About Miso
MISO develops technology that elevates human lives in the commercial kitchen.
We’re engineering production-ready robotic systems that tightly integrate perception, real-time decision making, and electromechanical controls to automate the most dangerous, least desirable in food preparation. That means building software that understands the physical world as it actually behaves, and hardware that can execute precisely in the face of chaos. Success is measured in uptime, throughput, and trust from our customers, not demos.
Our flagship platform, Flippy, is already operating in high-volume restaurant kitchens across seven states. Zippy, our Kitchen Intelligence software centralizes all operational data in our broader ecosystem expanding the role of AI enabled autonomy in real-world operations. Backed by industry leaders including Ecolab (NYSE: ECL), Miso combines the stability of a proven commercial product with the technical depth and ambition of a company passionately innovating to solve foundational problems in robotics and restaurant operations.
If you’re excited by hard constraints, real customers, and the challenge of making software and machines perform reliably where failure isn’t an option, you’ll find meaningful problems to work on here.
About the Role
The Head of Hardware Engineering will lead the teams responsible for the design, development, and testing of electromechanical systems that are integral to Miso Robotics’ cutting-edge products. Reporting to the CTO you will manage and grow a talented team of engineers while collaborating closely with cross-functional teams to ensure the delivery of high-quality, robust hardware solutions. This role requires technical expertise, strong leadership skills, and a passion for innovation.
Responsibilities
- Team Leadership & Development: Lead, mentor, and manage the hardware engineering teams (Mechanical, Electrical, Firmware, Robotics), fostering a culture of innovation, collaboration, and accountability. Develop the skills and capabilities of team members to align with the company’s strategic goals and unlock career growth potential.
- Product Development: Oversee the design, analysis, prototyping, and testing of electromechanical systems, ensuring compliance with performance, safety, and reliability requirements. Collaborate with software, electrical, and manufacturing teams to deliver integrated hardware-software solutions.
- Technical Excellence: Ensure the mechanical engineering team delivers high-quality designs that meet product specifications and deadlines. Drive continuous improvement in design processes, tools, and methodologies to enhance team productivity and output quality.
- Project Management: Manage resources, budgets, and timelines for hardware engineering projects to ensure successful execution. Work with the program management team to track progress, mitigate risks, and meet deliverables.
- Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner with the product, operations, software and manufacturing teams to align on design requirements and resolve technical challenges. Support manufacturing and deployment teams in transitioning designs from prototype to production.
Qualifications
- Advanced degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related field.
- 10+ years of experience in Hardware Engineering, with 5+ years in a leadership role.
- Proven track record of delivering complex hardware products, preferably in robotics, Automation, Autonomous Vehicles, Aerospace or related industries.
- Strong understanding of materials, manufacturing processes, and product lifecycle management.
- Experience working with cross-disciplinary teams, including software, supply chain, Ops, and manufacturing engineering.
- Familiarity with CAD tools (e.g., SolidWorks, CATIA) and simulation tools (e.g., FEA, CFD).
- Excellent leadership, communication, and organizational skills.
- Startup experience is a plus.
Desired Multipliers
- Experience designing systems that incorporate AI, computer vision, or machine learning.
- Knowledge of design for manufacturing (DFM) and design for assembly (DFA) principles.
- Industry experience in robotics, automation, Autonomous Vehicles, and/or aerospace will help you in this role.
- Understanding of the restaurant/ F&B industry and the unique challenges therei
Why Join Miso?
- Be a part of a groundbreaking company revolutionizing an industry.
- Collaborate with a passionate and innovative team dedicated to delivering cutting-edge technology.
- Lead and shape the mechanical engineering efforts of a growing organization.
- Enjoy opportunities for professional growth and impactful contributions.
Benefits We Offer
- Company Equity
- Flexible vacation
- Comprehensive benefits
- 401K plan
- Accelerated growth opportunities
- Free snacks from our robot chefs
Compensation
$180,000-$220,000 per year plus meaningful equity
The stated compensation range reflects only the targeted base salary range for candidates residing in the Los Angeles Metro area and excludes additional earnings such as bonus and benefits. If your salary requirements fall outside of the range, we still encourage you to apply.
At Miso Robotics, we are committed to fostering an inclusive, diverse, and equitable workplace where every team member is valued and respected. We believe that diversity in our team drives innovation and creativity, which is why we strive to create a welcoming environment for everyone, regardless of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, or veteran status.
Top Skills
What We Do
Miso Robotics is building AI-powered automation for commercial kitchens, starting with Flippy, the industry's first fully autonomous fry station robot deployed at commercial scale. If you're an AI or robotics engineer who wants to see your work in action every single day, solving real problems for real people, this is where that happens.
We're tackling one of the hardest robotics challenges: unstructured environments. Restaurant kitchens are chaotic, unpredictable, and unforgiving. Orders surge randomly, equipment varies by location, and there's zero tolerance for downtime. Our robots work alongside humans in 350-degree heat, handling multiple tasks simultaneously while adapting in real time. It's computer vision, motion planning, and AI decision-making at the edge, all day, every day.
Our tech stack is cutting edge. We use NVIDIA AI for vision and inference, custom motion control algorithms, and machine learning models that continuously improve from real-world data across dozens of live deployments. The impact is immediate and measurable. When a restaurant operator tells us our robot "had their back" during a lunch rush, or a worker says Flippy is their "best friend," that's our mission in action.
Beyond Flippy, our Innovation Lab in Pasadena develops next-generation kitchen automation. We're expanding into new stations, new tasks, and new capabilities. The kitchen of the future needs engineers who can build systems that actually work when the stakes are high and the environment is hostile.
You'll work with a team that includes product leaders from Amazon and Ring, robotics engineers solving novel manipulation problems, and a CEO who gets that great technology means nothing if it breaks down during dinner rush. We obsess over real-world performance, not lab demos.
Why Work With Us
We're revolutionizing food service with AI robotics that solve real labor challenges. Join us to build cutting-edge technology that's already deployed in major chains, work with a mission-driven team backed by strong funding, and shape the future of an industry ripe for innovation.
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