Drone Hardware & Systems Chief Engineer

Applied Intuition; Sunnyvale (CA); Hybrid; USD 250,000 - 350,000; Full time

Job summary

Applied Intuition, Inc. is seeking a Head of Drone Hardware to lead and scale the engineering organization responsible for all drone hardware products, from airframe through full system integration.

You will own the hardware roadmap, build a multi-disciplinary team, and work hands-on across the full product lifecycle to deliver rugged, high-performance hardware on aggressive timelines.

Qualifications

• 15+ years of hardware engineering experience with 10+ years leading and scaling engineering teams.
• Hands-on mechanical engineering and product design including structural design, enclosure design, thermal management, and environmental protection for ruggedized systems.
• Experience driving hardware designs through the full lifecycle, with Design for Manufacturing (DFM/DFA).
• Experience in hardware test and validation methodologies, including environmental stress screening and field or flight testing.
• Proven track record of building, leading, and scaling hardware engineering organizations from the ground up.
• Experience working directly with customers to align technical requirements and drive delivery on committed timelines.

Responsibilities

• Build, lead, and scale a multi-disciplinary hardware engineering organization spanning Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Systems Integration, and Test.
• Own the technical roadmap and architecture for all drone hardware products, from airframe and mechanical structures through full autonomy system integration.
• Set technical direction on tradeoffs between weight, strength, durability, power, and manufacturability to meet mission requirements.
• Drive projects through the full lifecycle, from 0 to 1 architecture and prototyping through high-volume production.
• Establish and scale the engineering department and processes to meet committed customer deliverables on aggressive timelines.
• Lead failure investigations and root cause analysis, turning lessons learned into design and process improvements.
• Champion design for manufacturability, reliability, and field serviceability across the team.
• Hire, mentor, and grow engineering managers and individual contributors, building strong technical leadership bench.
• Work directly with external customers to align requirements and drive delivery on timelines.
• Partner cross-functionally with autonomy, software, program management, and manufacturing leaders to ensure hardware designs meet mission requirements.

Skills

Hardware engineering

Team leadership

Product design

Design for Manufacturing

Customer collaboration

Mechanical systems

Education

Mechanical Engineering degree (BS/MS/PhD)

Product Design degree

Job description

Applied Intuition, Inc. is seeking a Head of Drone Hardware to lead and scale the engineering organization responsible for all drone hardware products, from airframe through full system integration.

You will own the hardware roadmap, build a multi-disciplinary team, and work hands-on across the full product lifecycle to deliver rugged, high-performance hardware on aggressive timelines.