About P&P; OpticaP&P; Optica (PPO) is using brand new technology to transform an old industry that affects everyone on the planet: the food industry. We apply a complex and highly sophisticated mix of hardware, software and huge datasets to improve both the safety and quality of the food we eat.
PPO is on a mission to become the world's leading food information company. We are moving beyond easy detection to provide real-time, actionable insights that help food processors optimize yield, reduce waste, and ensure safety at a global scale.
We’re a truly diverse team in every sense of the word, and our team is incredibly smart. Our culture is respectful and caring. PPO is a well‑funded, scaling company with opportunities for growth opportunities in every part of the organization.
If you’re looking for an opportunity to tackle challenging problems that affect everyone on the planet, PPO is the place for you.
LocationThis role is an in‑office role, where you’ll work from PPO’s office in Waterloo Ontario.
CompensationThe salary range for this role is $140,000
- $180,000 CAD annually. The final offer will be determined based on a combination of factors, including:
- Relevant skills and

experience:
We assess each candidate's background, achievements, and demonstrated capabilities.
- Internal equity: We strive to maintain consistency and fairness across roles within our organization, aligning compensation with existing team members in comparable roles.
We are committed to transparency and fairness in our hiring process and welcome conversations about compensation throughout the recruitment process.
What You’ll Get To DoThis posting is for a current vacancy within our hardware team.
The Director of Hardware Engineering and Design leads the hardware engineering department, serving as a key executive driver for strategic growth,



innovation, and operational excellence. This role encompasses the full product lifecycle, from partnering with customers and stakeholders to define the product strategy and technical roadmaps, to directing the engineering of new hardware solutions from conception through production.
The Director is responsible for designing, building, and managing operational processes, policies, and resources, ensuring products meet the highest standards of functionality and design, and that PPO delivers its hardware solutions safely, on time, and on budget.
Furthermore, this role requires leading and developing a high‑performance engineering team, proactively engaging with AI technologies to coach team members and enhance productivity, and maintaining a culture of continuous improvement and customer success. Success relies on strategic planning and close cross‑functional collaboration with other leadership and functional teams (such as Product Management, Operations, Sales, and Finance) to align hardware initiatives with overall business objectives.
In this role, your responsibilities and duties will include:Strategic Leadership
- Develop and implement strategic plans to advance the company's mission and objectives and to promote revenue, profitability, and growth as an organization.
- Oversee company operations to ensure production safety, efficiency, quality, service, and cost‑effective management of resources.
AI Leadership




- Proactively leads and engages with AI technologies, rapidly acquires and applies new skills, and demonstrates adaptability in a fast‑changing environment.
- Coaches team members on effective AI tool usage, identifies opportunities for AI integration within team workflows, and fosters a culture of AI adoption and continuous learning.
- Recommends AI‑driven initiatives to enhance productivity and innovation within functional areas.
Product strategy and roadmap
- Partner with key stakeholders at PPO and learn from customers to define product opportunities, prioritize features, and translate product requirements into technical roadmaps.
Customer‑focused feature analysis
- Gather and analyze feedback from customers and end‑users to identify pain points, feature requests and areas for improvement. Build a thorough understanding of meat‑processing plant operations to identify key areas for improvements.
Team Management and Development
- Lead, motivate, and develop a high‑performance engineering team;

hire and retain top talent.
- Promote a culture of high performance and continuous improvement that values learning and a commitment to quality.
Engineering Leadership
- Direct the engineering of recent products, from conception through production.
- Ensure that design and development projects meet appropriate technical standards and fit with the company's technology and product roadmap.
- Ensure the full documentation of all designs, BOM’s and costs associated with all Hardware solutionsCross‑functional Collaboration
- Collaborate with other departments (such as Product Management, Marketing, and Operations) to oversee the delivery of fully integrated hardware solutions to market.
- Work closely with S

📌 Director, Hardware Engineering And Design (Ottawa)
🏢 P&P Optica
📍 Ottawa