Engineering Manager, Data Systems Hardware & Site Engineering

About the role

Reality Labs is looking for an Engineering Manager to lead the Data Systems Hardware & Site Engineering team. The team designs, builds, and deploys the devices and systems used to capture the datasets behind Reality Labs products, supporting Codec Avatars, Input, and Health programs across all RL devices and enabling algorithm development and research.

Responsibilities

• Manage a multi‑disciplinary engineering team (mechanical, electrical, firmware/embedded software, and systems engineering) across three classes of capture hardware: studio systems, wearable prototypes, and in‑the‑wild systems.
• Own the site engineering function that deploys and sustains these systems across North America.
• Work hands‑on with critical hardware challenges and advocate for the hardware engineering craft.
• Develop the overall data‑collection strategy with program leaders and stakeholders, translating research roadmaps into system requirements.
• Determine which modality fits each program need and ensure capture capabilities keep pace with program demands.
• Act as the connective tissue between researchers, engineers, and site teams, establishing project priority, feasibility, and resource allocation across programs with competing timelines.
• Guide prototyping and measurement efforts to define specifications when requirements are initially undefined.

Qualifications

• Proven ability to lead and build multi‑disciplinary engineering teams.
• Experience with mechanical, electrical, firmware/embedded software, and systems engineering for hardware platforms.
• Hands‑on expertise in designing, building, and deploying large‑scale studio rigs, wearable prototypes, and portable in‑the‑wild capture systems.
• Comfort operating in environments where requirements are undefined at project start and evolve through prototyping and measurement.
• Strong collaboration skills to bridge research, engineering, and field site teams.
• Ability to prioritize projects, assess feasibility, and allocate resources across competing timelines.