Founding Hardware Operations / Technical Program Manager

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 vertically-integrated 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. J-18808-Ljbffr