Director of Hardware Engineering Job at Rocky Talkie in San Francisco

Overview
Location: Bay Area, California, USA
Hybrid: 3-4 days in person (SF) per week
Salary: $170-220k/year (range based on experience and equity package) + end-of-year performance-based bonus
Additional Benefits: Employee Equity and Platinum Healthcare Package
Vacation: 4-weeks paid time off

Our Company

Rocky Talkie launched in 2019 with its signature product, a backcountry radio made for climbers and skiers (view our backstory video here). Since then Rocky Talkie has launched multiple best in class products and is a well known brand in the adventure sports industry. We are committed to making easy-to-use, durable, high performance products for the backcountry, as well as our refreshing take on customer service. Rocky Talkie has a rapidly growing base of happy customers (see reviews here, and here) in the USA and Canada. We design our products for use in extreme conditions and our radios have been adopted by a wide variety of outdoor enthusiasts and commercial applications. We have a small, very passionate, and highly motivated team with a deep understanding of our customers. As our company continues to grow we set our sights higher, and multiple new devices are in the works for 2025. We would love your help in making the next generation of Rocky Talkie products a reality.

We believe better communication in the backcountry saves lives. That’s why we donate $2 per radio to search and rescue teams nationwide. Our small, passionate team is excited to push the boundaries of what’s possible in outdoor gear.

The Role

We are seeking an entrepreneurial-minded engineering leader to join our team. In this role, you will lead the design, development, and manufacturing of products at Rocky Talkie. We are excited to bring our simple, rugged, and activity-focused design principles to a variety of new products to improve safety in adventure sports and inject new ideas into an old and outdated 2-way radio industry. We’re looking for a hands-on engineering leader with a "player/coach" mentality to guide our team and projects through the full product lifecycle. In this role, you’ll balance leading and mentoring a team with actively contributing to design and problem-solving. You’ll also build a foundation for engineering excellence, process improvement, and collaboration across disciplines.

You’ll work directly with the co-founders, engineering team, suppliers, and customers to bring the product vision to life. This role is most suitable for a passionate and experienced engineering leader who has brought major consumer outdoor products from idea to mass production. We are looking for someone who can help us take a ground-up approach and who loves working with a small team. Growth opportunities are abundant, and excellence is recognized and rewarded.

This is the perfect role for someone ready to lead but still passionate about getting involved in technical challenges as needed.

Who You Are

• A Strategic Leader: You have experience managing and organizing cross-functional teams while driving internal workflows and supplier timelines with a background in startups or high-growth companies.

• A Player-Coach: You balance leadership responsibilities with rolling up your sleeves when needed. You’ve moved beyond full-time engineering but still enjoy direct involvement in projects.

• Technically Fluent: You’re comfortable speaking both Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, bridging disciplines seamlessly.

• Premium Product Mindset: You’ve worked with high-quality products where innovation and delivering great products for customers is the priority.

• Globally Experienced: You’re familiar with managing Asia-based contract manufacturers and JDM relationships.

• Product-Driven: You’re passionate about delivering exceptional products that inspire confidence and meet the needs of outdoor enthusiasts.

What You’ll Do:

• Lead and mentor the engineering team with a focus on collaboration and growth.

• Manage product development phases, from concept to mass production.

• Establish and oversee testing standards for next-generation radios.

• Form strong domestic and international supplier partnerships.

• Oversee and contribute to key technical projects when needed.

Success in This Role Might Look Like:

• You’ve driven the design of Rocky Talkie’s next-generation radios, building a framework for scalable product development.

• You’ve expanded the engineering team, implemented best practices, and created lasting relationships with suppliers.

• You’ve ensured smooth production cycles with strong specifications and testing requirements for durable, high-performance products.

Requirements:

• 6-8 years of experience designing outdoor/wearable consumer electronic devices.

• 4+ years of engineering management experience.

• BS/MS/PhD in Mechanical Engineering or a related field.

• Experience working with rugged waterproof devices (IP68 or greater).

• Familiarity with RF devices (VHF/UHF desired).

• International manufacturing experience, including JDM and CM relationships.

Desired:

• A background in startups or high-growth companies.

• A passion for outdoor sports.

• Experience with acoustic devices.