Chief Hardware Officer (+ Equity) at Stealth physical AI startup

About the role

As Chief Hardware Officer, you will lead the end-to-end development of proprietary tactile sensing hardware for the next generation of physical AI. From taking working prototypes through to volume manufacturing, you will own the firmware, MCU bring-up, and reliability qualification, building the critical touch layer that currently limits robotic autonomy and machine learning interaction.

Why this role is remarkable

• Receive a C-level mandate and cofounder-level equity to build the tactile sensing layer for the future of robotics and physical AI.
• Join a well-funded, stealth-stage founding team with a working prototype and a clear technical moat in a high-growth sector.
• Transition from a working laboratory prototype to a scalable, manufacturable product that solves a fundamental bottleneck in modern autonomous systems.

What you will do

• Own the hardware lifecycle from prototype to a manufacturable, qualifiable product, including firmware development and MCU bring-up.
• Develop calibration and reliability qualification processes to ensure high-resolution tactile sensing scales effectively for volume manufacturing.
• Set the long-term hardware roadmap and lead the hiring and management of a world-class hardware engineering team.

The ideal candidate

• Proven track record of shipping real sensing, embedded, or MEMS/semiconductor hardware to production at scale.
• Extremely hands-on technical leader who writes firmware, designs systems, and can personally debug MCUs during long bring-up cycles.
• Previous experience as a founder or early engineer at a hardware startup, with a strong sense of personal accountability for delivery dates.

Location

San Francisco, USA