Director, Hardware Product Lifecycle

Elections are the foundation of democracy, and democracy depends on elections that are broadly trusted. VotingWorks is a non-partisan non-profit building technology that powers elections everyone can trust.

We use open-source software, modern product engineering, and advanced security to build:

• Auditing technology that increases trust in legacy voting systems
• Modern voting systems that are much more broadly trusted.
• Our auditing system is used by 9 states, including Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia, Texas, Nevada, and Washington. Our voting system is deployed in 2 states, Mississippi and New Hampshire. Most notably, we are the first new voting system in New Hampshire in more than 30 years.

The Opportunity

• We are building voting technology. We believe in voting machines that can be trusted by the public, by election officials, and by security experts. We also believe in supporting robust and transparent post-election audits, to provide confidence in election results. If you’re like us, you’ve been thinking about the myriad problems and rough edges of our democracy for a while. We’ve decided that talking about it isn’t enough we must do something. If you feel the same way, we hope you’ll consider joining our team.

The Team

• We work as a small, tight-knit team. We’re a flat organization when it comes to ideas and input, and we believe in good management, even as a small organization, so that every VotingWorks team member gets regular feedback, guidance, and an opportunity for personal growth. We strive to be both confident in the skills and knowledge we each bring and humble in our interactions with each other and other stakeholders in the election space.

The Director of Hardware Product Lifecycle will be the source of truth for product hardware configurations. They will own the Bills of Materials (BOMs), run the engineering change process end-to-end, keep certification records aligned with every revision, and make sure only released, qualified parts get purchased and built.

They will create and implement durable processes across the product lifecycle, publish a clear release calendar, and report ECO board status so everyone knows what’s shipping when and why. The Director will be the right hand of the head of hardware for all processes: practical, organized, and relentless about closing loops.

• Process Implementation: Define and implement lightweight, scalable hardware processes from scratch. Own the operating playbook for change control, release, build readiness, vendor/deviation handling, and turn ad-hoc habits into clear, repeatable steps
• BOMs (Bills of Materials): single source of truth; manage versions, effectivity (which builds a change applies to), and where-used impacts across all products.
• Change control (ECR/ECO): run Engineering Change Requests/Orders from proposal → approval → implementation → verification.
• Release management: define “ready to release” criteria; map revisions to build numbers; publish a Release Calendar (what rev, when, where).
• Vendor revisions & deviations: issue controlled drawings/specs to vendors; receive/track deviations (temporary exceptions) with clear expiry and controls.
• Qualification of alternates: create lean test plans with Product/QA (pass/fail, sample size, acceptance limits); archive results and decisions.
• Certification artifacts: keep test reports, declarations, and compliance matrices synced with current product revs.
• PDM discipline: administer CAD/PDM (SolidWorks + PDM) lifecycles, templates, and naming; eliminate “shadow BOMs.”

What you’ll drive with others

• Build coordination: translate what’s released into what gets built: the right rev of the right parts with the right timing;
• Build readiness: work directly with Ops and Product on establishing build timelines, no-later-than ordering deadlines, overage estimations and shortage alerts;
• Approved Vendor List (AVL): you’re the gatekeeper for suppliers and acceptable alternates but will work tightly with OPS to maintain proofs of equivalency.
• Ops / Supply Chain: ensure Ops is only buying released, qualified configurations; communicate effectivity cut-ins, last-time-buys, and retrofit plans.
• Production / Test: implement traveler updates, inspection points, and test coverage with the production team when a change lands.
• Quality: nonconforming material control, MRB decisions (Material Review Board: accept/rework/scrap), deviation limits, and Corrective Action / Preventative Action (CAPA) follow-through.
• Design: deliver actions to the design team that respond to manufacturing or supply chain issues or foresight

Cadences you’ll run

• Weekly: Release Calendar update; ECO board with aging, risks, and decisions needed.
• Per build: Build Readiness, on-hand/on-order/gaps, ETAs, risks, owners; confirm rev-to-build match.
• Per change: impact analysis (BOM, drawings, test, compliance, supply); implementation plan and proof of completion.
• Tool stack you’ll touch
• SolidWorks + PDM (vaults, lifecycles, data cards)
• PLM/Change tools (if separate), MRP/ERP (effectivity, purchasing)

• 10+ years in hardware configuration/change management or Product Lifecycle Management (PLM), New Product Introduction (NPI), and/or manufacturing operations for complex electromechanical products.
• Demonstrated experience creating and implementing new processes across a multidisciplinary organization.
• Exceptionally detail oriented; someone that actively seeks order from chaos.
• Direct ownership of ECR/ECO implementation (effectivity, cut-ins, retrofits).
• Strong BOM fundamentals: EBOM, MBOM (engineering vs manufacturing BOM), where-used, effectivity, alternates/obsoletes.
• Demonstrated operating cadence: pre-reads, drumbeats, decision logs, action tracking, closure.
• Hands-on with PDM/PLM (SolidWorks PDM or similar): lifecycles, permissions, templates, and revisioning.
• Clear, concise communicator; can frame trade-offs and drive decisions with just enough process.

Nice-to-haves

• Experience with federally tested/certified products (e.g., FCC, EMC, safety) and syncing certification docs to revs.
• Scripting/automation for reports (SQL/Excel/PowerQuery/Python) and doc generation
• MRP/ERP familiarity (effectivity dates, substitutions, inventory disposition).
• We value potential as much as experience. If your background doesn’t include every qualification listed but you’re eager to learn and contribute, we encourage you to apply.