Head of Hardware

About Tacit

We are an early-stage, deep tech startup based in San Francisco, developing innovative hardware that rethinks human-computer interaction. We are backed by General Catalyst, Khosla Ventures, and Greylock Partners, with a founding team from Stanford, BrainGate, Oculus, and Tesla. While we can’t reveal too much just yet, our team is tackling cutting-edge engineering challenges to bring revolutionary products to life.

About The Role

Our core sensing technology has been validated, and we are now transitioning from research prototypes to a consumer-ready product.

We are looking for a Head of Hardware to lead this transition end-to-end: shaping architecture, building and leading the team, and establishing the foundations required to ship reliable, scalable consumer hardware. This role partners closely with company leadership and is expected to shape company-level decisions related to hardware, resourcing, and delivery strategy. Success in this role looks like establishing a hardware organization that can repeatedly deliver high-quality consumer products, not just a single launch.

What You'll Do

• Lead the transition from research prototypes to a production-ready consumer hardware platform.
• Guide the hardware roadmap and system architecture, guiding execution from early prototypes through mass production.
• Design and evolve the hardware organization, including role definitions and hiring priorities required to deliver a scalable product, in partnership with company leadership.
• Establish and hold product-readiness standards, defining quality, reliability, manufacturability, and test gates required to confidently ship to customers.
• Define and drive the hardware hiring plan, including role scope, sequencing, and technical bar, in partnership with company leadership.
• Build and lead a multidisciplinary hardware team spanning electrical, mechanical, RF, firmware, test, and manufacturing.
• Foster a culture of open technical debate, clear ownership, and product-focused execution across the hardware organization.
• Make system-level tradeoffs across performance, power, cost, reliability, and schedule, balancing near-term delivery with long-term scalability.
• Harden designs through DFM/DFA, manufacturing test strategy, and quality processes.
• Partner closely with product, industrial design, and software/ML teams to translate product requirements into shippable hardware.
• Establish documentation standards, design reviews, and execution rhythms appropriate for a product-focused organization.
• Build strong relationships with suppliers, ODMs, and contract manufacturing partners as the company prepares for production.
  
  

Requirements

• 10 years of experience developing consumer electronics, ideally wearables or audio devices.
• Proven experience taking hardware from early prototypes through mass production.
• Experience leading and scaling hardware teams across multiple disciplines.
• Strong system-level intuition and the ability to make pragmatic tradeoffs under uncertainty.
• Deep familiarity with DFM, manufacturing test, reliability, and quality for consumer products.
• Ability to operate hands-on while also building structure, process, and team capability.
• Clear communicator who raises the bar on documentation quality and cross-functional alignment.
  
  

Strong candidates may have

• Experience with wireless audio, ANC, or acoustics.
• Background in RF-constrained or power-constrained wearable systems.
• Prior experience joining a company at the transition from R&D to product execution.
  
  

Compensation Range

$210,000 - $260,000 plus significant equity.

Benefits

• Competitive equity package
• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance
• Company size: 20-30 people
• Unlimited PTO
• Visa sponsorship
• 3% 401k matching
  
  

Compensation Range: $210K - $260K