Head Of/Director, Hardware Engineering

Prolific Machines•Emeryville, CA

3d•$220,000 - $270,000•Hybrid

About The Position

Prolific Machines is seeking a senior hardware leader to oversee the hardware engineering function, responsible for designing and building illumination systems for their optogenetic platform. This role involves leading the transition from prototypes to customer-grade products, acting as the hardware representative in company planning, and shaping the company's technical direction. The position inherits an existing, skilled multidisciplinary team and requires a strong systems engineering approach. The role emphasizes enabling biotechnology through hardware, with a focus on transitioning from an R&D-first environment to customer-facing products. The ideal candidate will have strong hardware leadership, communication skills, and curiosity, with deep biology expertise available within the organization.

Requirements

BS, MS, or PhD in Mechanical, Electrical, Optical, Systems, or Biomedical Engineering, or a related field; equivalent experience considered
10+ years of relevant industry experience, including 3+ years leading a multidisciplinary hardware engineering team or department as a people manager (e.g. senior manager or director)
Demonstrated experience taking at least one hardware product from R&D prototype through to production and field deployment, with concrete examples of what you'd do differently next time
A 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, or equivalent, and leading products through electrical safety certification (UL, CE, or similar)
Deep technical expertise in at least one core discipline (mechanical, electrical, or optical) and enough breadth to make sound architecture calls across the others
A strong track record of mentoring engineers and growing individual contributors into leads
Experience managing external development partners, contract manufacturers, or suppliers against defined scopes and milestones
Excellent written and verbal communication, including explaining complex technical tradeoffs in scope, quality, time, and (human) resources to executives, partners, and non-engineers

Nice To Haves

Strong systems engineering judgment: enough depth in the discipline to decide whether we need a dedicated systems engineer and to lead that work until we do, whether or not it's your formal background. A track record of architecting modular, scalable hardware platforms is a strong signal here
Familiarity with life science hardware: bioprocessing equipment, lab instrumentation, or medical devices (biology expertise is available within the organization)
Experience with optical systems, LED or laser illumination, or thermal management of high-power electronics
Experience with equipment used in pharmaceutical manufacturing, including qualification (IQ/OQ/PQ) and GAMP-style validation
Experience scaling a fleet of deployed systems from a handful of units to dozens or more
Experience at an early-stage company, ideally through a period of rapid team growth
Working knowledge of firmware, embedded systems, and connected devices, enough to partner effectively with firmware and software leads

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 as the hardware function's representative, including budgets, headcount, capital equipment, and partner program commitments
Make most operational and technical decisions for the hardware function independently, escalating where strategic alignment is needed
Build strong partnerships with peer leaders in bioprocess engineering, biology, software, data, and business development so hardware plans integrate with company-wide priorities
Represent Prolific externally with partners, suppliers, and the broader engineering community, and bring outside expertise and industry connections into the company
Model commitment to company decisions, aligning the hardware team behind agreed outcomes even when they differ from your own recommendation
Conserve and strengthen the hardware team's culture of collaboration, candor, and craftsmanship as the team grows
Lead, mentor, and develop a strong multidisciplinary team, elevating already capable engineers to the next level and growing senior individual contributors into technical and people leads
Coach the team in balancing speed and rigor: when to prototype quickly, when to slow down and do it properly, and how to make that call with confidence
Own the structure and operations of the hardware function: team design, roles, resourcing, and a predictable operating rhythm (planning, design reviews, retrospectives) that adds clarity without adding bureaucracy
Own hardware team growth: identify capability gaps (e.g. systems, testing, quality), write the hiring plan, and hire people who strengthen the culture
Manage up and down effectively, communicating clearly about tradeoffs in scope, quality, time, and people
Bring a systems engineering approach to the platform: define subsystem boundaries and interfaces, requirements flow-down, and modular designs that enable rapid scaling, independent testing, and component reuse, without over-engineering early
Take on the hardest, least precedented technical problems in scaling light delivery to industrial bioprocessing, and develop solutions that hold up long term
Oversee the full development lifecycle, from technical scoping and concept through prototyping, verification and validation, and transfer to production
Lead the transition from R&D prototypes to reliable, serviceable, manufacturable products (design for manufacturing, design for service, design controls)
Drive make-vs-buy and insource-vs-outsource decisions, and manage external development partners and contract manufacturers against clear scopes and milestones
Support business development with technical scoping and realistic estimates for partner programs
Define and execute the path to GMP readiness for hardware used in partner manufacturing environments
Lead electrical safety and regulatory certification efforts with test labs and consultants
Establish the right-sized quality practices for each stage: documentation, change control, verification records, and supplier qualification
Work with hardware operations to make sure what the team designs can be built, deployed, and supported at scale