Senior Manager, Hardware

About the role

This is the role for a hardware leader who wants to own the leap from working prototype to production at scale. As Senior Manager, Hardware, you will lead a small, hands-on team taking Gather AI's drone and MHE Vision hardware from validated designs into manufacturable products built to survive the shock, vibration, and wear of a real warehouse. You will define what the team builds week over week and quarter over quarter, own the vendor and contractor relationships that make production possible, and put in place the documentation and change review processes that let hardware move fast without cutting corners.

Responsibilities

• Own the transition of drone and MHE Vision hardware from validated prototype to production designed to scale by 100x
• Define build materials and a design system that both product requirements and the supply chain can support for rapid manufacturing
• Lead and grow a hands-on hardware team, setting weekly and quarterly priorities against engineering leadership goals
• Own contractor and vendor partnerships, holding them accountable for quality, timelines, and documented design changes
• Implement change review, tracking, and documentation processes that bring rigor to an environment with historically loose requirements
• Drive SWaP, shock, and vibration analysis to keep systems lightweight, nimble, and rugged enough for warehouse and wearable use

Requirements

• A track record of taking hardware from prototype into production at scale, ideally systems deployed by the hundreds or more in the field
• Deep systems design experience across electromechanical hardware, with fluency in both the mechanical and electrical domains
• Hands-on command of SWaP, shock analysis, and vibration analysis for hardware built to survive demanding physical environments
• Experience organizing hardware documentation and standing up change review processes from the ground up
• A bias for urgency and an agile mindset applied to hardware, with the judgment to know when process helps and when it slows the team down
• Comfort navigating ambiguity, setting roadmaps, and holding a team and its partners accountable to the plan

Nice to have

• Design for manufacturing experience with rugged systems that endure heavy machinery environments like forklifts and reach trucks
• Hardware supply chain expertise, including build volume planning, lead times, and vendor sourcing
• Domain background in robotics, warehouse automation, logistics, or factory machines