Associate Director

KEY Engineering | Hardware | Product Development

Role Overview

We are seeking an exceptional engineering leader to head our Hardware Engineering division. The Director Hardware Engineering will be responsible for delivering high-quality, rugged, electro-mechanical hardware products for advanced drone platforms. You will lead a high-performing engineering team, drive product innovation, mature engineering processes, and ensure delivery excellence aligned with company goals.

Key Responsibilities

1. Product Delivery & Execution

- Lead end-to-end hardware product development to meet defined quality, budget, and timeline goals.

- Ensure rigorous execution and timely delivery of products that meet customer needs and regulatory standards.

2. Build & Scale Engineering Excellence

- Establish and grow a high-calibre engineering organization grounded in discipline, ownership, and continuous improvement.

- Foster a culture of empowerment, technical depth, accountability, and alignment with business objectives.

3. Drive Mature Engineering Practices

- Champion modern hardware development methodologies and tools.

- Guide architecture, design, prototyping, and testing processes for high-reliability systems.

- Continuously improve design standards, development workflows, and quality assurance systems.

4. Learning, Mentoring & Team Development

- Foster a learning-driven, growth-oriented culture.

- Coach and mentor senior engineers and technical leaders.

- Promote cross-functional learning and performance improvements through structured strategies.

- Domain Expertise & Technology Focus

- We seek a leader with strong grounding in rugged, compact electro-mechanical systems, especially in areas such as:

Industrial robotics:

- Multi-degree-of-freedom actuated and stabilized platforms (e.g., gimbals, camera tracking systems)

Rugged, compact devices such as mobile/tablet-grade enclosures

- Electro-mechanical assemblies such as compact printers or actuated optics systems

Ideal Candidate Profile:

Essential Qualifications & Experience:

- Proven track record in leading hardware engineering functions at product companies-preferably from top institutions and/or globally reputed firms.

- Demonstrated success in delivering market-recognized, high-performance electro-mechanical products.

- Experience in cross-functional project leadership, integrating hardware with embedded systems and software.

- Deep understanding of design for reliability, manufacturability, maintainability, and user-centric hardware development.

- Strong grasp of modern engineering practices including defect management, testing, configuration & release management.

- Hands-on and technically credible leader, able to deep dive into problem-solving with engineers.

- Proven capability in building and leading high-performing, innovative engineering teams.

- Excellent communication skills; ability to work with business leaders, field teams, and customers.

Leadership Traits:

- Strong sense of ownership, integrity, and alignment with the company's values and mission.

- Passion for innovation, mentorship, and building products that create meaningful impact.

- Comfortable working in fast-paced, agile environments with a start-up mindset and structured delivery.