Hardware Lead

As Hardware Lead, you'll build and own the hardware function from the ground up. Today we have deep expertise across AI, autonomy, and software, with zero hardware in-house. You'll change that.

You'll define our hardware strategy across ground, aerial, and stationary platforms, take ownership of the physical robots that run our field foundation models, and grow the hardware team behind you as the company scales. This is a high-leverage role. You'll be the senior hardware voice in the company, working directly with founders to decide what we build, how we source it, and how it survives in the field.

Expect to be deeply hands-on for the first year: building, testing, and iterating on real platforms in real conditions, while laying the foundation for a hardware org you'll later lead.

Details

• Location: Zürich, Switzerland · On-site
• Employment: Full-time
• Seniority: Director
• Visa & work authorization: Fully on-site in Zürich. Full visa and relocation support provided. Some flexibility possible for genuine needs, but default is in-office.
  

Our Mission
We believe robotics is entering a transformative decade, much like the arrival of the internet. Advances in AI, cloud computing, and hardware are reshaping what autonomous systems can do. Our mission is to build the intelligent software that powers physical security in the real world - enabling robots and sensors to handle dangerous and critical tasks that humans shouldn't have to. By engineering the orchestration layer for intelligent security, we aim to create a world that is safer, more secure, and more resilient.

We're a strong founding team based in Zurich, backed by visionary investors and advisors. We are engineering the future of security today!

Ideal candidate
The ideal candidate has 8+ years of experience and has shipped at least one complex robotic system from prototype into real-world production. They must have a proven track record of ruggedizing hardware for outdoor/harsh environments and possess deep, hands-on expertise across mechanical, electrical, and systems integration (world-class in at least one). Without direct experience taking a product through DVT/PVT and managing manufacturing, do not proceed. They are a small, scrappy, and serious founding team that values curiosity and a hands-on building mentality. The ideal candidate is someone who thrives in a 0-to-1 environment and is excited by the prospect of being the sole hardware expert initially. They need a builder and a strategist, not a manager who delegates.

What You'll Own

• Hardware strategy: platform choices (build vs. partner vs. integrate) across ground robots, drones, and stationary sensors
• Mechanical design: chassis, mounting, and ruggedization for outdoor security deployments
• Electrical and electromechanical systems: power, compute, actuation, sensing integration
• Sensor integration (cameras, LiDAR, IMU, GPS, audio): selection, calibration, and physical integration
• Manufacturing and supply chain: prototype-to-production pipeline, vendor management, BOM ownership
• Field reliability: environmental qualification, MTBF, failure analysis, and durability programs
• Hiring: build the hardware team behind you as the product scales

Who We're Looking For
We're looking for an experienced hardware engineer who has shipped real robotic systems into the field, not just prototypes that demoed well. You've seen what breaks at scale, what survives, and what doesn't. You move fast without compromising on reliability, because security customers can't tolerate flaky hardware.

Your Background

• 8+ years in robotics, autonomous systems, or adjacent hardware, with at least one product taken from prototype into the field
• Deep expertise across mechanical, electrical, and systems integration - world-class in at least one, strong in the others
• Hands-on experience taking robots through prototype, DVT, PVT, and into production
• Track record of ruggedizing hardware for outdoor, all-weather, or harsh environments
• Experience managing manufacturing partners and supply chains
• Strong systems thinker - you reason cleanly across mechanical, electrical, firmware, and software boundaries

Nice to have

• Experience across multiple mobile robot form factors (legged, wheeled, aerial)
• Background in defense, security, industrial inspection, or other outdoor field robotics domains
• Familiarity with ROS 2 and modern robot bring-up workflows
• Prior experience starting and scaling a hardware team from zero

Interview process

1. Intro call with a Founder.
2. Half-day technical deep-dive in the Zürich office, focused on solving real-world hardware problems and strategy.
3. Final cultural fit interview with CEO.

What We Offer

• Mission: Build the foundation models that decide how robots see, reason, and act in the real world. Research with deployment, not papers without impact.
• Autonomy: Real independence on what to train, how to evaluate, and how to ship.
• Compute: Access to the compute and field data you need to do serious work.
• Team: Work alongside PhD-level co-founders in AI, Robotics, and Physics, plus a strong founding engineering team.
• Location: In-person in Zürich, Switzerland. Visa and relocation support available.
• Culture: Small, international founding team that's serious about building, but doesn't take itself too seriously. Curiosity and quirks welcome.