Updated October 2026
For a deep tech or hardware startup, the first hires are usually a systems engineer to hold the architecture together, then the specialists your next milestone depends on: embedded and firmware engineers for a working prototype, test engineers for pilots and a manufacturing or NPI engineer before production. Plan each hire against a technical milestone, and start the slowest searches well before you need the person.
Software startups can hire a generalist and point them at whatever is most urgent. Hardware rarely allows that. A firmware engineer cannot fix your tooling, and a strong researcher may never have taken a product through a factory.
Hire for the next milestone, not the org chart
The better approach in deep tech is to hire for the next technical milestone: prototype, pilot, design for manufacture, production. Each step needs a different scarce specialist, and those people are few and slow to move. So the search for the milestone after next has to start while you are still working on the current one.
An org chart says a company your size usually has a head of this and a manager of that. A milestone plan says who has to be productive on which date for the next build to happen, which is what your runway cares about.
The roles that hold a hardware team together
Systems engineer
The systems engineer is the glue between mechanical, electrical, firmware and software. They own requirements and interfaces, and notice when a battery decision upsets the thermal design. Many hardware startups hire this person after integration problems have already cost a build.
Firmware, embedded and mechanical engineers
Look for people who have taken a board or an enclosure from prototype to something that survives real use. Ask about the field failure they are proudest of fixing.
Manufacturing, test and supply chain
A manufacturing or NPI engineer translates your design into something a contract manufacturer can build repeatedly. Test engineers write the checks that catch faults before a customer does, and a supply chain lead secures parts with long lead times.
Safety and certification owner
Products that move, use radio or work near people usually need certification before they ship, for example CE marking in Europe, FCC rules for radios in the US and functional safety standards for machinery. One person must own this with an accredited test lab; check which rules apply with your lab or regulator.
Finding people who have shipped hardware
Many deep tech founders come from research, and the first instinct is to hire from the lab they know. PhDs and postdocs can be excellent hires, but screen for shipping as well as publishing. Ask what they built that someone else used and what they cut to hit a deadline.
The specialists you need are often in a handful of companies and cities, so be ready to relocate people and sponsor visas for niche skills. Rules differ by country, so check them with an immigration adviser early. These candidates care about the problem, the team and whether you have the money to reach production.
If you are deciding on technical leadership, see our guide to hiring a CTO.
Pilot to production: a 25-person robotics startup
Take a Series A robotics startup with 25 people. It has robots running in customer pilots and needs a first production run within 18 months. Nobody on the team has scaled manufacturing.
The NPI search starts in month 1 because it is the hire most likely to slip. The safety owner joins well before the production build, since certification findings can force design changes. For the wider picture, see our Series A hiring plan.
Where Funded.club fits
We are a fixed-fee recruiting partner for funded startups and fast-growing teams across North America, Europe and APAC, and we have helped 500+ startups from Seed to Series D. Cobalt Robotics is one of the hardware companies we have worked with. One dedicated recruiter runs each search end to end, with first screened candidates within 7 days.
Our fee is fixed and agreed upfront, averaging 6 to 9% of salary. As an illustration, a firmware lead on a $140,000 salary sits in the up to $150,000 band, so the fee is $11,500. Part of the fee is an advance at the start of the search, and if we don't deliver a shortlist of at least 3 qualified candidates within 30 days, you can claim the advance back in full. See pricing.
Frequently asked questions
Who should a hardware startup hire first?
Usually a systems engineer plus the specialists the next milestone needs, such as embedded and firmware engineers for a prototype. Manufacturing, test and certification roles follow.
When should a deep tech startup hire a manufacturing engineer?
Start the search when the first customer pilot is agreed, so the manufacturing or NPI engineer is in place before design for manufacture begins.
Are PhDs good first hires for a deep tech startup?
They can be, if they have built things other people use. Screen for evidence of shipping, such as working to deadlines and making trade-offs, alongside research depth.
Who owns safety and certification in a hardware startup?
Name one person, often a senior hardware or quality engineer at first, to work with an accredited test lab. Check which rules apply in each market with your lab or regulator.
Worth a brief chat about your next hire? Book a free call.
Hiring after a funding round?
First candidates in 7 days. Fixed-fee, no commission.