Chief Product & Technology Officer (Consumer Hardware Device)

Location: Mumbai (On-site / frequent on-ground presence required)

Product: Consumer Hardware | Behaviour Replacement | Deep Tech

The Opportunity

Company is building a first-of-its-kind consumer hardware product designed to replace a harmful global habit with a safer, non-combustive, non-addictive ritual.

This is not a vape, e-cigarette, heated tobacco product, or nicotine device. It is a new category,

combining technology, design, safety, and human psychology.

We are early-stage, pre-institutional funding, and entering a critical execution window. The decisions made now will define the product and the company for years.

We are not hiring an employee. We are evaluating a founder-calibre Product & Technology leader who wants real authorship.

Role Summary

You will be the single-point owner of product and technology execution, from blank-sheet architecture through EVT DVT early PVT and an investor-grade Golden Prototype.

This is a hands-on, decision-heavy role. If you prefer delegation over building, this is not a fit.

What You Will Own

You will personally own and drive:

1. Product & System Architecture

Translate behavioural intent into a buildable system

Decide what is core vs optional

Make irreversible trade-offs consciously

Freeze the right things at the right time

2. Industrial Design & Mechanical Execution

Work deeply with industrial designers

Own materials, tolerances, airflow, ergonomics, hygiene

Resolve ID vs engineering conflicts decisively

Ensure the product feels right, not just functions

3. Electronics & Firmware Orchestration

Own electronics architecture decisions (even if not coding)

Coordinate firmware logic, safety states, and control flows

Understand power, battery, and reliability implications

Catch wrong assumptions early

4. EVT DVT Execution

Personally drive EVT and DVT builds

Design experiments, interpret failures, iterate fast

Decide when to redesign vs move forward

5. Manufacturing & ODM Engagement

Direct engagement with ODMs (China / Asia)

Own BOM, yield assumptions, and cost-quality trade-offs

Protect IP while collaborating pragmatically

6. Validation, Safety & Compliance Readiness

Design-for-compliance from Day 1

Coordinate with labs and regulatory advisors

Avoid late-stage surprises

Who This Role Is For

You are likely a fit if you:

Have 1020 years in hardware / product / system roles

Have taken at least one real 01 hardware product through EVT/DVT

Are comfortable working with manufacturers and ODMs

Think in systems, not components

Enjoy ambiguity and decision ownership

Are willing to get hands dirty in early builds

Strong preference for:

Consumer hardware experience

Battery-powered devices

Products requiring certification

Asia manufacturing exposure

Who This Role Is NOT For

This role is not suitable if you:

Are salary-first or risk-averse

Prefer advisory or fractional roles

Need large teams to feel effective

Want structure before momentum

Are uncomfortable with early-stage uncertainty

Mindset & Personal Alignment

We are intentionally filtering for:

Founder mentality: ownership > title

Comfort with delayed gratification

High integrity, low ego

Willingness to be wrong and correct fast

Smoker / ex-smoker / vaper is a positive, purely for product empathy.

Location & Commitment

Mumbai-based strongly preferred

Frequent on-ground presence required

Full-time commitment only

No parallel consulting or advisory roles

This cannot be done remotely.

Compensation & Structure

This is not a market-salary role.

Modest monthly sustenance compensation (pre-funding)

All approved work expenses reimbursed

Equity-heavy, cash-light philosophy

Clear intent to evaluate long-term leadership or co-founder partnership

Equity is not promised upfront. It is earned through execution and ownership.

What Success Looks Like

Success is defined by:

Working EVT and DVT prototypes

Scientific and safety validation

Manufacturing feasibility clarity

Compliance readiness

Investor confidence in the product and team

Not by team size or slide decks.

Final Note

This is a career-defining role, not a stepping stone. It will be demanding, ambiguous, and execution heavy. But for the right person, it offers rare authorship: to build a category-defining consumer product from first principles.