Note: The job is a remote job and is open to candidates in USA. Napster Corp. is building the future of AI-powered experiences. They are seeking a Director of Hardware Operations & Supply Chain to scale the operational foundation for their hardware business, driving execution across supply chain, manufacturing, logistics, and customer operations.
Responsibilities
- Lead day-to-day operational execution for Napster's hardware business
- Build scalable operating models that support growth, efficiency, and profitability
- Drive cross-functional alignment across Product, Engineering, Finance, Partnerships, Customer Success, and Leadership
- Establish KPIs, reporting, and governance processes to monitor business performance
- Own contract-manufacturer and ODM relationships, capacity planning, quarterly business reviews, yield and quality-escape management, and corrective action
- Run the warranty, RMA, and service-level framework behind every deployed unit
- Lead demand planning and S&OP, inventory and safety-stock strategy, spares planning, 3PL and depot operations, and reverse logistics
- Manage Strategic relationships with hardware manufacturers, suppliers, and fulfillment partners
- Manage sourcing, manufacturing, inventory planning, fulfillment, and logistics operations
- Monitor supply chain performance and implement improvements to cost, quality, and delivery
- Identify and mitigate operational and supply chain risks
- Plan parts availability, end-of-life, and last-time-buy to support multi-year deployments
- Own the quality system, incoming acceptance and DOA standards, RMA and failure analysis, FRACAS, 8D/CAPA, and AFR/MTBF targets
- Oversee durability and reliability validation and field-reliability monitoring
- Drive launch readiness and operational execution for all new hardware introduced by Product and Engineering
- Coordinate manufacturing, inventory, fulfillment, support, and partner readiness activities
- Own operational readiness through the build and validation phases (EVT/DVT/PVT, pilot builds) and the production ramp behind each launch
- Ensure products deploy on time and at scale
- Operationalize product changes through disciplined change control (BOM, ECO/ECN via PLM/ERP), re-certification sequencing, sourcing, spares, inventory, and customer notice
- Run lifecycle and continuity planning so that deployed hardware stays supportable over its full life
- Manage owned and leased hardware fleets, uptime and service commitments, field service, installation, repair, spares, and the asset lifecycle from deployment through refresh
- Lead product certification and regulatory and trade compliance (e.g., FCC, CE, UL/ETL, RoHS, REACH, WEEE) and the import work that enables new-region expansion (importer-of-record, duties, VAT)
- Support forecasting, budgeting, pricing, margin analysis, and profitability management
- Partner with Finance to develop business models and operating plans
- Drive operational improvements that enhance financial performance
- Develop scalable support frameworks for customers and partners
- Ensure high-quality post-sale support, fulfillment, and operational service delivery
- Manage operational relationships with key external partners
- Partner with Legal, Finance, InfoSec, and Product on specialized domains, commercial and contract terms, payment compliance, data and device security, and product safety, and drive resolution of commercial, compliance, and service-model decisions
Skills
- 8+ years of experience in tech hardware operations, supply chain, and manufacturing
- Strong understanding of manufacturing, logistics, inventory management, and fulfillment operations
- Proven ability to manage complex cross-functional initiatives
- Strong financial and analytical skills
- Excellent communication and stakeholder management abilities
- Experience working in fast-paced, high-growth environments
- Experience working with overseas manufacturers
- Hands-on experience managing ODMs, contract manufacturers, 3PLs, or repair/depot partners
- Experience taking hardware from late-stage prototype or design-lock through pilot build, production ramp, launch, and lifecycle support
- Working knowledge of BOM/change control, warranty, RMA, and reverse logistics
- Ability to build operating rhythms, KPIs, and cross-functional governance across Product, Engineering, Finance, Support, and partners
- Strong commercial judgment and vendor-management skills
- Leased fleets, kiosks, field service, uptime SLAs, spares pools, or advance-replacement models
- International certifications and trade compliance (FCC, CE, UL/ETL, RoHS, WEEE, importer-of-record, duties, VAT, or regional market entry)
- Payment-enabled hardware, PCI-DSS, EMV, P2PE, or payment-reader provisioning
- Consumer electronics fulfillment, retail/e-commerce returns, or multi-channel hardware support
- High-growth, ambiguous, or founder-led environments where operational systems are built from scratch
Company Overview