Director, Hardware Engineering

Fabric is a fast-growing Series A deep tech company (full-stack across silicon, hardware and cloud) that was founded to unlock the next generation of cryptography. Encryption and decryption secured the Internet as we know it. The next paradigm of cryptography will revolutionize how we trust each other.

We are the first to build a new class of processor for the rapidly emerging verifiable compute market. Fabric’s flagship product - the Verifiable Processing Unit (VPU) - is a general-purpose, fully programmable cryptography chip built from the ground up to accelerate next-gen cryptography, such as zero-knowledge proofs and fully homomorphic encryption.

With $39 million in equity and >$60 million in pre-orders, we are rapidly scaling our team of 60+ employees to build the foundation of verifiability for the Internet.

About the job

Fabric Cryptography is seeking a visionary and accomplished Vice President of Systems to play a pivotal role in shaping the future of cryptographic computing. In this dynamic and high-impact position, you will be instrumental in guiding the design and development of our cutting-edge systems. This role is central to the success of our groundbreaking technology and requires a deep understanding of hardware systems, PCIe technology, systems integration, and strong leadership skills to engage and lead our suppliers in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region, including test, manufacturing, assembly, and packaging partners.

What you'll be doing

Systems Engineering Leadership: Lead and participate in system design and development throughout all stages of the development lifecycle, using Systems Engineering methods and tools. This includes tasks such as requirements decomposition, system architecture, specifications, systems engineering and program plans, risk assessment, validation and verification planning, and overall system integration.
Interdisciplinary Collaboration: Apply interdisciplinary and collaborative approaches to plan, coordinate, design, develop, and verify complex system solutions. Develop architectural diagrams and products to establish architecture definition and design, including Concept of Operations and system use cases.
Trade Studies and Product Roadmap: Conduct system-level trade studies to inform Fabric's product roadmap and specify high-level features for future product iterations.
Specialty Engineering: Participate in specialty engineering areas such as operability, reliability, maintainability, and supportability. Analyze and verify these aspects to ensure the robustness of the systems.
Interface Control Documentation: Lead teams in defining and disseminating interface control documentation to facilitate effective communication among various system components as the company scales.
Cross-Functional Collaboration: Engage with leaders and teammates across engineering disciplines, fostering effective communication and collaboration with our Hardware Digital Team, Software Team, and Cryptography Research Organization.
Performance Requirements: Assist in defining and coordinating system performance requirements and technical parameters, aligning these with the goals and missions of our various teams.
Technical Solutions Development: Collaborate with diverse disciplines, including mechanical and electrical engineering, firmware, packaging, thermal, and software, to develop detailed technical hardware solutions, ensuring these align with the objectives of our products and multifaceted organization.
Integration Test and Evaluation: Design system integration tests and evaluation processes, and create detailed test plans that ensure the quality, security, and functionality of our cryptographic computing solutions. Coordinate testing efforts internally and with our partners.
Technical Oversight: Assume responsibility for technical reviews, key milestone gating, and follow-ups across various teams and organizations.

Qualifications and experience requirements

BS/MSMaster's in engineering field, Ph.D. in engineering discipline preferred.
Successful experience in bringing products from silicon bring-up to system mass production.
Demonstrated experience in managing and overseeing the overseas Contract Manufacturing process to ensure efficient and high-quality production.
Proven experience in building PCIe and host systems, demonstrating an in-depth understanding of this technology.
Hands-on experience in memory and PCB development for compute systems.
Experience in system development with high power density and custom cooling solutions
Strong experience in hardware test and integration, ensuring the reliability and performance of systems.
Experience in conducting reliability, maintainability, and supportability analysis and executing plans to enhance system performance and sustainability.
Previous experience in high-growth or startup environments is a significant asset, as it requires adaptability, innovation, and a dynamic approach.