Head of Hardware

Rune Technologies • Arlington, VA

1d

About The Position

As Head of Hardware, you will lead the development of Rune's hardware product suite and own all aspects of hardware engineering across the company. You will be responsible for the full lifecycle of hardware development, from early concept exploration and rapid prototyping through design, validation, manufacturing, and deployment in operational environments.
This is a foundational leadership role that will define how hardware is built at Rune. You will establish the technical vision, engineering processes, and organizational structure required to develop mission-critical systems that can be deployed at scale. Working closely with company leadership, you will help identify and prioritize new hardware opportunities that expand Rune's product portfolio and deliver meaningful operational advantage to military users.
You must have demonstrated experience building and shipping zero-to-one hardware products satisfying MIL-STD requirements to real world military environments, coupled with a deep understanding of how modern technologies can be leveraged to support military missions. You have a background in and understanding of how electrical, mechanical and software engineering must co-develop to create hardware solutions. The ideal candidate combines strong technical judgment with proven leadership experience in high-stakes environments, and is capable of making sound decisions under uncertainty while maintaining a relentless focus on execution.
This role carries significant cross-functional responsibility. You will work closely with the Head of Software and Head of Platform to ensure hardware, software, and infrastructure development efforts are tightly coordinated from concept through deployment. You will also partner with the company’s Growth and Mission Success teams to ensure Rune's hardware systems are designed for real-world operational use and can be rapidly iterated based on user feedback.
You will be responsible for recruiting exceptional talent, establishing a culture of technical excellence and ownership, and creating the systems required to scale the organization as Rune grows. While this is a senior leadership position, you should be comfortable remaining deeply technical and hands-on, personally contributing to critical engineering decisions, design reviews, prototyping efforts, and technical problem-solving when needed.
You will report directly to the Chief Technology Officer and serve as a key member of Rune's technical leadership team, helping shape the company's long-term product strategy and engineering direction.

Requirements

• 15+ years of experience leading the development and delivery of complex hardware systems, with significant experience supporting defense, national security, or military customers.
• Demonstrated success building and scaling zero-to-one hardware products, from early concept and prototyping through deployment, manufacturing, and operational sustainment.
• Proven experience leading and growing high-performing multidisciplinary engineering teams, including recruiting, mentorship, organizational design, and technical leadership.
• Deep understanding of hardware product development processes, systems engineering principles, and the challenges associated with deploying mission-critical technologies in operational environments.
• Experience developing and fielding hardware solutions that meet MIL-STD requirements for ruggedness, shock and vibration, and electromagnetic emission.
• Strong technical foundation with the ability to engage across electrical, mechanical, embedded, systems disciplines and make sound engineering decisions under uncertainty.
• Experience working directly with military operators, defense stakeholders, and senior government leaders to understand mission requirements and translate them into deployable technical solutions.
• Exceptional leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to align technical teams, company leadership, and external stakeholders around shared objectives.
• Demonstrated ability to operate effectively in fast-paced, ambiguous, and high-stakes environments while maintaining a strong bias toward execution and delivery.
• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Physics, or a related technical discipline required; advanced degree preferred.
• Active U.S. Secret security clearance required.

Nice To Haves

• advanced degree preferred

Responsibilities

• Lead all aspects of hardware engineering at Rune, defining the technical vision, roadmap, and execution strategy for the company's hardware product portfolio.
• Own the end-to-end hardware development lifecycle, from concept generation and rapid prototyping through validation, manufacturing, deployment, and sustainment in operational environments.
• Work directly with military operators, program stakeholders, and senior defense leaders to understand mission requirements, identify capability gaps, and translate operational challenges into deployable technical solutions.
• Build, lead, and mentor a high-performing team of hardware engineers across multiple disciplines, establishing a culture of technical excellence, ownership, urgency, and mission focus.
• Recruit exceptional engineering talent and develop the organizational structure, processes, and technical standards required to scale the hardware organization as the company grows.
• Remain deeply technical and hands-on, personally contributing to architecture decisions, design reviews, prototyping efforts, testing activities, and critical engineering challenges when needed.
• Drive technical decision-making across electrical, mechanical, firmware, systems, manufacturing, and integration domains, balancing speed, reliability, performance, and cost.
• Establish rigorous engineering processes for testing, validation, quality assurance, reliability, and field readiness to ensure products perform in demanding operational environments.
• Work closely with the Head of Software and Head of Software to define and deliver integrated hardware-software systems that provide a seamless experience for users in the field.
• Help define Rune's long-term hardware strategy, evaluating emerging technologies, identifying new product opportunities, and guiding investment decisions that support company growth.
• Serve as a key member of Rune's technical leadership team, helping shape company-wide engineering priorities, product direction, and organizational development.

Benefits

• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision plans; premiums 100% covered by Rune for all employees; exceptionally low premiums for spouses and dependents
• Basic life insurance and disability 100% covered for all employees by Rune; option to purchase additional life insurance available
• ‘Take the time off that you need, when you need it’ paid time off, not accrual based
• Generous company holiday calendar including a holiday shutdown in December
• Supportive leave of absence program including time off for military service, medical events, and parental leave
• Full 401(k) retirement plan for all full-time eligible employees
• Company-funded commuter benefits
• Free access to on-site gym at office

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior