---
title: 'Head of Hardware at Agtonomy'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/head-of-hardware-agtonomy-south-san-francisco-1es1dn0efwgq'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-09-10'
---

# Head of Hardware at Agtonomy

- **Company:** Agtonomy
- **Location:** South San Francisco, CA
- **Compensation:** $200k–$275k
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Work type:** onsite
- **Posted:** 2026-09-09
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-10
- **Apply:** https://jobs.lever.co/agtonomy/f92ced03-3f99-4c59-8b0f-bc9231492823

## Job description

## About Us

At Agtonomy, we’re not just building tech—we’re transforming how vital industries get work done. Our Physical AI and fleet services turn heavy machinery into intelligent, autonomous systems that tackle the toughest challenges in agriculture, turf, and beyond. Partnering with industry-leading equipment manufacturers, we’re creating a future where labor shortages, environmental strain and inefficiencies are relics of the past. Our team is a tight-knit group of bold thinkers—engineers, innovators and industry experts—who thrive on turning audacious ideas into reality. If you want to shape the future of industries that matter, this is your shot.

## About the Role

As Head of Hardware, you’ll lead and grow the hardware organization, spanning electrical, mechanical and systems engineering. Our hardware products are designed to be OEM factory-fit solutions, so you’ll also be managing outwards and building strong relationships with our tier 1 equipment partners. We're looking for someone who combines technical excellence with strong leadership abilities and strategic thinking. The ideal candidate will be excited about building both great products and great teams, with a passion for building for the physical world.

## What you'll do

- Define and drive the hardware vision, strategy and execution roadmap in alignment with overall company goals.
- Build, lead and mentor a high-performing, multidisciplinary team across electrical, mechanical and systems engineering.
- Partner closely with software, product, operations, test and supply chain leaders to ensure seamless integration across disciplines.
- Oversee full product lifecycle from concept through production, ensuring designs meet performance, cost, reliability and manufacturability requirements.
- Represent the company in technical discussions with partners, regulators and industry bodies.
- Manage relationships with engineering leaders at our partner OEMs including strategic integration planning, supply chain and manufacturing ramp.

## What you'll bring

- Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related field; Master’s or Ph.D. preferred.
- 10+ years of experience in hardware engineering, with at least 5 years in a senior leadership role managing a team.
- Entrepreneurial mindset with the ability to operate at both strategic and hands-on levels.
- Proven track record of successfully bringing hardware products to market.
- Experience with regulatory compliance and quality standards in hardware development.

What makes you a strong fit

- Demonstrated experience scaling manufacturing operations, operationalizing new product introductions, and commercializing hardware products at a previous company.
- Experience working with OEMs in automotive, industrial or consumer electronics.
- Familiarity with regulatory requirements and safety standards relevant to autonomy and global operations.
- Experience designing hardware solutions that enable software-defined vehicles.
- Experience building AI-enabled products for the physical world.

## Benefits

- 100% covered medical, dental, and vision for the employee (partner, children, or family is additional)
- Commuter Benefits
- Flexible Spending Account (FSA)
- Life Insurance
- Short- and Long-Term Disability
- 401k Plan
- Stock Options
- Collaborative work environment working alongside passionate mission-driven team!

Our interview process is generally conducted in five (5) phases:

1. Phone Screen with Hiring Manager (30 minutes)
2. Technical Evaluation in Domain (1 hour)
3. Technical Evaluation in Domain (1 hour)
4. Panel Interview (Video interviews scheduled with key stakeholders, each interview will be 30 to 60 minutes)

## About Agtonomy

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Agtonomy is a smart automation company that embeds AI-driven software and physical intelligence into industrial equipment to help growers and operators tackle labor shortages, improve efficiency, and manage rising costs.
- **Entity Type**: Private (Series A)
- **Headquarters**: San Francisco, California, United States (with a secondary office in South San Francisco)
- **Founded**: 2021
- **Founders**: Tim Bucher (CEO & Co-Founder), Valerie Syme (Co-Founder)

## Core Business
- **Primary Industries**: Automation Machinery Manufacturing, Agriculture Technology (AgTech), Robotics, AI
- **Target Customers**: B2B — growers, farmers, and operators in agriculture, turf, and other off-road industrial sectors
- **Mission Statement**: "To create automation that empowers, not replaces. Our solutions are designed to fit naturally into existing workflows, making it easier to get more done with fewer resources while preserving the human expertise that defines great work."

## Products & Services
- **Agtonomy Platform**: A unified platform that allows farmers to monitor, automate, and manage fleets of vehicles through an app, providing insights and control over farm operations.
- **TeleFarmer™**: A software platform and mobile app that enables farmers to plan, assign, and monitor field tasks remotely, providing tele-guidance for agricultural operations.
- **Autonomous Solutions**: Systems designed to handle labor-intensive tasks such as mowing, spraying, and transporting in challenging terrains — available on both diesel and electric platforms.
- **Smart Farm Task Ecosystem**: Connects self-driving tractors with farm tools to autonomously execute tasks, enhancing efficiency and sustainability.
- **Smart Take-Off (STO)™**: A plug connector that facilitates power and data transfer between tractors and tool attachments, improving energy efficiency and safety.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation**: Not publicly disclosed
- **Total Funding**: $73M across 7 rounds, including:
  - Seed Round (Sep 2021): $4.0M (3 investors)
  - Series A (Dec 2023): $22.5M (led by Momenta Ventures, 4 investors)
  - Corporate Round (Jun 2023): led by Doosan Bobcat
  - Venture Round (Apr 2026): 1 investor
- **Annual Revenue**: $17.5M (estimated)
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: Doosan Bobcat, Momenta Ventures, Cavallo Ventures, Allison Transmission Holdings
- **Growth Signals**:
  - Headcount grew +32.7% YoY, reaching 59 employees
  - Expanding internationally in 2025 beyond the western United States
  - Active hiring with 5 open positions as of latest data

## Competitive Advantages
- **Embedded OEM Partnerships**: Agtonomy's technology is factory-fit into equipment from brands like Doosan Bobcat, giving it a distribution moat that's hard for pure-play robotics startups to replicate.
- **Physical AI Expertise**: The company uses field-proven physical AI (computer vision, sensor fusion, autonomy stacks) built for complex, real-world environments — not just controlled labs.
- **Dual Platform Strategy**: Offers both diesel and electric platforms, making the technology accessible to a wider range of customers without forcing a full fleet transition.
- **Operator-Centric Design**: Unlike fully autonomous-only players, Agtonomy builds for "hybrid autonomy" where operators retain command, which increases trust and adoption in conservative industries like agriculture.

## Strategic Focus
- **International Expansion**: Actively expanding beyond the western United States into new global markets in 2025.
- **Multi-Industry Pivot**: While rooted in agriculture, the company is growing to serve turf, construction, and other off-road industries — broadening its total addressable market.
- **Talent Acquisition**: Investing heavily in technical talent (per active job postings for ML engineers, data engineers, and software engineers) to strengthen its AI and autonomy capabilities.
- **Product Depth**: Building out the analytics and insights layer (Lead Data Engineer role) to provide more value from operational data.

## Why Work Here
- **Culture & Mission**: Agtonomy's team describes itself as "a powerhouse of innovators, engineers, and field experts united by a bold vision." The company emphasizes practical, real-world impact rather than abstract robotics research.
- **Work Policy**: **Hybrid** — employees engage in a combination of remote and on-site work, with a typical expectation of 4 days per week on-site in South San Francisco.
- **Perks**:
  - Unlimited PTO policy
  - Competitive salaries (e.g., Software Engineer: $129,341/yr, Firmware Engineer: $143,456/yr, Creative Director: $128,122/yr)
- **Engineering Culture**: Strong technical stack (Python, TypeScript, Go, Flutter, PyTorch, TensorFlow, Kubernetes, Terraform) and a team with deep robotics/AI experience from top companies like Kitty Hawk, Cruise, Saildrone, Outrider, and Kodiak.
- **Team Composition**: 46% of employees are in technical roles; the company has a lean, high-impact structure with significant senior and director-level talent.
- **Growth Trajectory**: High YoY headcount growth (+32.7%) and active hiring signal a company in expansion mode — good for career growth.

## Sources
1. [agtonomy.com](https://www.agtonomy.com/about)
2. [linkedin.com](https://linkedin.com/company/agtonomy)
3. [crunchbase.com](https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/agtonomy)
4. [builtin.com](https://builtin.com/company/agtonomy)
5. [jobs.lever.co](https://jobs.lever.co/agtonomy)

## Other roles at Agtonomy

- [Strategic Account Manager](https://feeny.ai/job/strategic-account-manager-agtonomy-bakersfield-t3wrq0v7trpr) — Bakersfield, CA
- [Technical Program Manager](https://feeny.ai/job/technical-program-manager-agtonomy-south-san-francisco-z7h9w1ksm3m5) — South San Francisco, CA
- [Senior/Staff Machine Learning Engineer, Perception](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-staff-machine-learning-engineer-perception-agtonomy-south-san-francisco-67qm2g4t9xjw) — South San Francisco, CA
- [Lead Data Engineer, Analytics & Insights](https://feeny.ai/job/lead-data-engineer-analytics-insights-agtonomy-south-san-francisco-tgpd5vcnywe2) — South San Francisco, CA
- [Head of Hardware](https://feeny.ai/job/head-of-hardware-peak-energy-burlingame-vky0rsv4b83a) — Burlingame, CA
- [Head of Hardware](https://feeny.ai/job/head-of-hardware-picogrid-el-segundo-zzy99r9scjfc) — El Segundo, CA