Position Summary
The VP of Engineering owns the Sennos product engineering group - hardware, mechanical, and R&D engineering; application software (API, database, web, and mobile); software infrastructure; and program management - and is accountable for its structure, health, performance, and delivery. Reporting to the CTO, this role combines people leadership, technical strategy, and cross-functional execution to take Sennos sensing products from early research through validated design and into reliable, scalable production, and to deliver the software customers use to see and act on their data. The VPE establishes operating rhythms, removes blockers, and creates an environment where teams can innovate and execute against aggressive quality and business targets.
The VPE leads the Principal Engineer, the Application Engineering Manager, the Program Manager, and the Production Manager. This is a leadership role that stays close to the work - the VPE is involved in design reviews, test results, build issues, and field returns, and makes sound technical calls quickly.
Responsibilities
People Leadership
- Own the structure, health, and performance of the product engineering group across engineering, software, and program management
- Directly lead and coach each direct report; set clear goals, expectations, and development plans for each
- Coach and develop managers in the group as people leaders
- Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, psychological safety, and continuous improvement
- Build and lead the engineering bench - own hiring plans across hardware, mechanical, R&D, product engineering, application software, Python, DevOps, and program management; maintain a high bar for talent at every level
- Drive team development and retention - identify skill gaps, invest in training and internal growth, and own performance management and promotion decisions
- Own org design as the group scales - define when new leadership layers are needed, develop internal candidates, and build a bench that grows with the business
Research & New Product Development
- Partner with the CTO and hardware product owner on hardware technology strategy - provide engineering perspective on sensing feasibility, technical risk, and development cost as the roadmap is set
- Hold the Hardware Engineering Manager accountable for R&D exploration, NPI execution, and stage-gate exit criteria; stay close enough to the work to make sound calls on scope, schedule, and technical risk
- Ensure prototype learnings, failure modes, and test data are documented and carried into production-ready designs and processes - this is an engineering discipline the VPE enforces, not delegates away
Technical Standards & Product Delivery
- Align with Product on design, systems architecture, and hardware, firmware, and software integration
- Ensure the test, calibration, and characterization strategy for the full sensor suite is owned and executed by the right people - standards set by the Principal Engineer, execution owned by the Hardware Engineering Manager - and hold both accountable for rigor and outcomes
- Manage trade-offs between performance, cost, manufacturability, and schedule to deliver systems that are robust, safe, reliable, and scalable at volume
- Establish and own the processes that drive delivery - design phases, prototyping, testing, manufacturing readiness, and schedule confidence
- Own the engineering response to field performance data - direct the Principal Engineer to triage field returns and re-characterization findings, and hold the team accountable for closing design and process improvements
Application Software
- Own delivery of the Sennos application - API, database, front-end web application, and mobile app - through the Application Engineering Manager
- Partner with Product to turn the application roadmap into realistic plans, and hold the team accountable for shipping on schedule
- Manage release practices across web and mobile, including mobile app store releases, so customers receive dependable updates
Software, DevOps & Infrastructure
- Own build, deployment, and infrastructure outcomes - CI/CD, environments, monitoring, reliability, and security - through the DevOps Engineer, with the Principal Engineer setting the technical standards
Program Management & Delivery
- Through the Program Manager, run cross-functional programs with clear scope, schedules, milestones, dependencies, and risk registers
- Maintain a single, visible view of program status and commitments across engineering and application software
- Hold regular program reviews that surface risks early and drive decisions on scope, schedule, and resources
Manufacturing Readiness
- Hold the Hardware Engineering Manager accountable for manufacturing readiness - DFM complete, build SOPs written, test fixtures built, traceability in place, and operator training done before release to production; the VPE owns the outcome of the handoff, the HEM owns its execution
- Stay close to production output, yield, and quality data through the Production Manager - escalate and resource issues that require engineering involvement, and use field returns and re-characterization data to drive design improvements
- Own function budgets, NRE forecasts, tooling costs, software licensing, and infrastructure costs
Cross-Functional Alignment & Executive Communication
- Partner with Product, Quality, Regulatory, Operations, and the Production Manager to translate business goals into executable engineering strategies and roadmaps
- Work with Sales and Finance so that customer commitments, production plans, and cost forecasts are realistic and aligned
- Report engineering health to the CTO and executive team - roadmap delivery, schedule confidence, quality, and cost; production health is reported by the Production Manager
- Represent engineering at the executive and board level, communicating technical trade-offs, manufacturability constraints, and cost implications
Required Qualifications
Education:
- Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related field; advanced degree preferred
Experience:
- 10+ years of hardware, mechanical engineering, or manufacturing experience with significant people leadership
- Demonstrated track record scaling hardware and manufacturing from concept through high-volume production
- Expertise in mechanical design, systems architecture, design for manufacturing, and product validation
- Experience leading teams across mechanical, electrical, software, manufacturing, and supply chain disciplines
- Ability to manage complex trade-offs between performance, cost, manufacturability, and schedule
- Expertise in product validation, testing, and regulatory compliance
- Proficiency in design tools (SolidWorks, Fusion 360, or equivalent) and simulation software (FEA, CFD)
- Prior experience owning supplier relationships and managing supply chain risk
- Experience working closely with a production or manufacturing operations team as a peer or upstream engineering leader, with clear handoff practices between engineering and production
- Experience leading or working closely with software and DevOps teams, including modern development practices (CI/CD, automated testing, cloud infrastructure)
- Experience overseeing customer-facing software products, such as cloud APIs and databases, web applications, and mobile apps
- Hands-on background in sensor test, calibration, or measurement instrumentation development
- Experience leading engineering in high-growth, high-complexity, or transformation environments
- Comfortable engaging with executive leadership and boards on technical strategy and trade-offs
Skills:
- Hardware systems design and architecture
- Software development lifecycle and DevOps practices
- Leading managers of software teams
- Design for manufacturing (DFM) and product validation
- Engineering program and portfolio management
- Cross-functional leadership and stakeholder communication
- Strategic thinking with bias for execution
- Data-driven decision-making and KPI management
Certifications/Licenses:
- No specific certifications required; PMP, Six Sigma, or equivalent a plus
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience in fermentation, biotech, industrial sensing, or adjacent hardware-intensive industries
- Familiarity with regulatory environments (FDA, ISO, CE) relevant to sensing or measurement products
- Experience building engineering orgs from early-stage through scale (sub-100 to 200+ employees)
- MBA or advanced technical degree
Physical Requirements and Work Environment
This role is primarily office-based with occasional visits to production and lab environments.
- Ability to sit/stand for extended periods
- Ability to occasionally lift up to 25 pounds
- Ability to navigate production floor and lab
- Occasional travel to manufacturing partners, suppliers, and customer sites
This job description is intended to convey information essential to understanding the scope of the position and is not an exhaustive list of skills, efforts, duties, responsibilities, or working conditions associated with it. Responsibilities may change according to business needs.
Equal Opportunity Statement Sennos is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or veteran status.
Please Note
Applicants must be permanently authorized to work for ANY employer in the United States. We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment visa at this time.
Recruitment Agency Notice:
We do not accept unsolicited candidate submissions. We only work with recruitment agencies that have a signed agreement with our HR team. Unsolicited resumes will not incur any fee obligation.
