able to connect ideas across disciplines
Interested in how technology moves from research into products, companies, factories, and economies

Strong candidates may have experience with academic databases, market research, data analysis, technical writing, economics, engineering, scientific literature, or content development — but demonstrated curiosity and research ability matter more than having a perfect background.

About MANI

MANI is developing a unified operational intelligence layer for manufacturing.

Modern manufacturers operate across machines, controls, maintenance systems, quality systems, ERP, MES, workforce platforms, logistics systems, and financial data. MANI is building the connection layer required to bring this fragmented operational environment together.

Our pilot environment connected more than 945 machines and seven enterprise systems, supported more than 130 users, and achieved 85% user retention.

We are currently expanding our research, market presence, and organic communications as we prepare for our next stage of company development and seed fundraising.

This is an opportunity for someone who wants to research the future of industry while helping an early-stage technology company explain what that future means.

MANI (Manufacturing Automated Network Interface) jobs

Research Assistant