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Head of Drone Hardware

Applied Intuition· Hardware
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Sunnyvale$270k - $355kFull-timePosted 1w ago

About the role

Lead and scale the hardware engineering organization responsible for all drone hardware products, from airframe and mechanical structures through full system integration, including roadmapping, architecture, and cross-functional leadership.

Responsibilities

  • Build, lead, and scale a multi-disciplinary hardware engineering organization spanning Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Systems Integration, and Test
  • Own the technical roadmap and architecture for all drone hardware products, from airframe and mechanical structures through full autonomy system integration
  • Set technical direction on tradeoffs between weight, strength, durability, power, and manufacturability to meet mission requirements
  • Drive projects through the full lifecycle, from 0 to 1 architecture and prototyping through high-volume production
  • Establish and scale the engineering department and processes to meet customer deliverables on aggressive timelines
  • Lead failure investigations and root cause analysis, and apply lessons learned to design and process improvements
  • Champion design for manufacturability, reliability, and field serviceability
  • Hire, mentor, and grow engineering managers and individual contributors, building technical leadership depth
  • Work directly with external customers to align technical requirements and drive customer success
  • Partner cross-functionally with autonomy, software, program management, and manufacturing to ensure hardware designs meet mission requirements

Qualifications

  • BS, MS, or PhD in Mechanical Engineering, Product Design, or related technical field
  • 15+ years of hardware engineering experience with 10+ years leading and scaling engineering teams or departments
  • Deep hands-on background in mechanical engineering and product design (structural design, enclosure design, thermal management, environmental protection for ruggedized systems)
  • Experience driving hardware designs through full lifecycle (concept/prototyping to high-volume production) with Design for Manufacturing/Design for Assembly expertise
  • Experience in hardware test and validation methodologies (environmental stress screening, field/flight testing)
  • Proven track record building and scaling hardware engineering organizations from the ground up
  • Experience working directly with customers to align technical requirements and drive delivery on timelines

Skills

Required:Mechanical EngineeringDesign for Manufacturing (DFM/DFA)Hardware lifecycle management

Benefits

  • Equity
  • Bonus
Last updated Oct 18, 2026. Interested? Apply on the company site.

About Applied Intuition

Building vehicle intelligence | Applied Intuition

Applied Intuition is the vehicle intelligence company with the tools, Vehicle OS, and autonomy stacks for creating safe, AI-powered vehicle experiences.

AIAutonomy stacksSelf-Driving SystemSimulationTesting & ValidationVehicle IntelligenceVehicle OSai-infrastructure-and-development
Company profileWebsite

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