VP of Operations

About the role

Our Client is a fast-growing robotics company that develops fully autonomous drones designed to provide real-time inventory visibility inside large warehouses and distribution centers. The company is scaling its operations and is looking for a VP of Operations who can take ownership of manufacturing, supply chain, procurement, logistics, and overall hardware operations. This is a hands-on leadership role for someone who has strong experience working with hardware, electronics, robotics, and manufacturing at scale.

Responsibilities

• Lead all hardware operations, including manufacturing, supply chain, procurement, and logistics.
• Scale production while maintaining high standards for quality, reliability, and cost.
• Manage relationships with contract manufacturers, component suppliers, and logistics partners.
• Improve production speed while managing component availability, supplier lead times, and supply chain risks.
• Build and improve quality control, testing, and reliability processes for hardware used continuously in industrial environments.
• Work closely with engineering teams on Design for Manufacturability (DFM), New Product Introduction (NPI), and hardware revisions.
• Build, develop, and lead the operations team as the company grows.
• Track key operational metrics such as: production yield, manufacturing costs and unit economics, on-time deployments, hardware reliability and uptime.
• Be hands-on when needed, including visiting factories, supplier locations, and customer warehouse sites.

Requirements

• 5+ years of operations experience in hardware manufacturing, with strong experience in robotics, electronics, or complex electromechanical products.
• Strong understanding of electronics manufacturing and hardware production.
• Experience working with suppliers that manufacture PCBs, electronic components, machined parts, and other hardware components.
• Proven experience scaling production of a hardware product.
• Experience managing contract manufacturers and multi-level supply chains.
• Experience working with both domestic and international manufacturing/suppliers is preferred.
• Strong understanding of hardware manufacturing terms and processes, including: BOMs, EVT / DVT / PVT, manufacturing yield, MTBF, ECOs, factory ramps.
• Strong problem-solving and decision-making skills.
• Comfortable working in a fast-paced startup environment where processes are still being built and improved.
• Willing to be hands-on and work directly with factories, suppliers, engineering teams, and customers.

Skills

• Experience with drones, UAVs, robotics, or autonomous mobile robots.
• Experience with Robots-as-a-Service (RaaS) or other hardware-based recurring revenue models.
• Experience working with regulated or safety-critical hardware.
• Experience deploying hardware products or robotic systems in warehouses, logistics, manufacturing, or other industrial environments.