VP of Hardware Engineering
Hardware Engineering • Reports to: CTO • Full Time • Remote / Hybrid
Your Role at Pura:As a VP of Hardware, you will lead Pura's Mechanical, Electrical, and Firmware Engineering teams, owning the technical vision and execution behind every smart diffuser we bring to market-from the first prototype to millions of units in Owners' homes. You'll build tight, trusted partnerships with our contract manufacturers and external engineering partners, running them as true extensions of our internal team rather than arms-length vendors.
You will help us inspire a belief in the power of fragrance to craft and elevate memorable moments for our Owners. This is your chance to make an impact in a high-growth company that's redefining the way people experience scent.
What You'll Own:
- Lead the hardware organization: Direct Pura's R&D, Mechanical, Electrical, and Firmware Engineering teams, setting technical strategy and roadmap across all connected diffuser products
- Own contract manufacturing partnerships: Serve as the primary technical owner of relationships with our CM/EMS and component partners, integrating them as extensions of the internal team
- Drive new product introduction: Guide products from concept and DFM/DFA through EVT/DVT/PVT and mass-production ramp, hitting cost, quality, and schedule targets
- Ensure quality and reliability: Establish test, validation, and field-quality processes that keep smart diffusers reliable across millions of units in the field
- Manage supply chain risk: Partner with Sourcing, Operations and Manufacturing to qualify components, manage lead times, and mitigate single-source and geopolitical risk
- Build the team: Recruit, develop, and retain top mechanical, electrical, and firmware talent, and shape the org structure as Pura scales
- Own budget and roadmap: Build and manage the hardware engineering budget and NRE spend, and shape the multi-year product roadmap with Strategy, Product and Executive teams
Essential Functions:
- Partner cross-functionally with Strategy, Product, Software/App, Supply Chain, and Executive teams to align hardware development with business strategy and go-to-market timing.
- Represent hardware engineering to the executive team, communicating technical trade-offs, risks, and investment needs in business terms.
- Lead special projects and new-category exploration, such as whole-home scenting and vehicle diffusion, alongside ongoing cost-reduction initiatives
Qualifications:
- 12+ years of hardware engineering experience, including 5+ years leading multidisciplinary team, ideally on high-volume consumer electronics or IoT products.
- Proven track record taking connected consumer hardware from concept to mass production, with deep experience managing contract manufacturers and EMS partners.
- Strong grasp of DFM/DFA, PCB and electromechanical design, embedded firmware architecture, and the full NPI process (EVT/DVT/PVT).
- Skilled negotiator and relationship builder with contract manufacturers, component suppliers, and other external partners, run as extensions of the internal team.
- Experience managing hardware budgets, NRE investment, and BOM cost targets in a fast-growing or scaling company.
- Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal, with the ability to translate technical detail for executive and cross-functional audiences.
