Hardware Operations Specialist

Mashgin
Palo Alto, CA
HybridCareer-pivot friendly

Who this role is best for

Strong fit for hands-on operational professionals who manage inventory and logistics in hardware startups and who thrive in fast-changing environments.

Best fit for

  • Candidates with hands-on operational experience in hardware manufacturing or logistics environments
    — “3+ years of experience in hardware operations, supply chain, manufacturing, logistics, inventory management, or another hands-on operational role
  • Individuals who can adapt to shifting priorities and take ownership of evolving workflows
    — “Comfortable working in a fast-changing environment where priorities can shift frequently
  • Candidates willing to learn hardware manufacturing concepts like BOM and CBOM
    — “Basic familiarity with hardware manufacturing concepts such as a Bill of Materials (BOM) and cost BOM (CBOM), or willingness to learn them quickly

Things to consider

  • Requires regular in-person presence in San Jose, CA, at least twice per week
    — “Ability to be onsite in San Jose, CA at least 2 times per week
  • Role may involve international coordination and ad-hoc tasks with unpredictable scope
    — “Willingness to take on ad-hoc tasks when needed — a significant portion of hardware operations cannot always be predicted in advance

How to stand out

  • Emphasize experience with inventory systems and logistics coordination in your resume and interview responses
    — “Experience with inventory, ERP, purchasing, or logistics systems
  • Showcase your readiness to learn and adapt to new processes and workflows
    — “We do not expect someone joining this role to already know how to do all of these things
  • Demonstrate your ability to communicate and collaborate with both internal and external teams
    — “Strong communication and teamwork skills
  • Include examples of resolving shipping issues or managing inventory discrepancies
    — “Flag inventory discrepancies, shipment delays, or other issues to the team early
Pace · SteadyCollaboration · MediumAutonomy · MediumDecision Impact · Individual

Derived from job-description analysis by Serendipath's career intelligence engine.

What success looks like

  • accurate inventory tracking
  • efficient logistics
Typical background
supply chain managementlogisticsinventory control

Skills & requirements

Required

Inventory ManagementLogisticsSupply ChainHardware Operations

Preferred

International ShippingManufacturing

Stack & domain

Inventory ManagementLogisticsOrganizationAttention To DetailHardwareSupply Chain

About the role

Original posting from Mashgin via Lever

About Mashgin

Mashgin powers the world's best checkout experience for over 40 million users. Customers just place their items on our kiosks and our AI rings up their entire order in less than a second. With Mashgin, lines are now optional.

Mashgin's technology powers over 1 billion transactions at your favorite locations, including over half of all US professional sports teams, 4,000 convenience stores, major airports, universities, and more.

We’re not just building cutting-edge AI—we’re creating real-world impact and unforgettable experiences. Backed by a well-funded Series B, we’re also one of the rare AI startups that’s already profitable.

Our secret? A culture of extreme ownership, autonomy, and customer obsession. At Mashgin, we are building something extraordinary by challenging conventional wisdom. We’ve thrown out the old rules to focus on what truly matters: creating a kickass product that makes people say, 'Wow'. We don’t care about short-term wins; we build systems that stand the test of time. If you thrive in a culture of excellence without compromise and want to see your work have an immediate, remarkable impact, you’re in the right place.

What You’ll Work On:

  • Track inventory at our local contract manufacturer, including what is on hand, incoming, allocated, and shipped
  • Keep inventory records and shipment tracking information accurate and up to date
  • Support USA domestic logistics, including preparing shipments, coordinating with carriers, tracking deliveries, and helping resolve shipping issues
  • Follow up with our contract manufacturer, suppliers, and internal teams on open operational items
  • Help organize hardware, spare parts, packaging materials, and finished goods
  • Flag inventory discrepancies, shipment delays, or other issues to the team early
  • Support day-to-day hardware operational tasks as priorities change
  • Maintain clear records so the team knows the latest status without having to reconstruct what happened

What You Can Grow Into:

As you become familiar with our products, suppliers, and processes, you may gradually take on additional responsibilities such as:

  • Coordinating rework activities at our local contract manufacturer
  • Supporting communication with China-based suppliers
  • Preparing, placing, and tracking purchase orders under guidance from the hardware team
  • Supporting spare parts planning and inventory allocation
  • Coordinating international shipments
  • Supporting production builds, material readiness, and build tracking
  • Helping track manufacturing and quality issues through resolution
  • Taking ownership of defined operational workflows once you have demonstrated readiness

The pace and scope of this growth will depend on your experience and readiness. We do not expect someone joining this role to already know how to do all of these things.

What You’ll Need:

  • 3+ years of experience in hardware operations, supply chain, manufacturing, logistics, inventory management, or another hands-on operational role
  • Strong organization and attention to detail
  • Ability to follow instructions, keep track of multiple open items, and reliably close the loop
  • Ability to understand when information or requirements have changed and make sure records and actions reflect the latest direction
  • Comfortable asking questions when something is unclear instead of making assumptions
  • Comfortable handling physical parts, packaging, assemblies, and finished hardware
  • Basic familiarity with hardware manufacturing concepts such as a Bill of Materials (BOM) and cost BOM (CBOM), or willingness to learn them quickly
  • Comfortable working in a fast-changing environment where priorities can shift frequently
  • Willingness to take on ad-hoc tasks when needed — a significant portion of hardware operations cannot always be predicted in advance
  • Strong communication and teamwork skills
  • Ability to be onsite in San Jose, CA at least 2 times per week

Nice to Have:

  • Experience working with a contract manufacturer or in a manufacturing environment
  • Exposure to overseas suppliers or China-based manufacturing
  • Experience with inventory, ERP, purchasing, or logistics systems
  • Consumer electronics or hardware startup experience
  • Mandarin language skills
  • Bachelor’s degree in manufacturing or an engineering discipline, etc

Compensation:

For roles based in San Jose, CA, the overall market range for Mashgin is typically $80,000 - $140,000 USD annually. Note that total compensation for this position will be determined by candidate’s relevant qualifications, work experience, skills, and other relevant factors. This estimate excludes the value of any benefits offered by Mashgin, and the potential future value of any other long-term incentives.

Mashgin is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. Individuals seeking employment at Mashgin are considered without regards to race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, marital status, ancestry, physical or mental disability, veteran status, gender identity, or sexual orientation. 

Notice on fraudulent jobs

We have been made aware of instances of fraudulent job postings and/or fraudulent recruiting activity by bad actors, claiming to represent Mashgin. These fraudulent schemes often seek monetary contributions or payments from job seekers (such as for "start up costs" or "equipment"), or seek to collect sensitive personal or banking information from job seekers. These job postings and offers are not authorized by Mashgin, and Mashgin is not responsible for fraudulent offers or requests for personal information or payments. Mashgin will never ask for any financial commitment or contribution from a candidate at any stage of the recruitment process. Candidates who have questions about the validity of Mashgin job postings or offers should consult the job postings on our mashgin.com career site. If you think you've been scammed, please reference this site for more information.

Source: Mashgin careers (Lever)

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