Director of Hardware

Department: Engineering

Location: Ottawa Office

Employment Type: FullTime

About Dominion Dynamics

Dominion Dynamics is building Canada’s first modern defence prime: software-defined, attritable, and sovereign.

We believe tomorrow’s military power won’t hinge on exquisite platforms, but on the seamless coordination of adaptable, AI-driven capabilities across every domain. We’re building that family of systems, fielded with operators, sovereign by design, and accountable to Canada’s democratic values.

We move fast, deploy with the CAF, especially in the Arctic, and operate with uncompromising respect for Canadian law, treaty obligations, and the CAF community.

Our founding team includes former operators from Anduril, Google, Amazon, and the Canadian Armed Forces. We’re building hard tech in hard places, and we're looking for system-level thinkers who thrive at the intersection of autonomy, aerospace, and national security.

Why This Role Matters

This is a foundational leadership role responsible for shaping Dominion Dynamics’ hardware organization.

As Director of Hardware, you will own the strategy, execution, and evolution of our hardware systems, from early architecture and rapid prototyping through field deployment and scale. You will lead multidisciplinary teams spanning power, sensing, embedded computing, robotics, and ruggedized mechanical systems, ensuring everything we build performs in real operational conditions.

This role is for a proven builder who has led hardware teams through ambiguity, understands defence and mission constraints, and knows how to deliver reliable systems without slowing down.

What You’ll Do

• Own and execute Dominion Dynamics’ end-to-end hardware strategy, from early concept through reliable, fielded systems that perform in real operational environments

• Lead, mentor, and scale a high-trust, high-performance multidisciplinary hardware organization, spanning electrical, embedded, sensing, robotics, and mechanical domains

• Drive system-level architecture and design decisions that enable tight integration between hardware, software, and autonomy, resulting in cohesive, deployable platforms

• Set technical direction and priorities across power, compute, sensing, and physical platforms designed to operate in harsh, constrained environments

• Establish engineering rigor (design reviews, testing discipline, documentation where it matters) without sacrificing startup speed or iteration velocity

• Partner closely with software, autonomy, and operations leaders to deliver integrated, field-ready systems, with clear ownership and accountability across teams

• Guide build-vs-buy decisions, vendor strategy, manufacturing readiness, and supply chain considerations to support repeatable delivery and scale

• Support field testing, deployments, and rapid iteration cycles with operators and end users, incorporating real-world feedback into hardware evolution

• Act as a senior technical leader within the company, contributing to roadmap planning, risk management, and long-term platform strategy that can evolve as mission needs change

What You’ll Bring

• 10+ years of experience leading hardware or multidisciplinary engineering organizations

• A proven track record of building and scaling complex hardware systems in, defence, aerospace, robotics, or adjacent fields

• Strong system-level thinking across electrical, embedded, mechanical, and sensing disciplines

• Experience taking hardware from early concept to prototype to operational deployment

• Comfort operating in ambiguous, resource-constrained, high-accountability environments

• Defence, government, or regulated-industry experience strongly preferred

• A mission-aligned mindset, motivated by national security, sovereignty, and real-world impact

• Hands-on leadership style: strategic when needed, in the details when it counts

• Eligible for (or able to obtain) Canadian security clearance

Why Join Us

At Dominion Dynamics, we’re designing systems that work where others fail, in the most extreme environments on Earth.

At Dominion Dynamics you’ll:

• Shape the future of Canada’s sovereign defence.

• Build real capability in fields with CAF and allies.

• Move fast, field fast with small teams, high trust, and rapid iteration.

• Operate with integrity under Canadian law and treaty obligations.

• Have impact from day one with equity, responsibility, and direct access to leadership.

If you’re driven by innovation, adaptability, and the opportunity to make a strategic impact, this is where you belong!

We use AI tools to support parts of the hiring process, including screening and reviewing responses. Final hiring decisions are always made by people and follow all applicable privacy and employment laws in Canada.