Head Of/Director, Hardware Engineering
Emeryville, CA$220k - $270kFull-timePosted 1w ago
About the role
Senior hardware leader responsible for owning and scaling Prolific's hardware engineering function, including illumination systems from R&D prototypes to customer-grade products, and leading a multidisciplinary team spanning mechatronics, optical, electrical, and firmware engineering.
Responsibilities
- Translate company strategy into a multi-year hardware strategy and roadmap, and turn it into concrete functional plans, milestones, and success measures
- Partner with the CTO to define Prolific's technical roadmap, engineering standards, and decision-making frameworks
- Contribute to company business planning for hardware (budgets, headcount, capital equipment, partner program commitments)
- Make most operational and technical decisions for the hardware function independently, escalating where strategic alignment is needed
- Build partnerships with bioprocess engineering, biology, software, data, and business development to align hardware plans with company priorities
- Represent Prolific externally with partners, suppliers, and the engineering community
- Model commitment to company decisions and align the hardware team behind agreed outcomes
- Conserve and strengthen the hardware team's culture
- Lead, mentor, and develop a multidisciplinary team
- Coach on balancing speed and rigor in development
- Own structure, operations, and hiring plans for the hardware function
- Manage external development partners and contract manufacturers against scopes and milestones
- Define GMP readiness path for hardware used in partner manufacturing environments
- Lead electrical safety and regulatory certification efforts
- Establish quality practices for documentation, change control, verification records, and supplier qualification
- Collaborate with hardware operations to ensure producibility and supportability
Qualifications
- BS, MS, or PhD in Mechanical, Electrical, Optical, Systems, or Biomedical Engineering, or related field; equivalent experience considered
- 10+ years of relevant industry experience, including 3+ years leading a multidisciplinary hardware engineering team
- Experience taking at least one hardware product from R&D prototype through production and field deployment
- Track record of setting multi-year technical or functional strategy and translating it into execution plans, budgets, and resourcing
- Hands-on experience bringing hardware into a regulated environment (GMP, FDA design controls) and leading electrical safety certification
- Deep technical expertise in at least one core discipline (mechanical, electrical, or optical) and breadth to make architecture calls across others
- Strong mentoring track record and experience growing engineers into leaders
- Experience managing external development partners, contract manufacturers, or suppliers with defined scopes and milestones
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills
Skills
Required:Systems engineeringLeadership and people managementHardware development lifecycleGMP / regulatory design controlsVendor and partner management
Benefits
- Generous equity package
- Retirement plan with company contribution
- Flexible PTO with healthy time off minimums
- Company-covered medical, dental, and vision insurance
- Life and disability insurance
- Career coaching and mental health support
- Free team lunches everyday
- Great snacks and companywide social events
Last updated Oct 21, 2026. Interested? Apply on the company site.
About Prolific Machines
Illuminating biomanufacturing. Enabling tomorrow’s biotherapeutics.
Difficult protein production made simple. A next-generation expression system for next-generation therapeutics.
protein productionbiotherapeuticscell line developmentbiomanufacturingoptogeneticsAI-driven bioprocess optimization
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