Job Title

Location: Mumbai (On-site / frequent on-ground presence required)Product: Consumer Hardware | Behaviour Replacement | Deep TechThe 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 10–20 years in hardware / product / system roles • Have taken at least one real 0→1 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.