Associate Director, Systems Engineering

Wonder Group•Boston, MA

3d•Onsite

About The Position

Wonder is seeking an Associate Director of Systems Engineering to lead the development of its next-generation automated beverage platform. This role requires a principal architect capable of bridging high-level product strategy with technical execution across the entire development lifecycle. The individual will have ultimate authority and accountability for the product, driving a complex, multi-disciplinary program from conception to a fully realized, high-performance system. The role operates at the intersection of hardware, software, and controls to ensure the delivery of a world-class solution that meets Wonder's standards for quality and scale. The Robotics team at Wonder is a core pillar of the innovation strategy, building automation solutions to enable variety and culinary authenticity, improve team member experience, and ensure customer satisfaction.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Electrical, or Mechatronics Engineering or a related technical field.
12+ years of experience in engineering, with a significant track record of leading large-scale, complex hardware/software projects from scratch ideally in the robotics or industrial automation industry.
Deep expertise in systems integration, robotics, or industrial automation. Equally comfortable discussing controls architecture, mechanical design and software.
Demonstrated ability to synthesize competing requirements into a cohesive, elegant system architecture.
A "builder" mentality with the grit to manage through the challenges of hardware development and the leadership to keep a large team aligned and motivated.
Ability to distill complex technical concepts for executive leadership while providing granular technical guidance to individual contributors.
Exceptional organizational skills and a mastery of modern project management tools (Jira, Confluence, Miro, etc.), with the ability to architect these tools for a matrixed team.
Product and Business focused mindset: experience owning product requirements and becoming deeply embedded in business priorities and user needs.

Nice To Haves

Experience and know-how in the Beverage industry building beverage products and established relationships with beverage equipment vendors is strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

Own the Product Roadmap: Act as the ultimate accountable person for the success of the automated beverage system, defining the product requirements and driving the technical vision.
Architect Complex Systems: Lead the high-level architecture across mechanical, electrical, and software domains, making the "big-picture" decisions that balance performance, reliability, and timeline.
Drive 0-to-1 Development: Navigate the full product lifecycle, from initial concepts and prototyping, to a high fidelity prototype to real world pilots.
Lead Cross-Functional Teams: Guide a diverse team of hardware and software engineers, fostering a culture of high performance, rapid iteration, and technical excellence.
Manage Timelines & Risk: Build and maintain aggressive but achievable development timelines, proactively identifying and mitigating technical and operational risks.
Cross-Departmental Collaboration: Work closely with our culinary platform team to ensure the product we build matches our culinary and business ambitions.
Drive "Buy vs. Build" Strategy: Lead the evaluation and selection of key technology partners and sub-components deciding when to outsource or leverage off-the-shelf parts versus developing proprietary solutions in-house.
Identify, onboard, and cultivate strategic third-party vendor relationships in the beverage equipment industry, ensuring partners are deeply aligned with and invested in our product vision.