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Hippo Harvest · 1 month ago

Hardware Engineering Manager

Pescadero, CA

Full-time

Hybrid

Mid, Senior Level

$170K/yr - $240K/yr

5+ years exp

Hippo Harvest is a controlled environment agriculture startup that leverages plant science, machine learning, and robotics to grow vegetables sustainably. The Hardware Engineering Manager will lead the hardware team in transitioning prototypes to production-ready systems, overseeing design and reliability improvements while managing relationships with external partners.

AgricultureAgTechSustainability

Responsibilities

Lead, mentor, and grow the hardware engineering team while remaining highly hands-on in design and troubleshooting

Architect mechanical and electrical systems for robotic automation platforms; define long-term hardware roadmaps and strategic investments

Design next-generation systems that can scale to large commercial deployments, including fleets of 100s of robots

Build and test hardware in our live production greenhouse environment in Pescadero

Identify the skills, roles, and capabilities needed on the hardware team as we scale, and lead hiring efforts to build the right team for the job

Work closely with operations and plant science teams to integrate systems, learn from field failures, and implement improvements

Drive reliability, manufacturability, and serviceability improvements, incorporating insights from corrosion, vibration, cable management, and other environmental challenges

Design electromechanical systems including actuators, motors, low-voltage power distribution, sensing, and control hardware

Diagnose and resolve complex electrical, mechanical, and software-integration failures, leading root-cause analysis efforts

Manage relationships with external partners including manufacturers, vendors, and design firms; conduct design reviews, guide requirements, and ensure alignment on quality and cost

Qualification

Mechanical EngineeringElectrical EngineeringElectromechanical DesignRoboticsTroubleshootingManufacturing CollaborationTeam LeadershipProject ManagementCommunication SkillsProblem Solving