Director of Product Hardware

Overview

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Rachio is looking for a Director of Product Hardware to own what Rachio builds in the physical world: the devices roadmap, the product definition behind each device, and the product development process (PDP) that takes a hardware concept from idea through EVT, DVT, and PVT to a product that ships on time, in full, and at the right cost. This is a senior leader role at Rachio and the head of our hardware portfolio: smart sprinkler controllers, hose timers, outdoor lighting, and the partner and OEM products we build with and for others, along with the tethered software experiences (setup, control, and device features in the Rachio app) that make them work. This is a high growth mode that requires someone who can span both strategic thinking and execution to deliver on the roadmap.

The role sits at the center of how Rachio develops and launches products. You partner with the Director of Product Marketing, who owns the go-to-market (GTM) process, on what we build and when; you own the "working backwards" definition of why we're building it, for whom, and what it has to do. You work daily with Engineering (firmware, electrical, mechanical, and industrial design), Supply Chain and Operations, Design, Support, Finance, and Sales to get products defined, built, certified, and delivered. It's inherently technical and inherently commercial: you are measured on shipping products customers love - on time, at cost, and at quality - and on how those products perform in market (activation, returns, CSAT, and attach to software and subscriptions), not on the volume of specs written.

The right person is equally comfortable writing a one-page product definition for the exec team, sitting in a firmware trade-off conversation with engineering, and spending time understanding customer pain points and usage data to inform what we are prioritizing building next. You will operate at startup velocity across projects in very different stages: finding product/market fit for new hardware concepts, accelerating the growth of fledgling products, and helping scale our mature ones.

A note on how this role works. Rachio runs a flat organization that maintains a high ownership and fast paced start-up culture. As such, this is a senior individual contributor role. Your influence comes from the quality of your product judgment, the clarity of your writing, and your credibility with the engineers, designers, and operators who build what you define - not from headcount. If there's a gap in the organization or resourcing standing between a product and its launch, you are expected to step in and fill it. If you're looking for a role where you set direction and a team executes it, this isn't that role. If you want to shape a category-leading device portfolio and see your decisions show up on shelves and in yards, it is.

Responsibilities

Own the hardware roadmap and product strategy

• Own the devices roadmap across new products, line extensions, and lifecycle work on launched products, and keep it led by data: customer research, product telemetry, support and returns data, channel input, competitive intelligence, and market trends.
• Co-lead the development of consumer-focused new product strategy and vision with leadership, supported by internal and external analysis, and translate it into a sequenced plan that Engineering and Supply Chain can commit to.
• Own and prioritize the lifecycle roadmap for shipped hardware: firmware and feature updates, cost-downs, quality fixes, and the improvements that make the product easier to buy, set up, and love.
• Manage the trade-offs among customer experience, performance, cost, schedule, and operational support load, and make the call - with a written rationale - when they conflict.

Own product definition and the product development process (PDP)

• Write the "working backwards" documents for each new product and major feature: the customer problem, the value to customers, partners, and channels, the target price and cost, the success criteria, and the questions we have to answer before we commit.
• Turn those into detailed, crisp business requirements and user stories that Engineering and Design can build to, spanning hardware, firmware, and the tethered app experience.
• Run the hardware PDP as a mechanism, not a meeting: clear stage gates from concept through EVT, DVT, PVT, and ramp, clear owners and exit criteria at each, and an honest review of what we learned at the end.
• Contribute to engineering decisions on technology and architecture - radios and protocols, sensors, power, enclosures - with enough fluency to be useful in the room and to recognize when a decision is a one-way door.
• Delegate CX problem and solution discovery to Design where appropriate (and know when that is), and facilitate their design development process and decision-making.

Integrate with Supply Chain and Operations

• Work with Supply Chain from concept forward on cost targets, supplier and contract manufacturer selection, tooling, and certification timelines, so initial inventory availability and delivery SLAs are set before we sell the product, not after.
• Own the product inputs to supply and demand planning: launch quantities, ramp assumptions, transition and end-of-life plans, and the demand signals coming from channel and partner commitments.
• Proactively identify and resolve the strategic issues - component shortages, cost overruns, schedule slips, quality escapes - that would keep the team from meeting its strategic, financial, and technical goals.

Drive hardware launches with GTM

• Partner with the Director of Product Marketing on hardware GTM launches: crisp definition of the product experience (hardware and software) and its value to the customer, and the technical inputs that positioning, packaging, and channel enablement depend on.
• Own launch readiness on the product side: certification, firmware and app readiness, in-box content, support documentation, and the go/no-go criteria for build and ship.
• Create commitment to the devices roadmap and overall product vision internally, with Rain Bird, and with key external partners: retailers, distributors, and OEM and platform partners.
• Work closely with engineering and project management to deliver products to market, performing the role of scrum master or product owner as needed for execution.
• Own and close the post-launch feedback loop: what's confusing customers, what's driving returns and support contacts, and what we fix in the next firmware or hardware revision.

Voice of the customer and measurement

• Own product discovery for hardware across homeowners and professional installers - interviews, surveys, field visits, and product data - and partner with Product Marketing on the broader customer research agenda.
• Instrument products so success is measurable: activation, engagement, return rate, defect and warranty rates, CSAT/NPS, and attach to software and subscription offerings.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications:

• 10+ years of technical experience in product management, product marketing, program management, or engineering, including significant time owning hardware products end-to-end.
• 5+ years of full-lifecycle consumer hardware/devices product management experience as the lead PM on the product: concept, definition, development, launch, and lifecycle management.
• 3+ years of professional experience working with mobile apps and/or connected consumer devices.
• Comfort operating as a hands-on individual contributor. You write the working backwards doc, build the requirements, run the PDP gates, and sit in the DVT review yourself rather than assigning it.
• Experience contributing to engineering discussions around technology decisions and strategy, including electrical and mechanical engineering and industrial design trade-offs.
• Working knowledge of embedded firmware, mobile technology, web services, and back-end application infrastructure - enough to reason about what a feature actually requires.
• Experience coordinating hardware development cycles with software development schedules, and leading cross-functional teams to deliver products on tight deadlines.
• Experience taking new hardware concepts from raw product intuition through fast, measurable tests to a decision, including the ones that failed.
• Strong analytical foundation: practical working knowledge of statistics and one or more of SQL, Python, or R for ad hoc analysis and prototyping, and comfort defending your assumptions.
• Exceptional written communication. Distill a complex set of trade-offs into a written narrative a leadership team can act on.
• Bachelor's degree.

Desired Qualifications

• Experience building a hardware product development process (NPI/PDP) from scratch, or materially rebuilding one that wasn't working.
• Experience shipping products through contract manufacturers, including EVT/DVT/PVT builds, DFM, certification (FCC, UL, CE), and factory visits.
• Experience with smart home platforms and protocols - Matter, Thread, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth - and the platform partners that certify them.
• Experience in two-step distribution or professional trade channels (irrigation, landscape, electrical, HVAC, plumbing, building products) alongside retail and D2C.
• Experience with outdoor products, lighting, water management, or the sustainability categories.
• Experience with partner, OEM, or white-label hardware programs.
• Hands-on experience maintaining a residential yard and irrigation system (or willing and able to).
• Engineering degree, MBA, or advanced degree.

Salary range for candidates based in California: $248,000 - $372,000

Salary range for candidates based in Colorado - New York- New York City or Maryland : $232,000 - $348,000

Salary ranges include base salary and annual incentive bonus if applicable.

Exact compensation may vary based on skills, experience, and location. xhyhwjd

Rachio is an equal opportunity employer.