Head Of/Director, Hardware Engineering

Prolific Machines is ushering in a new era of biotechnology with light. Our first-of-its-kind optogenetic platform delivers unprecedented control, precisely guiding cellular behavior when and where it matters most. Unlike existing tools used to control biology, our technology enables dynamic, tunable control over virtually any cellular function in any cell type. We're enabling partners to unlock robust efficiency, quality, and reproducibility advantages across the most complex pharmaceuticals and therapeutic proteins. Prolific is supported by leading investors, including Bill Gates’s Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Mayfield and SOSV. This is a hands-on engineering role that offers the opportunity to build deep expertise in optical systems, robotic calibration and automation, and the characterization of light interactions with biological systems. This role will own the execution and continuous improvement of optical calibration processes for illumination systems and the characterization of hardware system optical properties and biological optical properties. You will work closely with the Lead Optical Engineer to enable optical simulations, modeling, prototyping, and experiments that inform system design and performance. This individual will collaborate with Hardware, Data, Biology, and Bioprocess Engineering teams on projects aimed at understanding the complex relationship between light delivery methods, bioreactor conditions, and cell culture performance. The work will span laboratory experimentation, optical characterization, data analysis, simulation, and system development, helping translate fundamental insights into reliable engineering solutions. Over time, this role will develop increasing ownership of optical subsystems and technical projects that ultimately enable faster and cheaper therapeutics manufacturing and expand the range of applications made possible by Prolific’s illumination technology. Success in this position requires strong systems thinking and comfort operating both as a scientist and as an engineer. The ideal candidate enjoys working in person, operating close to real-world systems, and is comfortable applying and developing skills to pioneer solutions in an area where academic research is sparse. This role will be primarily based on-site in Emeryville, CA. Responsibilities: Strategy and functional leadership • Translate company strategy into a multi-year hardware strategy and roadmap, and turn it into concrete functional plans, milestones, and success measures • Partner with the CTO to define Prolific's technical roadmap, engineering standards, and decision-making frameworks • Contribute to company business planning as the hardware function's representative, including budgets, headcount, capital equipment, and partner program commitments • Make most operational and technical decisions for the hardware function independently, escalating where strategic alignment is needed • Build strong partnerships with peer leaders in bioprocess engineering, biology, software, data, and business development so hardware plans integrate with company-wide priorities • Represent Prolific externally with partners, suppliers, and the broader engineering community, and bring outside expertise and industry connections into the company • Model commitment to company decisions, aligning the hardware team behind agreed outcomes even when they differ from your own recommendation Leadership and team development • Conserve and strengthen the hardware team's culture of collaboration, candor, and craftsmanship as the team grows • Lead, mentor, and develop a strong multidisciplinary team, elevating already capable engineers to the next level and growing senior individual contributors into technical and people leads • Coach the team in balancing speed and rigor: when to prototype quickly, when to slow down and do it properly, and how to make that call with confidence • Own the structure and operations of the hardware function: team design, roles, resourcing, and a predictable operating rhythm (planning, design reviews, retrospectives) that adds clarity without adding bureaucracy • Own hardware team growth: identify capability gaps (e.g. systems, testing, quality), write the hiring plan, and hire people who strengthen the culture • Manage up and down effectively, communicating clearly about tradeoffs in scope, quality, time, and people Hardware development • Bring a systems engineering approach to the platform: define subsystem boundaries and interfaces, requirements flow-down, and modular designs that enable rapid scaling, independent testing, and component reuse, without over-engineering early • Take on the hardest, least precedented technical problems in scaling light delivery to industrial bioprocessing, and develop solutions that hold up long term • Oversee the full development lifecycle, from technical scoping and concept through prototyping, verification and validation, and transfer to production • Lead the transition from R&D prototypes to reliable, serviceable, manufacturable products (design for manufacturing, design for service, design controls) • Drive make-vs-buy and insource-vs-outsource decisions, and manage external development partners and contract manufacturers against clear scopes and milestones • Support business development with technical scoping and realistic estimates for partner programs Quality, compliance, and productization • Define and execute the path to GMP readiness for hardware used in partner manufacturing environments • Lead electrical safety and regulatory certification efforts with test labs and consultants • Establish the right-sized quality practices for each stage: documentation, change control, verification records, and supplier qualification • Work with hardware operations to make sure what the team designs can be built, deployed, and supported at scale Requirements: • BS, MS, or PhD in Mechanical, Electrical, Optical, Systems, or Biomedical Engineering, or a related field; equivalent experience considered • 10+ years of relevant industry experience, including 3+ years leading a multidisciplinary hardware engineering team or department as a people manager (e.g. senior manager or director) • Demonstrated experience taking at least one hardware product from R&D prototype through to production and field deployment, with concrete examples of what you'd do differently next time • A track record of setting multi-year technical or functional strategy and translating it into execution plans, budgets, and resourcing • Hands-on experience bringing hardware into a regulated environment: GMP, FDA design controls, or equivalent, and leading products through electrical safety certification (UL, CE, or similar) • Deep technical expertise in at least one core discipline (mechanical, electrical, or optical) and enough breadth to make sound architecture calls across the others • A strong track record of mentoring engineers and growing individual contributors into leads • Experience managing external development partners, contract manufacturers, or suppliers against defined scopes and milestones • Excellent written and verbal communication, including explaining complex technical tradeoffs in scope, quality, time, and (human) resources to executives, partners, and non-engineers Nice-to-Haves: • Strong systems engineering judgment: enough depth in the discipline to decide whether we need a dedicated systems engineer and to lead that work until we do, whether or not it's your formal background. A track record of architecting modular, scalable hardware platforms is a strong signal here • Familiarity with life science hardware: bioprocessing equipment, lab instrumentation, or medical devices (biology expertise is available within the organization) • Experience with optical systems, LED or laser illumination, or thermal management of high-power electronics • Experience with equipment used in pharmaceutical manufacturing, including qualification (IQ/OQ/PQ) and GAMP-style validation • Experience scaling a fleet of deployed systems from a handful of units to dozens or more • Experience at an early-stage company, ideally through a period of rapid team growth • Working knowledge of firmware, embedded systems, and connected devices, enough to partner effectively with firmware and software leads About You: • You lead with concrete examples: you can walk through how you built a team, shipped a product, or recovered a slipping program, step by step • You're a coach first. You get energy from making a strong team even stronger, and you protect the culture that made it strong • You think in systems: how the pieces fit together, where the interfaces are, and what will need to scale • You're flexible and rigorous at the same time, comfortable trading off speed against rigor, and you can teach others to make those calls and feel good about them • You think strategically about how hardware serves the business, not just how to build it well • You're comfortable in an R&D environment today and excited to lead the shift to product, not impatient for a finished production line • You're curious about the biology and comfortable leaning on scientists and bioprocess engineers for what you don't know • You know when to be flexible and when to be assertive, and once a decision is made, you commit to it and bring your team along • You're a thoughtful coworker who cares about the company's mission and culture, and you actively seek feedback Benefits: Generous equity package in an early stage company, retirement plan with company contribution, flexible PTO with healthy time off minimums, company-covered medical, dental, and vision insurance, life and disability insurance, career coaching, mental health support, free team lunches everyday, great snacks, and companywide social events! Diversity: Prolific Machines values diverse perspectives, backgrounds, experiences, and ideas. We are committed to building an inclusive workplace where all employees can bring their authentic selves to work and have equal opportunities to succeed. Prolific Machines is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, age, disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. Location: The San Francisco Bay Area (Emeryville, CA)