Head of Hardware (San Francisco)

San FranciscoEngineering – Leadership /Full Time /On-siteChef Robotics is bringing AI into the physical world, starting with one of the world’s largest industries: food manufacturing.Food production faces one of the most severe labor shortages in the US, with more than 1 million open jobs today and demand continuing to grow. Our robots help manufacturers automate repetitive food-preparation and assembly tasks so they can increase throughput, improve consistency, and keep production onshore.Today, Chef robots operate in production facilities across North America and Europe, serving customers including Amy’s Kitchen, gategroup, and CookUnity. Our robots have made over 100 million servings in production, creating the world’s largest proprietary dataset for AI-powered manipulation of deformable food. Every meal our robots produce makes the system smarter.Backed by leading investors including Avataar Ventures, Construct Capital, Bloomberg Beta, Promus Ventures, and Kleiner Perkins, we’re scaling rapidly with a robotics-as-a-service (RaaS) model and long-term customer partnerships. Our team includes engineers and leaders from Google, Cruise, Tesla, Amazon Robotics, Dexterity, Bear Robotics, Saildrone, and Zoox, united by a mission to build intelligent machines that solve meaningful problems in the real world.If you’re excited about solving hard problems, creating real customer impact, and shipping systems that operate in production every day, not just in the lab, you’ll feel at home at Chef.About The RoleAs 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.In this role, you will: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.What you bring: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.Nice-to-Haves: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.$180,000 - $280,000 a yearChef is an early-stage startup where equity is a major part of the compensation package. Our salary ranges are determined by role, level, and location. The range displayed on each job posting reflects the minimum and maximum target for new hire salaries for the position. Within the range, individual pay is determined by additional factors, including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training.In addition to salary and early-stage equity, we offer a comprehensive benefits package that includes medical, dental, and vision insurance, commuter benefits, flexible paid time off (PTO), catered lunch, and 401(k) matching.Chef Robotics is solving one of the hardest problems in AI: bringing intelligence into the physical world.Our robots are already operating in production facilities every day, generating the real-world data that powers the next generation of embodied AI. If you want to build technology that leaves the lab, ships to customers, and transforms an industry, Chef is the place to do it.We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses and identifying potential inconsistencies or verification signals in application materials based on available information. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.