Head of Hardware

PVH (Tommy Hilfiger/Calvin Klein); San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 225,000 - 315,000; Full time

Job summary

Andromeda Robotics is seeking a Head of Hardware to lead the hardware organization and own the strategy, execution, and cadence to move Abi from prototype to reliable, scalable production. You will oversee mechanical, electrical, systems, reliability, quality, and manufacturing engineering, plus external partners.

This hands‑on leadership role requires architecture guidance, building a high‑performing team, and delivering robust hardware in production.

Qualifications

• 7+ years in robotics or complex electromechanical products.
• Experience leading hardware programs from architecture to scale manufacturing.
• Experience with JDM/ODM/CM partners through design, ramp, and production.
• Experience with supply chain to select key suppliers with cost and reliability in mind.
• Experience diagnosing field reliability and quality issues in shipped hardware.
• Strong leadership: setting direction, building teams, developing leaders.
• Strong technical judgment in mechatronic systems and trade‑offs.
• Clear communication with executives and cross‑functional teams.
• Bachelor's degree in Electrical/Mechanical Engineering, Physics, or related field.

Responsibilities

• Own hardware strategy, roadmap, and execution to take Abi from prototype through scalable manufacturing.
• Lead day‑to‑day performance across hardware domains and external partners to deliver robust products.
• Make trade‑offs across performance, cost, schedule, reliability, and manufacturability.
• Manage cadence and cross‑functional alignment for hardware, software, AI, design, safety, supply chain, and manufacturing.
• Own and evolve external partner strategy with CM/ODM/JDM during design, ramp, and production.
• Build and lead a strong multidisciplinary hardware team with clear expectations and execution discipline.
• Drive cross‑functional collaboration across hardware, software, AI, design, safety, reliability, supply chain, and finance.
• Ensure prototyping, validation, test fixture development, and issue resolution across hardware lifecycle.
• Represent hardware with executives and stakeholders, delivering crisp judgment on product and business decisions.

Skills

Robotics experience

Hardware program leadership

Partner management

Supply chain collaboration

Field reliability problem solving

Leadership / team building

Technical judgment

Executive communication

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical/Mechanical Engineering, Physics, or related field

Job description

The Bigger Picture

At Andromeda Robotics, we're building humanoid robots that help people feel more connected. Our first robot, Abi, is a socially intelligent companion designed to bring conversation, engagement and companionship to people in aged care and healthcare. With deployments already underway across leading care providers and backing from investors including Forerunner and Main Sequence, we're entering the next phase of growth. We're looking for engineers who want to solve some of the hardest problems in robotics and AI, and build technology that has a meaningful impact on people's lives.

The Role

As Head of Hardware, you will lead Andromeda Robotics' hardware organisation and own the strategy, execution, and operating cadence required to take new versions of Abi from prototype through reliable, scalable manufacturing. You will oversee the responsibilities and teams spanning mechanical, electrical, systems, reliability, quality, manufacturing engineering, and external manufacturing partners, making key trade-offs across performance, cost, schedule, and manufacturability that determine product success. This is a hands‑on leadership role for someone who can guide architecture and technical decisions, build a high‑performing multidisciplinary team, and deliver robust hardware systems in the real world and at production scale. A note on our process: This is a highly specialised leadership hire, and while we have a clear sense of the outcomes we need, we expect our conversations with strong candidates to help sharpen the final shape of the role and where this leader can create the most impact.

Key Responsibilities

• Own the hardware strategy, roadmap, and execution required to take new versions of Abi from prototype through reliable, scalable manufacturing.
• Lead day‑to‑day performance across mechanical, electrical, systems, reliability, quality, manufacturing engineering, and external hardware partners to deliver robust, manufacturable products.
• Make key technical and program trade‑offs across performance, cost, schedule, reliability, and manufacturability that determine product success.
• Manage the operating cadence, decision‑making quality, and cross‑functional alignment needed for hardware, software, AI, design, safety, supply chain, and manufacturing to move in lockstep.
• Own and evolve the external partner strategy, including how Andromeda works with design and manufacturing partners (CM/ODM/JDM) during design, validation, ramp, and production.
• Build and lead a strong multidisciplinary hardware team by setting clear expectations, coaching engineers and leads, and setting the team's operating rhythm, technical quality bar, and execution discipline.
• Drive tight cross‑functional collaboration across hardware, software, AI, design, safety, reliability, supply chain, manufacturing, finance, and commercial teams.
• Ensure strong prototyping, validation, test fixture development, and issue resolution processes across the hardware lifecycle.
• Represent the hardware organisation with executives and other stakeholders, bringing clear judgment and crisp communication to key product and business decisions.

Skills & Experience Required

• 7+ years of experience in robotics or other complex electromechanical products, such as drones, automotive, or similar motion‑based systems.
• Experience leading a hardware program from early architecture through prototype, validation, and scale manufacturing in a startup or other fast‑moving environment.
• Experience working with and managing JDM, ODM, and CM partners through design, ramp, and production.
• Experience working with supply chain to select key suppliers and components with strong judgment across cost, reliability, lead time, and manufacturability.
• Experience diagnosing and resolving field reliability, quality, and performance issues in shipped hardware systems.
• Strong leadership capability, including setting direction, building high‑performing teams, driving accountability, and developing other leaders.
• Strong technical judgment in complex mechatronic systems, with the ability to guide architecture, make pragmatic trade-offs, and operate effectively under ambiguity.
• Clear communication and stakeholder management skills, including comfort representing the hardware function with executives, partners, and cross‑functional teams.
• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Physics, or a related field.
• Bonus points: Experience in humanoid robotics, consumer robotics, defence tech, or startup automotive environments. Experience with complex mechatronic systems that combine mechanical, electrical, embedded, and systems‑level integration.

If you're excited about this role but don't meet every requirement, that's okay;

The expected base salary range for this role is $225,000 - $315,000. Actual compensation will be determined by a variety of factors, including the candidate's job‑related knowledge, skills, and experience.