The posting
About Overlay Overlay is building the world's first intelligent makeup robot, reimagining beauty application through robotics, perception, and design. As a venture-backed, pre-launch startup, we're defining a new category of personal robotics at the intersection of self-expression and engineering. We're a small team inventing what doesn't yet exist and turning it into something beautiful.
About the Role We're hiring a Head of Engineering to lead the team that takes Overlay's robot from working prototype to a manufactured consumer product. You will own the engineering organization, the technical roadmap for the hardware, and the relationship with our contract manufacturer in China as we move through EVT, DVT and PVT toward first customer shipments.
This is a player-coach role, split roughly 50/50 between engineering leadership and hands-on individual-contributor work. You will lead a team of experienced mechanical, robotics, and computer-vision engineers, and you will personally carry meaningful technical work in the hardware domain you know best, whether that's mechanical, electrical or mechatronics.
You will report directly to the CEO and work closely with cross-functional partners plus external vendors and our overseas manufacturing partners. You should expect regular travel to China over the next 12 months to ensure the first production run goes smoothly.
What You'll Own Lead, coach and grow Overlay's engineering team, setting priorities, unblocking work and holding a high bar for quality and pace. Own the engineering roadmap and work closely with our software and mechanical leads to go from current prototypes through EVT, DVT, PVT and production ramp. Serve as a key engineering counterpart to our contract manufacturer and suppliers in China, including on-site build support, DFM reviews, issue resolution and supplier qualification. Carry hands-on technical ownership of a core hardware domain (mechanical, electrical or mechatronics): architecture, design reviews, test plans and failure analysis. Establish the engineering practices a consumer hardware company needs at this stage: requirements, design reviews, BOM and revision management, test and validation, and documentation. Drive reliability, safety and regulatory readiness for a device that operates close to the face, working with outside experts as needed. Build the engineering culture: how we make decisions, give feedback, run reviews and support each other, with the same care for the people as for the hardware. Recruit, interview and onboard the next wave of engineers as the team grows, and shape roles and levels as the org scales. Partner with the CEO on technical strategy, budget, hiring plans and board-level updates on engineering progress.
What We're Looking For 12+ years of hardware engineering experience, with a degree in mechanical, electrical or mechatronics engineering or equivalent depth. You have brought at least one consumer electronics product from concept through mass production and into customers' hands. Deep working knowledge of manufacturing: DFM, tooling, EVT/DVT/PVT, yield and quality systems, and what it takes to ramp with a contract manufacturer. Experience working directly with manufacturers and suppliers in China, and willingness to travel there regularly for builds and supplier visits. 3+ years leading engineers, with a track record of building teams that people want to stay on and that ship. Still hands-on: you want to spend half your time designing, reviewing and debugging hardware, not only managing. Comfortable making decisions with incomplete information and explaining the reasoning clearly to engineers, executives and partners. Experience with electromechanical systems that combine motors, sensors, embedded control and firmware, and enough fluency across disciplines to lead a cross-functional team. Thrive in a small, resource-conscious startup where the job is to invent, build and ship.
What Success Looks Like The robot enters tooling and then ships to first customers as a reliable, scalable product. Builds run smoothly because the team and the contract manufacturer share clear specs, owners and decisions. Engineers on the team describe the culture as demanding, supportive and clear about what matters. People know why their work matters, how it connects to what ships, and what great looks like. The team trusts your judgment because you listen first, explain your reasoning, give credit generously and own mistakes openly, including your own. Engineers are energized by the work: they bring ideas forward without being asked, celebrate each other's wins and stay through the hard stretches because they believe in the product and in each other. The team grows without losing quality, speed or cohesion, and new hires ramp quickly.
Bonus Points Experience with robotics, wearables or other products that operate close to the body. Experience with fluid handling, dispensing or consumable cartridge systems. Familiarity with safety and regulatory paths for consumer devices. Experience taking a team from prototype builds to a first production ramp at a startup. Working proficiency in Mandarin.
Why Join Overlay Lead the engineering team that brings a category-defining consumer robot to market. Work across robotics, beauty, manufacturing and advanced product development. Shape how a hardware engineering organization operates from its earliest days, and grow with it. Stay hands-on: this is a role for a leader who still wants to build. Join a small, ambitious, experienced team with high creative and technical ownership. Receive competitive compensation, early-stage equity and comprehensive benefits.
Compensation and Benefits The base salary range for this role is $250K - $300K, depending on experience and level. The package also includes early-stage equity, medical, dental and vision coverage, a 401(k) match, flexible time off and commuter benefits.
