Staff Hardware Engineer, Robotics Systems & Deployments (US)

We are looking for a Staff Hardware Engineer with 8+ years of experience to own the technical architecture and deployment of robotic hardware systems for a defense-focused autonomous manufacturing startup. You'll join a tiny, ground-floor team in NYC that has already closed seven figures of revenue with a tier-one defense prime, and you'll be the person who makes sure the hardware works in the real world. This is a hands-on leadership role where you'll prototype and iterate quickly, integrate commercial off-the-shelf robotic arms and sensors into complete workcells, and drive systems from the lab to customer deployment. If you're on the brink of stepping into a Head of Hardware role and want to own something end-to-end, this is it.

What will you be doing?

• Leading the rapid prototyping and iteration of robotic hardware systems as the team works toward its first major customer deployment

• Evaluating and integrating COTS robotic arms (6-DOF/7-DOF manipulators), end effectors, camera systems, and sensors into complete workcells, identifying what will and won't work for the task at hand

• Owning hardware programs end-to-end: from requirements and system architecture through validation, production, and field deployment at customer sites

• Establishing engineering standards, leading design reviews, and mentoring the existing mechanical engineering team to raise the technical bar

• Building and eventually hiring and managing a hardware team as the company scales its deployments across the defense industrial base