Director of Hardware Product Development

Sans•Los Angeles, CA

1d•$160,000 - $180,000•Hybrid

About The Position

Sans is on a mission to build the next great consumer hardware brand, with a laser focus on products that help people live healthier lives at home. We started with a category-leading air purifier before expanding to a best-in-class countertop water purifier that actually works to eliminate harmful contaminants - and our product roadmap is just getting started. We're a small, ambitious team that believes deeply in our ability to create a meaningful consumer brand. We move fast, learn quickly, and consistently outperform much larger competitors. The Director of Hardware Product Development will own the development of Sans' hardware products from concept through production. This person will act as the product owner for hardware development, working closely with factory partners and outside engineering resources to bring new products to life. You will lead the process, the decisions, the timelines, and the quality bar across our hardware portfolio. You will be the senior hardware voice in the company, responsible for translating product goals into clear development plans and ensuring our partners execute to the standard Sans expects. This role sits at the center of product development, working with Director of Operations, Head of CX, and external partners managing manufacturing, firmware, software, and industrial design to deliver connected devices that are well-designed, manufacturable, reliable, and ready to scale. This is a senior individual contributor role reporting directly to the Founder and CEO. The ideal candidate will have deep experience bringing consumer hardware products to market through ODMs, OEMs, and outside development partners. They should combine strong technical judgment with strong product sense, know how to manage the realities of outsourced development, and be comfortable owning both strategy and execution. They should be highly collaborative, detail-oriented, and able to keep complex programs moving across multiple stakeholders and time zones.

Requirements

Bachelor's Degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Product Design Engineering, or a related technical field, or equivalent practical experience
8+ years of experience developing consumer hardware products, including taking multiple products from concept through production with outsourced design, development, and manufacturing partners
3+ years in a role with clear ownership over hardware programs, product decisions, or cross-functional execution
Strong technical foundation in hardware development, including enough fluency in circuit design, PCB architecture, embedded systems, and hardware debugging to make good decisions and challenge partners when needed
Experience with connected devices, wireless protocols such as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, and the hardware-software interface required for IoT products
Deep familiarity with phase-gate hardware product development and a strong sense for where programs usually slip, break, or create downstream problems
Experience managing ODM, OEM, and supplier relationships in Asia, with the judgment and persistence required to maintain quality through external partners
Experience with overseas manufacturers
Working knowledge of consumer hardware compliance requirements, including FCC, CE, and UL. Experience with UK or EU compliance frameworks is a plus
Willingness to travel regularly to Asia 2-4 times per year to work closely with manufacturing and development partners
Strong leadership and communication skills, with the ability to drive alignment across internal stakeholders and external partners
Ability to work effectively across functions in a fast-moving environment with limited structure and changing priorities
Highly organized and comfortable managing multiple workstreams, dependencies, and deadlines at once
Strong product judgment and a practical, hands-on approach to problem solving
Excitement for startups and building a company from the ground up

Responsibilities

Own hardware product development end-to-end, leading programs from concept through EVT, DVT, PVT, and mass production while maintaining the timeline, decision-making, and quality bar at each stage
Act as the product owner for hardware development, translating company priorities and product requirements into clear direction for factory partners and external engineering firms
Partner cross-functionally with internal and external partners across operations, firmware and software development, and industrial design to define product requirements, resolve tradeoffs, and ensure hardware decisions support the full product experience
Lead a rigorous development process that includes design reviews, FMEA, and strong DfX discipline across cost, manufacturability, reliability, supply chain, and quality
Co-own factory and supplier relationships in Asia in partnership with Director of Operations, building strong operating rhythms with current partners, holding them accountable to Sans standards, and helping identify new partners as the product line expands
Oversee prototyping, testing, validation, and issue resolution to ensure products meet performance, reliability, and manufacturability requirements before launch
Own hardware compliance and certification across FCC, CE, UL, and UK PSTI requirements, and work with outside partners to ensure products are properly tested and documented
Serve as the senior point person for hardware-related field issues, helping diagnose root causes, prioritize fixes, and drive corrective action with partners when problems arise after launch
Contribute to product strategy and roadmap decisions by bringing a practical view on technical feasibility, cost, development complexity, and launch timing
Drive clarity across active programs so leadership has a clear view of status, risks, tradeoffs, and critical path
This is a senior individual contributor role that will own Sans' hardware product development function, with the goal of building and leading our Hardware Product team as we grow