Head of Hardware

United States - San Francisco · San_franciscoFull Timeexecutive

OtherManagementHardware

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Quick Summary

Overview

Chef Robotics is accelerating the deployment of intelligent machines in the physical world, starting with food production—a sector facing the largest labor shortage in the U.S., with 1.

Technical Tools

OtherManagementHardware

Chef Robotics is accelerating the deployment of intelligent machines in the physical world, starting with food production—a sector facing the largest labor shortage in the U.S., with 1.14M unfilled jobs today and 3.1M projected by 2030. These roles cannot be offshored, making robotics essential to keeping production onshore and strengthening America’s manufacturing base. Backed by investors like Kleiner Perkins, Construct, Bloomberg Beta, and Promus Ventures, and supported by a world-class team from companies such as Cruise, Zoox, Google, Tesla, and Amazon Robotics, Chef is rapidly scaling with multiple multi-year contracts and a mission to put an intelligent robot in every commercial kitchen.

About the Role

~2 min read

As the Head of Hardware, you will be a key member of the senior leadership team, responsible for defining and executing the hardware strategy that will take us to enterprise-level performance. You will oversee the system architecture for our next-generation products while managing and mentoring a high-performing team of mechanical engineers and manufacturing technicians.

Oversee hardware architecture and system definition for both our existing solutions and our next-generation enterprise-focused products.

Lead the transition from producing 2-3 units per week to a high-volume operation, with a target of deploying 100+ robots by year-end.

Partner with Contract Manufacturers (CMs) and manage the global supply chain to aggressively reduce Bill of Materials (BOM) costs and improve lead times.

Work closely with the Heads of Software, Autonomy, and Application Engineering to ensure tight hardware-software integration and prioritize features based on real-world data.

Implement rigorous DFM (Design for Manufacturing) and DFA (Design for Assembly) standards to ensure enterprise-grade reliability in harsh kitchen environments.

10+ years of hardware engineering experience, with at least 5 years in a leadership role (Director or VP level) at a robotics or complex electromechanical systems company.

Demonstrated success in taking a product from low-volume "lab" production to high-volume manufacturing via Tier-1 CMs.

Deep expertise in mechatronics, motion control, and ruggedized system design.

Experience managing complex BOMs and driving significant cost reductions without compromising quality.

Experience in the food-tech or industrial automation sectors.

Knowledge of regulatory certifications (UL, CE, NSF) for commercial kitchen equipment.

Background in a high-growth, venture-backed startup environment.