Director of Hardware

THE COMPANY At PAX, we’re on a mission to enhance people’s lives through exceptional consumer experiences—honoring the plant through pioneering innovation, science-backed quality, and award-winning design. For nearly two decades, PAX has delivered high performance products crafted for precision, purity, and consistency that are trusted by millions worldwide. Our culture is built on putting people at the center of everything we do, making an impact together, and having fun along the way. We believe exceptional products, a thriving employee experience, and strong operational rhythms go hand-in-hand. PAX has been recognized for its brand, culture and products by The New York Times’ Wirecutter, TIME, Fast Company, GQ, Gear Patrol, mg Magazine, High Times, and many more. PAX is certified Plastic Negative across all product lines by rePurpose Global, ensuring that twice as much plastic is removed from nature as is used in its products. ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES: Reporting to the VP of Engineering, PAX is looking for a Director of Hardware to lead the group of hardware and mechanical engineers responsible for the design, development, and support of PAX hardware products.This role serves as a cross-functional leader and “glue” between multiple company touch-points in collaboration including electrical, mechanical, embedded, product integrity, sourcing, and product management teams. Hardware and mechanical engineers at PAX are responsible for system architecture and detailed design of all of our products, working closely with the rest of the organization and our manufacturing partners to achieve the Industrial Design and Product vision for the device. Our products are hailed for their beautiful design language, high quality and reliability, and attention to details. Our goal is to be the industry leader with product and technology innovations. This role is critical to managing and building our hardware and mechanical engineering team, the processes and best practices for cross-functional design execution, and up-leveling our skill-set and quality.  As the PAX Director of Hardware, you will: Manage, grow, and inspire our hardware and mechanical engineering team using your experience and track record of hiring and retaining top talent from the industry Drive process development, improvements, and best practices consistent with building a “world class” hardware product development organization Hold the quality bar high, drive system-level design reviews, and increase sophistication and technological excellence of our products on aggressive schedules Develop and maintain effective tools and train capabilities for the group including EE/ME design software (EDA/CAD), PLM systems, and cross-disciplinary simulation software Collaborate with R&D to drive far-reaching technology development initiatives Oversee and manage hardware resourcing across multiple parallel programs Develop and drive key team goals and OKRs on a quarterly and annual basis Predict, manage, and when needed react to escalations and new risks in collaboration with Product Development and Supply Chain Travel to support manufacturing builds and ensure factory engagement and EE/ME integration best practices are established WHAT WE LOOK FOR IN YOU 10+ years in consumer products and/or other product development 5+ years of people management experience Deeply technical mechanical engineering background Extensive CAD design experience (Solidworks) Proven experience in structural analysis, thermal analysis, and/or fluid dynamics simulations Working knowledge of electronics and proven track record of working with EE to integrate complex electronics into small form factors Expert working knowledge of material fabrication processes and design constraints including engineered plastics and plastic injection (single shot, double shot, insert/overmould), and metal fabrication process (stamping, machining, turning, plating, extrusion etc) Proven track record of working with Reliability through DFMEA process and developing products to the product spec, and addressing issues during NPI to resolve Strong track record of shipping products and managing them through their entire life cycle Experience working with Asian manufacturing and supply chains including travel to manufacturing sites Excellent organizational, communication, presentation, and data analytics skills Ability to meet international travel expectations (~10%) Ideally, you: Have seen multiple product cycles from start to finish and shipping consumer hardware at high volume  Pride yourself on your cross-functional collaboration, you thrive when you are working with others Are a creative problem solver and make data-driven decisions Practice servant leadership and realize it’s your first responsibility to unblock the team so they can move forward, while also focusing on coaching and mentoring them along the way Have a track record of making your engineers better than you EDUCATION BS in ME, related discipline, or demonstrated equivalent experience MS or higher preferred  PAX LABS PERKS & BENEFITS: Competitive compensation, equity & bi-annual performance reviews Fully funded comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage 401K plan Generous PTO policy  Paid Parental Leave Monthly wellness reimbursement Cell Phone reimbursement Employee Purchase Program for discounted PAX devices Weekly catered lunch, endless snacks and beverages Dog Friendly HQ in the Mission District of San Francisco Employee Assistance Program including access to online legal support COMPENSATION In addition to the benefits above, the salary for this role is $210,000 – $265,000 + equity. This represents what we believe, in good faith, this role will pay. The final pay will depend on many factors, including years and depth of experience, level, and location of the employee.  PAX VALUES Put Consumers First - We are h