Founding Hardware Engineer
Role summary
A venture-backed property technology company is seeking a Founding Hardware Engineer to build and own a new hardware-enabled line of business focused on utility billing infrastructure. This role involves developing low-cost, low-power sensors for real-time utility data, starting with leak detection. The engineer will drive strategy, scope, and execution from inception to scaling, making technical trade-off decisions, productizing installation, and managing pilot programs. The ideal candidate has experience in hardware design, firmware, system integration, and product management, with a founder/GM mindset for 0-to-1 efforts. Bonus experience includes IoT, proptech, and multifamily operations.
This is a role posted by Reval Recruiting on behalf of a client
Founding Hardware Engineer
Location:
San Francisco, CA
Workplace:
Hybrid
Employment Type:
Full-time
This role is posted on behalf of the following client: a venture-backed property technology company building utility billing infrastructure for large apartment owners. Its agentic software platform helps multifamily operators outsource utility billing and is expanding into hardware-enabled, real-time utility intelligence for properties.
Role Overview
The client is standing up a new hardware-enabled line of business: a network of low-cost, low-power sensors deployed inside properties to surface real-time utility data, starting with leak detection. This role will own the new sensor business end to end, from scoping and technical evaluation through design partner pilots, launch, and scaling. The opportunity is a true 0-to-1 build inside a venture-backed company with real customers, traction, and a clear, repeatedly requested customer need.
Applicants must be authorized to work in the United States without visa sponsorship now or in the future. This role does not offer visa sponsorship.
What You'll Do
- Operate as a founder/GM-style owner for the new sensor business, driving strategy, scope, and execution from 0 to 1.
- Evaluate commodity hardware options and make technical trade-off decisions across devices, networking, power constraints, firmware quality, and integration paths.
- Productize installation by designing a simple deployment experience that can eventually be handled by a property maintenance technician, with white-glove on-site setup in the early days.
- Solve the cost and unit economics challenge so the hardware-enabled offering can scale effectively.
- Partner with the engineering team on the last-mile integration into the core agentic billing platform.
- Stand up and run leak-detection pilots with design partners, turning customer feedback into a scalable offering.
Who You Are
- Experienced with hardware and able to assess commodity devices, low-power networked systems, firmware quality, and build-versus-source decisions.
- Technically fluent in software enough to evaluate firmware and integration options, recognize trade-offs, and know when to bring in deeper expertise.
- A founder/GM-style operator who is comfortable owning an ambiguous 0-to-1 effort, scoping a new business, and driving it to launch.
- Resourceful and able to identify, evaluate, and pull in outside experts where needed.
- Bonus experience includes IoT sensor deployments, low-power networked devices, proptech, real estate technology, or multifamily operations.
- Authorized to work in the United States without sponsorship now or in the future.
