Head of Hardware

Sanctuary, a world leader in building AI-based control systems for advanced robotic platforms, is looking to hire a Head of Hardware, reporting to the CTO. In this role, you will define, align, and execute the hardware vision and strategy for Sanctuary’s integrated hardware systems. You are accountable for delivering both technical and commercially relevant hardware milestones, spanning mechanical, electrical, sensors, actuators, and compute integration.

As the Head of Hardware, you bring strong leadership and deep technical discipline to the hardware organization. You have a proven track record of driving complex electromechanical systems from initial prototype through New Product Introduction (NPI) and early production. You will lead and grow a high-performing multidisciplinary team while ensuring hardware decisions balance performance, reliability, serviceability, schedule, and cost.

Our Success Criteria

Define and Execute Strategy: Co-develop and sign off on the hardware vision, objectives, and annual operating plan with executive leadership, ensuring alignment with commercial needs and deployment priorities.

Drive Disciplined Delivery: Translate company strategy into an integrated hardware roadmap and deliver milestones on-time and on-budget through clear ownership, scope control, and explicit tradeoff decisions.

Establish Engineering Excellence: Enforce hardware engineering standards and release discipline, including DFM, DFT, DFR, design reviews, and configuration control, to drive both speed and quality.

Own Operational Readiness: Lead manufacturing readiness and supply chain execution for prototypes and early production, including supplier selection, tooling, yield improvement, and cost-down planning.

Ensure System Reliability: Own validation strategy and acceptance criteria, driving durability, serviceability, and real-world performance through structured root cause analysis and corrective actions.

Scale the Organization: Build, lead, and retain a high-performing hardware organization with clear roles, ownership, and decision-making accountability.

Financial Governance: Ensure hardware spend and procurement execution are well-managed, with clear visibility, structured workflows, and disciplined operational processes.

Your Experience And Qualifications

• Master’s degree or equivalent experience in Mechanical Engineering, Robotics, Mechatronics, Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a closely related field.
• Significant experience leading complex electromechanical hardware from system architecture through validated prototypes and into NPI or early production environments.
• Proven track record of delivering hardware programs with accountability for schedules, resources, and risk management in fast-paced environments.
• Deep experience with hardware development rigor, including DFM, DFT, DFR, structured RCA and CAPA, and quality management systems.
• Strong experience in manufacturing scale-up, including tooling, test strategy, yield improvement, supplier quality, and cost optimization.
• Demonstrated ability to lead multidisciplinary teams across mechanical, electrical, systems, validation, and manufacturing engineering, including collaboration with external partners.

Systems Architecture: Strong capability in defining interfaces and integrating sensors, actuators, compute, and mechanical and electrical subsystems into cohesive systems.

Engineering Standards: Deep understanding of hardware release discipline, documentation practices, and change control processes.

Manufacturing and Supply Chain: Experience owning BOMs, managing supplier quality, and executing cost-down strategies for scalable production.

Validation and Reliability: Proven ability to establish testing strategies, define acceptance criteria, and drive durability and lifecycle performance in real-world environments.

Operational Discipline: Experience with structured processes for procurement, spend management, and supplier coordination within hardware organizations.

Technical Problem Solving: Strong ability to lead teams through complex technical challenges using structured, data-driven approaches.

Traits

• Strong sense of ownership and accountability for outcomes.
• Ability to make clear decisions in complex and uncertain environments.
• Effective communicator with the ability to align cross-functional teams.
• Resilient and execution-focused, with a bias toward delivering working systems.
• High attention to detail in both technical and operational work.
• Committed to building high-performing teams and developing talent.