[Hiring] Director of AI @Raycon

Role Description

We're on a mission to make Raycon the most loved electronics brand in the world, and our AI device portfolio, starting with the Raycon AI Notetaker, is how we get there next. We're hiring a Director of AI to own the backbone of every AI-powered device we ship: the hardware-software integration, the vendor relationships that build it, and the engineering team that runs it.

• Reports to the VP of Product.
• Oversees our AI device and software portfolio.
• Partners closely with hardware/ID, operations, marketing, and CX.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience with hardware-connected products: firmware, embedded systems, BLE/wearables, or similar.
• Direct experience working with China-based hardware or component vendors.
• A track record of managing and scaling engineering teams: hiring, mentoring, and setting the technical bar as headcount grows.
• Fluency across native mobile (Swift/SwiftUI, Kotlin/Java) and hybrid frameworks (React Native, Flutter), plus backend (Node.js/TypeScript).
• Excellent communication skills: translating cleanly between engineers and management.
• A genuinely customer-first mindset: pressure-testing technical decisions against user experience.
• A strong bias for speed and urgency, paired with high attention to detail.
• Experience building engineering programs and processes that scale as the team and product line grow.

Requirements

• Ideally based in Hong Kong, Shenzhen, or Europe.
• Fluent in Mandarin and/or Cantonese, plus English.
• Direct experience with AI/ML-powered consumer hardware: voice capture, transcription, or on-device/cloud AI processing.
• Hands-on DevOps/infrastructure experience (Terraform, CloudFormation) beyond the basics.
• Experience scaling a product line from a single SKU to a multi-device portfolio.

Key Responsibilities

• Build, manage, and grow Raycon's software engineering team.
• Own the architecture connecting our AI devices to their companion apps and backend.
• Serve as the primary technical point of contact for our China-based hardware and component vendors.
• Partner with the VP of Product to translate product vision into a technical roadmap.
• Translate technical tradeoffs into terms management can act on.
• Build systems to move fast on customer feedback without sacrificing stability.
• Balance speed with rigor in code review, testing, and release processes.

A Day in the Life

• Deciding whether a Wi-Fi pairing issue flagged by our China-based vendor is a hardware fix or a software workaround.
• Pairing with our Software Engineer on a transcription-accuracy bug affecting the AI Notetaker.
• Presenting a native-vs-hybrid tradeoff for an upcoming companion app feature.
• Turning a spike in AI Notetaker support tickets into a prioritized engineering fix list.
• Interviewing a senior candidate as you build out the team.

What Success Looks Like

• The AI device portfolio ships reliably, with hardware-software integration issues caught before they reach customers.
• The software engineering team is staffed, mentored, and scaling ahead of the product roadmap.
• China-based vendor relationships run smoothly, with fast issue resolution.
• Customer feedback turns into shipped improvements on a fast, predictable cycle.
• Both management and engineers describe you as the person who makes technical decisions clear and fast.

Why Work at Raycon

• Impact: Define the technical backbone of Raycon's newest product category of AI devices.
• Autonomy: Own the architecture, the vendor relationships, and the team from the ground up.
• Team: Grounded, ambitious, and kind coworkers who get sh*t done.

Company Values

• Customer First
• Think Big
• Raise the Bar Every Day
• GSD: Get Sh*t Done

Perks and Benefits

• 50% team discount on all Raycon products.
• $1,500 annual L&D stipend for conferences, certifications, and seminars.
• $200 StubHub gift card for a cultural event.
• Team-building budget for dinners, happy hours, and employee appreciation.
• Monthly team lunch + snack/soft drink budget.
• March Madness bracket.
• Annual charity event (City Harvest, Bowery Mission, etc.).

Interview Process

• Initial Call: Intro with our recruiter focused on culture fit and your experience.
• Hiring Manager Interview: A conversation with the VP of Product to dive deeper into your prior experience.
• Case Study: A practical exercise tailored to the role.
• Leadership Chat: A conversation with a senior leader to align on expectations and growth.
• Final On-site Round: Visit us in the office and meet the team.