Head of Hardware

About Treeswift:

In the face of rising threats like severe storms and wildfires, increasing pressure on affordability, and unprecedented demands for system expansion, Treeswift empowers energy companies to modernize their field work to meet the unprecedented growth and challenges ahead.

To accomplish our mission we deploy our sensors into our customers' field operations, typically on backpacks or vehicles. The resulting trove of LiDAR and imagery data is processed through our AI models to deliver actionable analytics through our web platform. To date, our technology has enabled utilities to reduce wildfire, regulatory and outage risk from vegetation, avoid delays and cost overruns in new construction, and accelerate recovery from severe storms.

After starting our work with utilities in June 2024, we are now working with three of the five largest utilities in the United States and are rapidly expanding across new customers and use cases. To tackle this challenge we are bringing together a team of mission-driven experts with deep industry experience in robotics (Penn, Caltech, CMU) and enterprise software development (Palantir, Stripe, Oracle, MongoDB). We have raised funding from leading investors including Penny Pritzker’s Inspired Capital.

Treeswift is headquartered in lower Manhattan, and maintains an office in Philadelphia. We also have some customer-facing team members based closer to our customer sites (i.e. Bay Area).

We hope you join us on this journey!

About the role

As Hardware Lead you will play a crucial role at a pivotal point for Treeswift.

• Lead the design and scale-up of the Treeswift hardware devices (backpack and vehicle-mounted Swiftpacks). You will have the opportunity to take a proven platform to the next level of scale and shape Treeswift’s hardware design and development processes. You’ll lead initiatives in DFM, DFA, reliability, and testing, establishing the frameworks and standards that will guide the team as we grow. You’ll tackle the unique challenges of field-deployed hardware to ensure our systems deliver a reliable and seamless experience for arborists and other operators.

• Chart the path forward on hardware development. Bringing AI to field work requires continued innovation on the hardware front – the Swiftpack is just the beginning and you will have an opportunity to innovate from the ground up over the next few years on new product lines.

• Build an outstanding team of mission-driven engineers. You will support and build a team of exceptional, mission-driven engineers and enable them to do the best work of their careers at Treeswift. You will take the lead on hiring and growing this team in partnership with company leadership.

• Foster a culture of high ownership and relentless curiosity. At Treeswift, curiosity drives how we approach problems, and high ownership drives how we approach execution. We are looking for someone who leads by example in this regard, and creates an organization in which these values continue to thrive as we grow significantly. We are are looking for someone who is excited to be hands-on with technology in the early days to build credibility and familiarity, but can also step back and guide a team strategically as it grows.

• Collaborate closely with software, product, customer and sales teams. Our product spans hardware deployed outdoors, to a user on their cellphone, to a manager in the office. Execution on that vision requires solutions to be interdisciplinary and product-oriented.

The 60-day objectives for this role are –

• Get up to speed on the current state of the business and technology of Treeswift. This ramp-up will enable you to identify primary near-term objectives for the existing hardware (backpack and vehicle device) to support the company's growth in 2026 and beyond.

• You are comfortable overseeing the ongoing execution of the current hardware team (one hardware engineer and several technicians), as well as any new hires.

• You have formed an opinion on priority hiring needs and launched those searches. You will have support from a recruiter and other team members, but will be responsible for identifying roles to hire for and be a hiring manager on the roles.

The 6-12 month objectives for this role are

• You have successfully hired and onboarded the most critical roles necessary for the hardware team.

• You have delivered on (at least one) major redesign and ramp-up project (could be vehicle mount, could be backpack, could be greenfield), likely involving new JDM/OEM or CM relationships.

• You have established design, production, and testing best practices on the team for in-progress builds.

• You have launched greenfield hardware initiatives as needed; known opportunities in this space include a ‘data box’ to accelerate customer-side uploads/fast turnaround processing, a larger interface for operators to engage with our data in the field, but could also be newer business opportunities that are yet to be identified.

Requirements

• 8+ years of experience in Hardware Engineering and Design, including leadership experience.

• You are are exceptionally strong in leading design and engineering choices for devices aimed at consumers or non-technical end-users. This might be anything from wearables (across consumer, industrial, defense) to fitness equipment to elder care. It’s less about exact experience with our end-user group, but more about attention to the details that matter for this type of user base and product.

• You are comfortable working in an early stage hardware environment, but you have concrete experience navigating a ramp-up to more mature stages. Ideally you have had experience ramping up manufacturing and fleet management to several thousands of devices.

• Experience building for rugged environments (i.e. outdoors, industrial ) is a plus.

• Experience sourcing and evaluating external manufacturers is a plus.

What We Value

• Mission first. We value team members who are focused on working towards the best outcomes for the customer and the business.

• Curiosity. We are constantly learning – from each other and from our customers.. We aren’t afraid to learn we were wrong in the process and adapt our approach accordingly.

• Owners mindset. If you see an opportunity for improvement, run with it. We believe that good ideas can come from anywhere, no matter your role.

Benefits

• Comprehensive medical, dental and vision insurance

• Life insurance package and disability coverage

• Stock options

• Paid leave for new parents

• Unlimited PTO

• 401K

The estimated salary range for this position is 200,000 - 250,000 USD. Total compensation for this position is determined by skills, qualifications, relevant work experience, location, and other factors. This salary estimate excludes the value of any potential bonuses; the value of any benefits offered; and the potential future value of any long-term incentives. This information is provided per the New York City Human Rights Law. Please note that the range provided is applicable only to New York City-based applicants. Base compensation may vary if the work location is outside of New York City.

Treeswift  is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We provide employment opportunities without regard to age, race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion, disability, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, veteran status, or any other protected status in accordance with applicable law.

If you require any accommodations during the recruitment process, whether it be alternate forms of material, accessible meeting rooms, etc., please let us know and we will work with you to meet your needs.