Hardware R&D & Manufacturing
/Founding leadership
VP, R&D — Frontier Hardware
R&D Leadership
Compensation
INR 55 LPA - 95 LPA
Engagement
Full-Time
Permanent role. Full-time commitment. This is an on-site role at Kolkata. It is not remote and not hybrid.
Scope of role
Build the function from zero. Set the strategy. Own the outcome.
01 — The role
Why this role exists at EduRankAI
Lead the R&D org that turns research-grade ideas into shippable hardware. Optical engineering, novel display, on-device ML hardware, biomechanical sensing for Karate. You will own the multi-year frontier hardware roadmap.
02 — The work
What you will own
- 01 Set the R&D roadmap across optics, display, sensing, embedded ML.
- 02 Hire Principal + Staff research engineers across disciplines.
- 03 Defend the R&D budget against quarterly cost pressure.
- 04 Set the patent + IP strategy.
- 05 Partner with university labs.
- 06 Represent the R&D program publicly.
03 — The expertise
What we look for
04 — The bar
Who thrives here
- → You have led an R&D org that shipped at least one frontier hardware product.
- → You have authored or co-authored hardware patents.
- → You have a public technical reputation.
- → You write your own RFCs.
Terms of Engagement
How working time works at this level
No fixed daily or weekly hours. The office carries accountability for its remit, the availability that remit requires, and at least one full day of rest each week that you are expected to actually take.
Type
C-Level
Rest days
1 per week
Hours counted
No
Basis
Outcome and accountability
Measured by
The remit of the office, reviewed on the cycle agreed with the founder and the board. There is no attendance component and no hour count.
Where this stands legally
A role of this kind occupies a position of management. The working-hours provisions of the state Shops and Establishments Acts do not apply to persons in positions of management or in a confidential capacity, and under the labour codes such a role sits outside the definition of a worker. Stating a fixed hour count here would be neither accurate nor enforceable.
The full per-level model is published at Working Hours by Level.
05 — Hiring process
What to expect after you apply
- 01
Application review
Every application is read personally within five business days. We respond either way.
- 02
Take-home or live exercise
Role-specific. Time-boxed. Real problems we are actually working on, not invented puzzles.
- 03
Conversations
Deep technical and values conversations with the team you would join. No trick questions. No panel ambushes.
- 04
Offer or honest no
If yes: digital offer letter, signed in-portal, transparent terms. If no: written feedback if you want it.
Before you start
What we will collect. What it costs. What we will not do with it.
We will collect
- Name, email, phone — Account + application updates. No marketing.
- Resume / portfolio link — Human review of your work.
- Date + place of birth — Identity verification only.
- Your written responses — Selection rubric. Read by humans.
- Government ID (later) — Anti-fraud at offer / interview stage. Not at signup.
We will never
- Sell your data
- Share with third-party recruiters
- Use for advertising
- Train models on it
- Send marketing email
Our situation
EduRankAI is a small, independent organization building long-term capabilities in educational intelligence, advanced AI systems, and research infrastructure. We take no advertiser money, no donations with strings attached, and no investor pressure on hiring decisions. Applying is free, and every application is read by a human — recruitment, technical, academic and leadership teams. It buys us the right to be honest.
Ready to apply?
We read every application personally. If you are the right person for this role — regardless of pedigree, background, or where you are based — you will hear back from us within five business days.
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