Founding Hardware Operations / Technical Program Manager

Location: San Francisco / Hybrid

Type: Full-time · Founding Team

About Bracket Bot

Bracket Bot is building low-cost, general-purpose robots that developers can program and deploy in days.

We’re transforming the world’s ~50 million software engineers into robotics engineers by building a full-stack platform—hardware, software, and ML—designed from first principles for performance, usability, and cost. Low expense is a design goal, not a constraint.

By transforming commodity, mass-manufactured components through disciplined engineering, we deliver robots that are reliable, high-performance, and inexpensive to build and operate. We believe fewer than 1,000 engineers globally can reason about robotics as a true full-stack system, and we’re assembling a small team of them to build an accessible, developer-first robotics platform.

We’re backed by an amazing group of investors, co-led by Fifty Years (Scott Phoenix) and BoxGroup, with participation from Betaworks and Pace Capital, plus standout angels including Logan Kilpatrick (Google AI), Mohith Mothukuri (Physical Intelligence), and Guillermo Rauch (CEO of Vercel).

Bracket Bot is building a low-expense, high-performance robotics platform ready for real-world deployment.

About the role

As our hardware effort scales, we need a Founding Hardware Operations to build the operational backbone behind our robot.

This role is about making hardware real: sourcing, vendors, procurement, build readiness, and manufacturing execution — while keeping engineering moving fast without adding process theater.

You’ll partner closely with mechanical and electrical engineers to translate designs into parts delivered on time, builds that stay on schedule, and a supply chain that supports rapid iteration.

What you’ll do

Supplier sourcing + vendor management (core)

• Own sourcing across BOM categories (mechanical, electrical, harnessing, motors/actuators, machining, plastics, sheet metal)

• Drive supplier discovery, RFQs, quoting, negotiation, and supplier selection

• Manage vendor relationships (especially APAC / China) and ensure delivery against cost, lead time, and quality targets

• Create a repeatable process for vendor tracking, quoting history, and preferred supplier lists

Procurement + build operations

• Own procurement execution: PO flows, lead time tracking, expediting, shipment tracking

• Coordinate build readiness: parts arriving, kitting, shortages, substitutions, and reorders

• Own build logistics: revisions, part changes, ECO-style updates, and ensuring the right versions show up

Hardware execution / technical program management

• Maintain hardware schedules: dependencies, risks, critical path, and iteration loops

• Translate engineering reality into clear execution plans (what’s real / what’s blocked / what ships next)

• Run tight cross-functional coordination with Mech / EE / SWE so builds don’t stall
  

What we’re looking for

• Strong technical background (you can reason about hardware design tradeoffs)

• Demonstrated ability to run sourcing + ops across complex electromechanical systems

• Supplier / manufacturing fluency:

  • quoting, lead times, MOQ, quality, substitutions

• Extremely organized; high ownership; low ego

• EVT → DVT → PVT familiarity

• Experience with CM/JDM partners

• Robotics / electromechanical background
  
  

Nice to Have

• APAC sourcing experience (China vendors)

• EVT → DVT → PVT familiarity

• Experience with CM/JDM partners

• Experience working with robotics or electromechanical BOMs
  
  

Important notes

• This role is the operational backbone of the hardware team — done well, it unlocks engineering velocity.

• We’re not looking for a paperwork TPM. We’re looking for someone who can source parts, move vendors, and ship builds.

• You’ll be expected to operate close to the metal: lead times, shortages, substitutions, supplier issues, build readiness.

• Comfort with ambiguity is required — priorities shift as hardware evolves.

• High-leverage founding role: you’ll define how hardware operations works at Bracket Bot.
  
  

Equal Opportunity Employer

Bracket Bot is an equal opportunity employer. We’re building a diverse team and welcome applicants from all backgrounds.