As Chief Hardware Officer, you will lead the end-to-end development of proprietary tactile sensing hardware for the next generation of physical AI. From taking working prototypes through to volume manufacturing, you will own the firmware, MCU bring-up, and reliability qualification, building the critical touch layer that currently limits robotic autonomy and machine learning interaction.
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Chief Hardware Officer at Stealth physical AI startup
Help machines feel the world. This stealth-stage startup in San Francisco is building the proprietary tactile sensing hardware and data infrastructure needed for the next generation of physical AI. As Chief Hardware Officer, you’ll receive cofounder-level equity and a C-level mandate to own hardware end-to-end. We need a hands-on leader who has shipped MEMS or sensing hardware and isn't afraid to dive into firmware and MCU debugging. This is a rare opportunity to join a small, high-caliber founding team and solve the fundamental "touch" bottleneck that currently limits robotics and autonomous systems.
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Location
San Francisco, United States
Compensation
Not Disclosed + Equity
Company
Confidential company
Role overview
About the company
Stealth physical AI startup
What you will do
- Own the hardware lifecycle from prototype to a manufacturable, qualifiable product, including firmware development and MCU bring-up.
- Develop calibration and reliability qualification processes to ensure high-resolution tactile sensing scales effectively for volume manufacturing.
- Set the long-term hardware roadmap and lead the hiring and management of a world-class hardware engineering team.
Who this is a fit for
- Proven track record of shipping real sensing, embedded, or MEMS/semiconductor hardware to production at scale.
- Extremely hands-on technical leader who writes firmware, designs systems, and can personally debug MCUs during long bring-up cycles.
- Previous experience as a founder or early engineer at a hardware startup, with a strong sense of personal accountability for delivery dates.
Why this role is remarkable
- Receive a C-level mandate and cofounder-level equity to build the tactile sensing layer for the future of robotics and physical AI.
- Join a well-funded, stealth-stage founding team with a working prototype and a clear technical moat in a high-growth sector.
- Transition from a working laboratory prototype to a scalable, manufacturable product that solves a fundamental bottleneck in modern autonomous systems.
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