Hardware Lead

Hardware Lead

TechTree is recruiting on behalf of a client developing AI-powered robotics for physical security. This role is with the client company, with TechTree acting as the recruitment agency.

Location: Zürich, Switzerland
Employment: Full-time
Working arrangement: On-site
Level: Director

About the Client

The client believes robotics is entering a transformative decade, driven by advances in AI, cloud computing and hardware. Its mission is to build intelligent software that powers physical security in the real world, enabling robots and sensors to handle dangerous and critical tasks. Through an orchestration layer for intelligent security, the company aims to help create a safer, more secure and more resilient world.

Based in Zurich, the company has a strong founding team backed by investors and advisors.

The Role

As Hardware Lead, you will build and own the client's hardware function from the ground up. The company currently has deep expertise across AI, autonomy and software, but no in-house hardware capability. You will establish that capability.

You will define the hardware strategy across ground, aerial and stationary platforms, take ownership of the physical robots running the company's field foundation models, and grow the hardware team as the business scales. As the senior hardware voice in the company, you will work directly with the founders to decide what to build, how to source it and how to ensure it survives in the field.

The first year will be deeply hands-on: building, testing and iterating on real platforms in real conditions, while laying the foundations for the hardware organisation you will later lead.

Key Responsibilities

• Hardware strategy: Make platform choices across ground robots, drones and stationary sensors, including whether to build, partner or integrate.
• Mechanical design: Develop chassis, mounting and ruggedisation for outdoor security deployments.
• Electrical and electromechanical systems: Own power, compute, actuation and sensing integration.
• Sensor integration: Select, calibrate and physically integrate cameras, LiDAR, IMU, GPS and audio systems.
• Manufacturing and supply chain: Own the prototype-to-production pipeline, vendor management and bill of materials.
• Field reliability: Lead environmental qualification, mean time between failures (MTBF), failure analysis and durability programmes.
• Hiring: Build the hardware team as the product scales.

Candidate Profile

The client is seeking an experienced hardware engineer who has shipped robotic systems into the field and understands what breaks at scale and what survives. You will need to move quickly while maintaining the reliability required by security customers.

Essential Experience

• 8+ years in robotics, autonomous systems or adjacent hardware, with at least one product taken from prototype into the field.
• Deep expertise across mechanical, electrical and systems integration, with world-class capability in at least one and strong capability in the others.
• Hands-on experience taking robots through prototype, design validation testing (DVT), production validation testing (PVT) and into production.
• A track record of ruggedising hardware for outdoor, all-weather or harsh environments.
• Experience managing manufacturing partners and supply chains.
• Strong systems thinking across mechanical, electrical, firmware and software boundaries.

Desirable Experience

• Experience across multiple mobile robot form factors, including legged, wheeled and aerial platforms.
• A background in defence, security, industrial inspection or other outdoor field robotics domains.
• Familiarity with ROS 2 and modern robot bring-up workflows.
• Previous experience establishing and scaling a hardware team from zero.

What the Client Offers

• Mission: Work within a company building foundation models that determine how robots see, reason and act in the real world, with a focus on deployment and practical impact.
• Autonomy: Independence in how work is evaluated and delivered, with direct input into the company's hardware strategy.
• Resources: Access to compute and field data to support the work.
• Team: Work alongside PhD-level co-founders in AI, Robotics and Physics, plus a strong founding engineering team.
• Location and support: In-person in Zürich, Switzerland, with visa and relocation support available.
• Culture: A small, international founding team that values curiosity and individuality.