At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead the development of innovative hardware products from concept to mass production.
- Company: Join algo1, an AI-native platform transforming in-store shopping experiences.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, equity options, and full autonomy over hardware strategy.
- Other info: Collaborate directly with founders in a dynamic London office.
- Why this job: Make a real impact by creating durable, beautiful devices for retail environments.
- Qualifications: Experience in taking physical products from prototype to large-scale production.
The predicted salary is between 60000 - 75000 £ per year.
About algo1: algo1 is an AI-native platform reinventing the in-store shopping experience. Founded by Simon Franks (LoveFilm, Redbus) and backed by leading venture investors, we're ~40 people building from our London office. Our devices live in retail stores and get used, abused, and relied on every day by real shoppers. They have to be tough enough to survive that and beautiful enough that people want to touch them.
The Role: We're hiring a Head of Hardware to own the physical product end-to-end, from today's early units through retail trials to mass deployment. You will define that strategy from scratch rather than inherit one. You’ll work directly with the founders and our two product leaders (B2C and B2B), backed by a strong engineering support in Pakistan and external design partners you’ll select and direct. The core challenge: consumer-grade quality and a premium finish at low cost, at scale. If you default to commoditised components over custom engineering and can prove it saved cost or time, we'll get along.
What You Will Own:
- The hardware product end-to-end: From today's early units through retail trials and into large-scale deployment.
- Sourcing and supplier strategy: manufacturer selection, sourcing and management.
- Supply chain scaling: including certification, production ramp-up, logistics, and successful deployment into retail environments.
- External design partners: You will brief, select, and direct industrial design and engineering contractors.
- The supply chain ramp: certification, production scale-up, logistics and getting devices into stores ready to work.
You're Right For This Role If You've:
- Taken a physical product from prototype through EVT/DVT/PVT into scaled production.
- Shipped by coordinating design, engineering, and manufacturing through outsourced relationships, ideally with direct design-to-manufacturing experience in China.
- Owned ODM and contract manufacturing relationships and survived real supply chain disruption.
- Built consumer-grade hardware for demanding settings (retail, payments, logistics, mobility) where drop testing, IP ratings, and cleaning regimes are second nature.
The Details: London-based, in person; we build together. Competitive pay plus meaningful equity. Full autonomy over hardware strategy, working directly with the founders. We would love to hear from you if you've shipped products people rely on every day and they just keep working.
Head of Hardware employer: algo1
At algo1, we pride ourselves on being an innovative employer that fosters a collaborative and dynamic work environment in the heart of London. Our team of around 40 passionate individuals is dedicated to reinventing the in-store shopping experience, offering competitive pay, meaningful equity, and full autonomy over your projects. With a strong focus on employee growth and the opportunity to work directly with founders and industry leaders, algo1 is the perfect place for those looking to make a significant impact in the tech space.
