Head of Hardware

Andromeda; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 225,000 - 315,000; Full time

Job summary

Andromeda Robotics seeks a Head of Hardware to lead the hardware organization, steering architecture, and a production-scale transition for Abi. You’ll supervise mechanical, electrical, systems, reliability, quality, and manufacturing engineering, while coordinating with external partners.

You’ll shape the external partner strategy, guide multi-disciplinary teams, and drive rigorous trade-offs across performance, cost, and schedule to ensure robust hardware systems in real-world deployments.

Qualifications

• 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 architecture through prototype, validation, and scale manufacturing in a startup or fast-moving environment.
• Experience working with 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.

Responsibilities

• Own the hardware strategy, roadmap, and execution required to take Abi versions from prototype to scalable manufacturing.
• Lead day-to-day performance across mechanical, electrical, systems, reliability, quality, manufacturing engineering, and external hardware partners.
• Make key technical and program trade-offs across performance, cost, schedule, reliability, and manufacturability.
• Manage cadence, decision-making quality, and cross-functional alignment for hardware, software, AI, design, safety, supply chain, and manufacturing.
• Own and evolve the external partner strategy with design and manufacturing partners (CM/ODM/JDM) during design, validation, ramp, and production.
• Build and lead a strong multidisciplinary hardware team with clear expectations, coaching, and operating rhythm.
• Drive cross-functional collaboration across hardware, software, AI, design, safety, reliability, supply chain, manufacturing, finance, and commercial teams.
• Ensure prototyping, validation, test fixture development, and issue resolution across the hardware lifecycle.
• Represent the hardware organisation with executives and stakeholders with clear judgment and crisp communication.

Skills

Robotics leadership

Hardware program management

Partner management

Supply chain awareness

Field reliability

Cross-functional leadership

Executive communication

Mechatronics judgment

Education

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

Job description

The Bigger Picture

At Andromeda, we're building the social intelligence layer for humanoid robots - technology that allows robots to understand people, build relationships and become a meaningful part of everyday life.

Our first robot, Abi, is already doing this in aged care and healthcare, where she brings conversation, companionship and engagement to people every day.

Now we're scaling from early deployments into a platform that can operate across thousands of real-world environments. We're looking for individuals who want to tackle hard problems across robotics and AI, and help define what it means for robots to live and interact alongside people.

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.

Requirements

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.

Benefits

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

If you're excited about this role but don't meet every requirement, that's okay; we still encourage you to apply.

At Andromeda Robotics, we celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.

Let's build the future together.