Senior Director, Technology Development

Job description

Our mission at Oura is to empower every person to own their inner potential. Our award-winning products help our global community gain a deeper knowledge of their readiness, activity, and sleep quality by using their Oura Ring and its connected app. We've helped millions of people understand and improve their health by providing daily insights and practical steps to inspire healthy lifestyles. Empowering the world starts with living [our values](https://ouraring.com/about-us) and empowering our team. As a quickly growing company focused on helping people live healthier and happier lives, we ensure that our team members have what they need to do their best work — both in and out of the office. Oura is seeking a Senior Director, Technology Development to lead the manufacturing technology roadmap for the next generation of Oura products. This leader will connect Product Design, Industrial Design, Hardware Engineering, Materials, Quality, Sourcing, Operations, suppliers, and contract manufacturers to turn emerging technologies into scalable, repeatable production capabilities. The role will build a technology development model that engages early in product definition, strengthens design for manufacturability, and creates reusable process platforms across programs. The initial focus areas are battery technology, zirconia and other brittle materials, PVD coatings, molding and encapsulation, and manufacturing automation. This is a hands-on executive role requiring strategic leadership, deep technical judgment, supplier and factory engagement, and the ability to move technologies from concept through production. ## What you will do - Own a multi-year roadmap for battery manufacturing, zirconia/brittle materials, PVD, molding/encapsulation, automation, and adjacent capabilities. - Build and lead a multidisciplinary team of senior engineers, technology developers, and subject-matter experts. - Establish reusable “golden processes” and technology platforms that improve yield, reliability, cost, cycle time, capacity, and launch speed across products. - Partner early with design and engineering teams to influence architecture, materials, tolerances, specifications, and process choices. - Create a disciplined development funnel from opportunity identification and experimentation through qualification, early validation, NPI, and ramp. - Lead supplier and contract manufacturer engagement, including process development, equipment selection, qualification, capability improvement, and scale-up. - Set technical readiness standards, maintain roadmaps and risk registers, and communicate clear investment recommendations to leadership. - Identify and protect proprietary manufacturing methods, process know-how, and other intellectual property. ## Technology focus areas - Partner with battery, PD, electrical, quality, and supplier teams on cell architecture, energy density, safety, dimensions, tolerances, manufacturability and reliability. - Qualify new cell technologies, materials, suppliers, assembly methods, and automation, with robust controls for critical-to-quality characteristics. - Lead development of brittle material, forming, machining, sintering, finishing, inspection, and handling capabilities. - Improve yield, durability, cosmetics, and cost while establishing material specifications, process windows, failure-mode understanding, and qualification methods. - Drive DFM and design-for-process reviews with design teams, suppliers, and contract manufacturers. - Advance PVD capabilities for functional and cosmetic requirements, including cleaning, pretreatment, buffer layers, masking, color control, adhesion, wear, corrosion, and rework. - Partner with ID CMF and PD to balance appearance, durability, capability, and cost.\ - Own the roadmap for injection molding, epoxy molding, encapsulation, sealing, tooling, and dispensing. - Improve process windows, tooling, materials, equipment, and controls to deliver high yield, water-tightness, dimensional stability, and cosmetic quality. - Reduce defects including leakage, voids, incomplete fill, component damage, contamination, and cosmetic fallout. - Develop next gen molding processes and tooling to achieve the minimization, efficient encapsulation, high yield and faster turnaround. - Define the right level of automation across assembly, battery processing, molding, inspection, testing, kitting, and material handling—balancing quality, speed, flexibility, capital, and risk. - Lead automation from concept through equipment specification, supplier selection, buyoff, installation, qualification, ramp, and sustaining. - Advance robotics, machine vision, AOI, error-proofing, digital work instructions, process monitoring, and automated data capture. ## What success looks like - A clear, funded roadmap aligned with product and manufacturing strategy. - Earlier, stronger technology and DFM input into product architecture. - Reusable process platforms that reduce launch risk, development time, and reinvention. - Improved capability and yield across battery, zirconia/ brittle material, PVD, molding, and automated operations. - Faster transition from technology demonstration to qualified production. - Stronger supplier capability, equipment standards, data systems, documentation, and intellectual property. - A trusted expert team that is effective across Product, Engineering, Quality, Sourcing, and Operations. ## What you bring - 15+ years in technology development, advanced manufacturing, process engineering, supplier industrialization, or a related field in consumer electronics, wearables, medical devices, semiconductors, or similarly complex products. - Proven experience building and leading multidisciplinary teams across materials, processes, equipment, and automation. - Deep expertise in several of the following: batteries, zirconia or brittle materials, PVD/coatings, molding/encapsulation, automation, precision assembly, or high-cosmetic manufacturing. - A track record of taking technologies from concept and experimentation through supplier qualification, NPI, ramp, and sustained improvement. - Strong knowledge of DFM/DFA, DOE, process capability, measurement systems, failure analysis, reliability, qualification, and statistical process control. - Experience defining equipment and tooling strategies, selecting technology partners, and influencing global suppliers and contract manufacturers. - Ability to connect technical decisions to product experience, quality, schedule, cost, capacity, and business value. - Excellent communication skills with technical and executive audiences. - Willingness to travel internationally as needed. **Benefits** At Oura, we care about you and your well-being. Everyone here at Oura has a ring of their own and we are continually looking to improve employee health. **What we offer:** - Competitive salary and equity packages - Health, dental, vision insurance, and mental health resources - An Oura Ring of your own plus employee discounts for friends & family - 20 days of paid time off plus 13 paid holidays plus 8 days of flexible wellness time off - Paid sick leave and parental leave Oura takes a market-based approach to pay, which may vary depending on your location. US locations are categorized into tiers based on a cost of labor index for that geographic area. While most offers will be closer to the starting range, successful candidates' pay will be determined based on job-related skills, experience, qualifications, work location, internal peer equity, and market conditions. These ranges may be modified in the future. - **Region 1 $261,800- $308,000** Oura is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. Individuals seeking employment at Oura are considered without regard to age, ancestry, color, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, mental or physical disability, national origin, protected family care or medical leave status, race, religion (including beliefs and practices or the absence thereof), sexual orientation, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws. We will not tolerate discrimination or harassment based on any of these characteristics. We will work to ensure individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Disclaimer: Beware of fake job offers! We’ve been alerted to scammers posing as ŌURA recruiters, especially for remote roles. Please note: - Our jobs are listed only on the ŌURA Careers page and trusted job boards. - We will never ask for personal information like ID or payment for equipment upfront. - Official offers are sent through Docusign after a verbal offer, not via text or email. Stay cautious and protect your personal details. To all recruitment agencies: Oura does not accept agency resumes. Please do not forward resumes to our jobs alias, Oura employees, or any other organization's location. Oura is not responsible for any fees related to unsolicited resumes.