Location: Montreal, Quebec
Our client, having raised a Series C of $45 million USD, totaling over $100 million in financing, is rapidly scaling. Spun out of the UC Berkeley AI Research Lab, the company develops artificial intelligence to support care for individuals with Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, and other cognitive impairments.
Alzheimer’s disease is the most expensive disease in the US, costing an estimated $600 billion per year in direct and indirect costs. It affects 1 in 3 people over 85 and 1 in 9 people over 65. The company's first product focuses on reducing the frequency and impact of falls, the leading cause of hospitalization for those living with dementia. Peer-reviewed results show up to 80% fewer falls, with an average of 40% fewer falls and 80% fewer ER visits resulting from falls.
This Role:
We are seeking a Director of Hardware Engineering to lead the development and execution of AI-powered vision hardware solutions. This leader will oversee a multidisciplinary engineering team responsible for the design, development, and deployment of camera-based IoT and edge AI devices.
The Director will own the strategic direction of hardware engineering, ensuring alignment with company objectives, product requirements, and operational scalability. They will drive team leadership, process optimization, and cross-functional collaboration while providing technical oversight without being directly involved in hands-on design or architecture.
You will:
•Lead and scale a high-performing hardware engineering team, including architects, designers, and developers.
•Define and execute the hardware technology roadmap, ensuring alignment with AI, software, and product strategies.
•Own and manage the hardware development lifecycle, from concept to manufacturing and deployment.
•Establish best practices for hardware development, testing, and reliability, ensuring efficiency, quality, and scalability.
•Manage budgeting, resource allocation, and vendor partnerships to optimize costs and delivery timelines.
•Build, mentor, and lead a team of hardware architects, embedded engineers, and systems designers.
•Oversee team structure, hiring, and professional development to support growth and innovation.
•Partner with supply chain, manufacturing, and operations teams to optimize scalability and reliability.
•Provide strategic direction on camera sensor integration, optics, and AI processing hardware, ensuring alignment with business needs.
•Guide teams in component selection, system architecture, and hardware-software co-design.
•Ensure compliance with regulatory and industry standards for medical and safety-critical hardware.
•Oversee design validation, field testing, and reliability assessments to ensure real-world performance and durability.
•Work with OEM/ODM partners and contract manufacturers to bring products from prototype to production.
Must Have Skills:
•10+ years of experience in hardware engineering leadership, with at least 5 years managing engineering teams.
•Proven ability to lead teams designing vision-based embedded systems (camera-based IoT, video processing, AI-powered devices).
•Experience managing the hardware development lifecycle, including design, validation, and manufacturing.
•Strong knowledge of camera sensors, embedded computing, and AI hardware accelerators
•Experience working in high-scale production environments, including design for manufacturing (DFM) and design for reliability (DFR).
•Strong cross-functional leadership skills, working across software, AI/ML, cloud, and operations teams.
•Experience with budgeting, resource planning, and vendor management.
•Familiarity with regulatory compliance and certification processes for hardware products.
