Director of Hardware Engineering

Ctrl; Ottawa; Hybrid; CAD 140,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity participation

Health and dental coverage

Field kit

Certifications and training

Job summary

Ctrl is seeking a Director of Hardware Engineering to own the hardware program for dock installations, sensor payloads, power and comms systems, and field-test discipline. This forward‑deployed role involves hands-on work with deployed systems in real environments and leadership of a small senior hardware team as the fleet scales.

You will drive end-to-end hardware integration, manage vendor relationships, and ensure robust environmental and endurance validation for outdoor deployments.

Qualifications

• 8+ years in hardware/electrical/mechatronics with fielded product experience.
• 3+ years leading hardware teams or programs.
• Two or more of: power systems, RF/comms, sensor integration, ruggedized enclosures.
• Experience with regulatory and environmental certification for outdoor systems.
• Hands-on builder—prototype, instrument, and debug on bench and field.
• Canada security clearance eligibility preferred; defence background not required.

Responsibilities

• Own hardware architecture across dock installs, payload integration, and edge compute nodes.
• Lead integration of DJI, Skydio, Starlink, C-UAS, and sensor systems into unified deployments.
• Build the test and validation program: environmental, endurance, and pre-deployment checks.
• Manage vendor relationships, sourcing, and low-volume production runs.
• Establish maintenance engineering—component life tracking, failure analysis, retrofits.
• Grow a small, senior hardware team as the deployed fleet scales.

Skills

Hardware engineering

Team leadership

Power systems

RF/comms

Sensor integration

Regulatory certs

Field prototyping

Security clearance eligible

Job description

Ctrl's edge is physical: docks that survive winters, payloads that hold calibration, comms that work where there's no infrastructure. Hardware is where reliability is won or lost.

As Director of Hardware Engineering you'll own the hardware program — dock integrations, sensor payloads, power and comms systems, and the test discipline that keeps fielded systems running through conditions that break consumer gear.

Note: This role includes a forward-deployed mandate. You'll work hands-on with deployed systems and operators in real-world environments.

What You'll Do

• Own hardware architecture across dock installs, payload integration, and edge compute nodes.
• Lead integration of DJI, Skydio, Starlink, C-UAS, and sensor systems into unified deployments.
• Build the test and validation program: environmental, endurance, and pre-deployment checks.
• Manage vendor relationships, sourcing, and low-volume production runs.
• Establish maintenance engineering — component life tracking, failure analysis, retrofits.
• Grow a small, senior hardware team as the deployed fleet scales.

What You'll Bring

• 8+ years in hardware/electrical/mechatronics engineering with fielded product experience.
• 3+ years leading hardware teams or programs.
• Depth in at least two of: power systems, RF/comms, sensor integration, ruggedized enclosures.
• Experience with regulatory and environmental certification for outdoor systems.
• Hands-on builder — you prototype, instrument, and debug on the bench and in the field.
• Eligibility for Canadian security clearance preferred; no defence background required.

Why Join Us

We keep the team small and the stakes high. At Ctrl, you'll:

• Work on systems that fly, drive, and dock in the real world — not demos. Our platforms run missions for energy, government, and security operators today.
• Own outcomes end to end. Small team, short chain of command, and direct access to the people making the calls.
• See your work in the field within weeks, not quarters. We build, deploy, and learn on real sites in real conditions.
• Grow with the deployed fleet — as the network of docks, sensors, and missions scales, so does your scope.
• Competitive salary with equity participation
• Health and dental coverage
• Field kit, certifications, and training on us
• Performance-based equity top-ups as the company grows