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Agent guide: [/agents.md](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/agents.md). --- # Head of Hardware - **Company:** Picogrid, Inc. - **Location:** United States - **Experience:** Expert - **Salary:** $220,000.0 - $270,000.0 - **Contract:** Permanent contract - **Skills:** Computer-Aided Design, Altium Designer, Computer Engineering, Firmware, Hardware Design, Systems Integration, User-Centered Design - **Published:** September 4, 2026 - **Apply:** https://startup.jobs/head-of-hardware-picogrid-8130056 ## About the Role * 5+ years of progressive experience in hardware product development, with significant experience in a hands-on technical lead or director-level role. * Preferred past founding or early stage fast-growth startup experience. * Ability to work with ambiguity in the managed chaos of a rapidly growing startup. * Expert-level proficiency in the full generalist hardware skillset, encompassing PCB design, power electronics, mixed-signal circuit design, firmware integration, CAD, mechanical/thermal engineering, industrial design, and manufacturing. * Proven experience in taking at least two distinct products through the entire development lifecycle, from initial concept to high-volume manufacturing. * Deep knowledge of DFMA (Design for Manufacturability and Assembly) and supply chain management for consumer electronics. * Demonstrated expertise with Altium and Onshape software suites. Familiarity with Arena PLM. * Passion for designing beautiful products. * Exceptional leadership, communication, and collaboration skills, with a clear ability to articulate technical strategy to executive leadership. * Core values or relentless execution, boundless ambition, continued learning, and kindness. Low ego and open-mindedness., * Experience as a former founder or founding engineer at a successful, fast-moving hardware startup, demonstrating the capacity for standing up a department or discipline from zero. * Strong portfolio of successful products with a hard focus on industrial design and consumer product experience. * Experience managing or leading product development efforts that are highly iterative, complex, and require an open-minded and flexible approach to problem-solving. * Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related technical field. (Degree not required). * A track record of being prolific and delivering rapid, high-quality results in a resource-constrained and fast-paced environment. ## Description As the Head of Hardware at Picogrid, you will be the foundational technical leader responsible for defining, building, and scaling our entire hardware engineering function. You will lead the "cradle to grave" development of Picogrid's physical products, with a hard focus on generalist hardware engineering, end-to-end design ownership across all disciplines, industrial design, and delivering best-in-class consumer product experiences. This is a highly demanding, hands-on role for a true generalist and leader ready to stand up a world-class department from the ground up. Work with a team of hardworking, ambitious, world-leading talent to build the future of unmanned system behavior orchestration., * Lead the comprehensive hardware development lifecycle from initial concept and architecture through mass production. * Architect and execute all technical aspects of electrical and embedded systems, including circuit design, PCB design and layout, component selection, and system integration. * Architect and execute all technical aspects of mechanical and industrial design, including CAD, FEA, structural analysis, thermal analysis, DFMA, and GD&T. * Participate in defining engineering process standards, part numbering and revision systems, vendor relationships, R&D of supply chain, and design philosophy. * Define and implement the necessary design tools and methodologies for embedded design, ensuring a modern and efficient generalist hardware skillset across the team. * Act as the primary interface between Engineering, and Manufacturing, ensuring a product-minded approach that balances technical requirements with user experience and aesthetic quality. * Set the technical bar and drive a culture of being fast, flexible, and prolific, rapidly iterating on prototypes and moving from concept to high-volume production at record speed. * Embody and teach how to use intuition, judgement, and domain knowledge to speed up technical decisions and the design process. * You will be the founding member of the Hardware Engineering Department, tasked with hiring, mentoring, and leading a high-performing team of hardware engineers. * Successfully stand up a fully operational Hardware Engineering Department, deliver the next generation of our consumer-focused physical products, and establish the technical infrastructure for long-term product success. ## Related Videos - [More efficient software for more efficient microchips](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1164-more-efficient-software-for-more-efficient-microchips) - [Quantum Computing - The tiny and the big challenges](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/934-quantum-computing-the-tiny-and-the-big-challenges) - [Playing Pong on a shoulder press machine](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/100140-playing-pong-on-a-shoulder-press-machine) - [Building a hypercar from scratch](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/607-building-a-hypercar-from-scratch) - [The future of automotive mobility: Upcoming E/E architectures, V2X and its challenges](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/374-the-future-of-automotive-mobility-upcoming-e-e-architectures-v2x-and-its-challenges) - [Agent Smith Gets Hardware: Autonomous IoT Hacking From Debug Port to Cloud API](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/100258-agent-smith-gets-hardware-autonomous-iot-hacking-from-debug-port-to-cloud-api) ## Related Articles - [Declarative Design and a fresh take on collaboration with developers](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/595-declarative-design-and-a-fresh-take-on-collaboration-with-developers) - [How We Built a Worry-Free System That Runs for 10+ Years – And What We’d Do Again](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/751-how-we-built-a-worry-free-system-that-runs-for-10-years-and-what-we-d-do-again) - [The Best X (Twitter) Accounts for Developers](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/294-the-best-x-twitter-accounts-for-developers) - [How software is steering vehicle technology](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/515-how-software-is-steering-vehicle-technology) - [Is Software Engineering Hard?](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/448-is-software-engineering-hard) - [Top Characteristics of a Software Engineer](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/166-top-characteristics-of-a-software-engineer)