Head of Drone Hardware

Applied Intuition•Sunnyvale, CA

11d•Onsite

About The Position

Applied Intuition is hiring a Head of Drone Hardware to lead and scale the engineering organization responsible for all drone hardware products, from airframes and mechanical structures through full system integration. The role owns the hardware roadmap and technical strategy for drone and autonomy platforms, and leads a multidisciplinary team spanning Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Systems Integration, and Test. The Head of Drone Hardware works hands-on with the team throughout the product lifecycle, from concept and prototyping through flight testing and high-volume production, and sets the technical bar for rugged, high-performance hardware. The position also involves partnering directly with customers to meet critical commitments. Applied Intuition is an in-office company. Full-time employees are expected to work primarily from an Applied Intuition office five days a week, with flexibility for occasional remote work and schedule adjustments. This expectation does not apply to contractor positions. The company is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, and has offices in Washington, D.C.; San Diego; Ft. Walton Beach, Florida; Ann Arbor, Michigan; London; Stuttgart; Munich; Stockholm; Bangalore; Seoul; and Tokyo.

Requirements

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

Nice To Haves

Background in Electrical Engineering, including PCB design, schematic capture, and power distribution systems.
Background in Aeronautical or Aerospace Engineering, with understanding of aerodynamics, stability, and propulsion integration.
Direct leadership experience in drones, space, uncrewed aerial systems (UAS), or similar complex hardware products.
A combination of consumer electronics experience and experience in defense, automotive, trucking, construction, mining, or agriculture.
Experience executing committed deliverables for defense programs or major enterprise customers.

Responsibilities

Build, lead, and scale a multidisciplinary hardware engineering organization spanning Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Systems Integration, and Test.
Own the technical roadmap and architecture for all drone hardware products, from airframes and mechanical structures through full autonomy system integration.
Set technical direction on tradeoffs among weight, strength, durability, power, and manufacturability to ensure hardware meets mission requirements.
Drive projects through the full lifecycle, from initial architecture and prototyping through high-volume production.
Establish and scale engineering departments and processes to meet committed 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 develop engineering managers and individual contributors, building technical leadership capacity.
Work directly with external customers to align technical requirements and drive customer success.
Partner with autonomy, software, program management, and manufacturing leaders to ensure hardware designs meet mission requirements.