What are the responsibilities and job description for the Head of Engineering position at Revolute Robotics?
🤖 About Us
We build robots that operate where no other robots can.
Born out of NASA JPL's work on the DARPA Subterranean Challenge, Revolute Robotics is redefining where inspection and surveillance robots can access. Our mission is to keep humans out of harm’s way using an entirely new class of robots—enabling safer, smarter data collection for industrial inspections, area surveillance, and first responders.
We’re gearing up for field pilots with major industrial customers, we’re backed by NSF, DoD, and top VCs, and are 1 of 10 companies selected to spend a week with Jeff Bezos at MARS 2024.
⚙️ The Role
We're looking for a hands-on technical leader—someone who can wear the hats of both the CTO and VP of Engineering at an early-stage robotics startup. You’ll own and refine the product roadmap, translate customer needs into clear technical deliverables, and guide the engineering team through product development, build/test, iteration, and deployment.
You’ll manage technical strategy, prioritize tradeoffs, protect engineers from scope creep, and serve as the liaison between customer needs and technical execution.
🔍 What We’re Looking For
- 5–10 years in robotics, mechatronics, or deep tech
- Experience leading small technical teams (2–20 engineers)
- Strong systems thinker with experience at the intersection of HW SW
- Real-world deployment experience across the TRL spectrum, from applied research to scale
- You’ve likely been a technical PM, Robotics Lead, or early-stage VPE/CTO
- Thrives in both technology planning and customer needs settings
- Bonus points for shipping robots into harsh, dirty, and/or GPS-denied environments
🎯 What You’ll Do
0–6 Months: Prepare for Pilots
- Deliver a pilot-ready platform for inspecting confined spaces in industrial facilities
- Set up and manage sprints, task tracking, and team process
- Align engineering with customer needs and product direction
6–12 Months: Deploy MVP
- Ruggedize the design for repeatable field inspections
- Lead integration of new sensors, computers, and other components
- Shape architecture for customized data analysis platform
12–24 Months: Scale Product
- Drive development of autonomous navigation
- Lead DFM, scale manufacturing, and build out support systems
- Hire and mentor the next generation of technical leads
⚠️ Why This Role Matters
This is a critical hire. You won’t just be managing a roadmap—you’ll be defining how we build, what we build, and how fast we scale.
In the near term, you’ll help us avoid shiny objects and stay focused on solving real customer pain points. In the long term, you’ll help shape our culture, grow our team, and scale our manufacturing.
We’re looking for someone who has made tough decisions, maintains high standards, values effective communication, and enjoys finding a balance between speed and quality.
We don’t expect you to be an expert in everything—but you should know how to ask the right questions, evaluate technical risks, and lead a team through ambiguity.