Manager, Engineering

Turtlebox Audio•Houston, TX

3d•Onsite

About The Position

The engineering team at Turtlebox is responsible for everything that makes the product work — the mechanical architecture, the electronics, the audio performance, and the validation that proves it will survive the conditions our customers put it through. It's a small team right now, and the work is hands-on. That's not changing as we grow — we're adding depth, not layers. We're looking for a Manager of Engineering to lead and develop this team. You'll own the technical direction for product development across mechanical, electrical, and validation — setting the standard for how we design, test, and ship products. You'll report to the Product Director and work closely with Industrial Design, Product Management, Quality, and our manufacturing partners. This role is for someone who is genuinely a strong engineer — not someone who moved into management because they hit a technical ceiling, but someone who chose to lead because they know how to make a team better than the sum of its parts. You'll be doing real engineering work alongside managing, particularly in the early stages. That's not a transitional phase — it's how this team operates.

Requirements

10–15 years of engineering experience in consumer electronics, with a track record of managing complex, cross-disciplinary teams
Proven ability to lead engineering organizations through full product development cycles — concept through mass production — on multiple simultaneous programs
Deep expertise in plastic injection molding: tool design, DFM, first-article qualification, and production validation
Strong working knowledge of PCB and SMT processes — layout constraints, manufacturing yield, and supplier qualification
Hands-on firmware familiarity — enough to review firmware scope, communicate requirements to embedded engineers, and identify risk
Experience working directly with contract manufacturers in Asia — you've been to the factory, walked the line, and solved problems in person
Demonstrated track record developing engineering talent — hiring, growing, and holding a team to a high technical standard
Clear technical communicator — you can brief leadership and go deep with a supplier engineer in the same day
Experience implementing or managing a PLM system and engineering change/revision control processes — you've built this infrastructure, not just used it
Honest about what you know and what you don't — and good at building teams that fill the gaps
Must be legally authorized to work in Texas without requiring visa sponsorship.

Nice To Haves

Consumer audio, speaker, or electronics product experience
Experience with IP-rated, ruggedized, or outdoor product design
Familiarity with acoustic engineering or speaker system design
Background in startup or small-team consumer hardware development
Advanced SolidWorks proficiency — complex assemblies, surfacing, GD&T drawings; ability to review, mark up, and work directly in engineering files
Familiarity with PRD, DFMEA, EVT/DVT development models.
Familiarity with Altium Designer or equivalent PCB design tool — enough to conduct meaningful design reviews, assess layout decisions, and communicate requirements to electrical engineers
Working knowledge of Bluetooth system integration, EMI/EMC considerations, and mixed-signal PCB design constraints

Responsibilities

Manage and develop Turtlebox's engineering team — mechanical, electrical, audio, validation, and technician roles
Set the technical standard for product development: design quality, documentation, test rigor, and manufacturing readiness
Build an engineering culture that moves fast, owns its decisions, and doesn't repeat the same mistakes
Hire and onboard engineering talent as the team grows to meet the product roadmap
Lead engineering on priority development programs from concept through mass production
Make the tough technical tradeoffs — performance vs. cost, schedule vs. quality — and own the outcomes
Ensure designs are manufacturable, testable, and built to survive real-world outdoor use — from plastic part geometry through SMT layout and firmware integration
Drive design reviews, DFM reviews, and engineering gate decisions across all active programs
Work directly with contract manufacturers and component suppliers to translate designs into manufactured product
Drive tooling approvals, first-article inspections, and production validation — including plastic mold qualification and SMT line setup
Identify and resolve engineering issues at the factory — you travel when the work requires it
Build an engineering relationship with manufacturing partners that goes beyond PO management
Develop and maintain engineering documentation standards — drawings, specs, BOMs, and change control
Own the technical side of Turtlebox's product data management — structured, current, and usable
Build a test and validation infrastructure that catches problems before production, not after