Staff Hardware Engineer, Robotics Systems & Deployments

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 actually 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