Instrumental
Lead Product Manager
$210-250K base salary + equity•Palo Alto, CA (Hybrid)
Company
The Opportunity
About Us
Instrumental is the world's first Manufacturing Optimization Platform. We aggregate valuable data from assembly lines — images of key states of assembly, measurements, and functional performance — into a rich digital record. That record powers AI tools that engineers use to proactively identify issues, find root cause, intercept problems in real time, and deliver production results.
Twenty cents of every dollar spent in manufacturing is wasted. We've set an ambitious goal: cut manufacturing waste in half. We've combined world-class expertise in hardware, software, and artificial intelligence to build the technology that makes this possible.
We're at a significant inflection point. The explosion in AI compute is driving manufacturing at a scale and speed never seen before. Instrumental has become a key tool helping companies like NVIDIA meet demand. We're simultaneously improving our existing product suite, expanding into new use cases, and building entirely new 0-to-1 products to add even more value.
Highlights
NVIDIA's Manufacturing AI
Instrumental's AI is deployed across NVIDIA's global manufacturing network, GB200 and GB300 lines — speeding up final system builds by up to 14 days. Multiple new AI infrastructure customers recently signed but not yet public.
Proven 30X ROI
Instrumental delivers results in under 2 weeks. Customers see up to 20 percentage points improvement in first-pass yield (the % of units that pass quality checks without rework), with each intercepted defect saving ~10 hours of test capacity. Learn more (PDF)
Lead the Next Generation
Reimagine a proven product at a generational inflection point, then extend visual AI into new frontiers (automated assembly lines, AI compute infrastructure, aerospace and defense).
Rocketship Growth
3x revenue growth in trailing 12 months with a clear path to repeat. Over $70M raised from Canaan, Root Ventures, Eclipse, First Round Capital.
World-Class Customers
Meta, Bose, Cisco, NVIDIA, and other leading AI infrastructure and electronics brands trust Instrumental to optimize their manufacturing.
Massive Market
AI compute is driving manufacturing demand at a scale and speed never seen before. Instrumental sits right at the center of it.
Team
CEO & Co-Founder
Stanford & MIT. Former Apple product design engineer (iPod, Apple Watch).
Director of Product (Hiring Manager)
Former PM at Meta and Amazon. MIT Sloan. 2x founder.
Notable Advisors: Keith Lucas (Former CPO/CTO of Roblox), Andre Neumann-Loreck (Former VP of Engineering and Ops at Cisco)
Candidate
Is This You?
You're a skilled problem solver who gets your hands dirty — comfortable in technical manufacturing environments and excited to learn the details. You don't need manufacturing experience, but you need the grit to embed with customers on factory floors and deeply understand their problems.
Your Mission
Lead the next generation of Instrumental's product. Shape how the flagship visual AI delivers value at scale, and extend the platform into new segments: automated assembly lines, side-view inspection, AI compute infrastructure, and aerospace and defense.
What you'll get to do
- Define the Next Generation: Own the surfaces customers live in, from the first login to the moments AI insights actually shift a decision on the factory floor. Set the bar for what world-class looks like.
- Extend the Platform: Bring visual AI to places it hasn't been: automated assembly lines, new segments like AI compute infrastructure and aerospace/defense, and third-party camera feeds beyond Instrumental's own hardware.
- Embed with Customers: Spend real time on factory floors at customers like NVIDIA, Meta, Bose, and Cisco. Watch operators and engineers work. Build conviction from the floor, not from dashboards.
- Unlock Exponential Scale: Shift value delivery from hands-on to in-product. When ROI is visible from day one without a human explaining it, every new customer lands with less friction than the last.
What we're looking for
- 7+ Years PM Experience: In enterprise SaaS, ideally with complex technical products. Fewer years considered for candidates with relevant manufacturing/industry experience.
- Comfort in Technical Environments: You're not intimidated by factory floors, production constraints, or hardware workflows. You don't need manufacturing experience. You need the willingness to roll up your sleeves and learn.
- Data Visualization: You've built products where surfacing complex data is the core user value. Strong fits include PMs from data viz, analytics, and observability tools (Tableau, Looker, Grafana, Hex, Mode, Datadog).
- Field Orientation: Eager to spend time with customers in their environment, on factory floors and production lines.
- Self-Starter: Proven ability to take initiative and drive impactful projects to completion quickly with minimal oversight. Comfortable with ambiguity and frequent pivots.
- AI-Forward: Spot and execute opportunities to apply AI to accelerate workflows. Experience introducing AI tools/processes into product development.
Bonus Points
- Manufacturing, hardware NPI, or industrial experience
- Experience building products for technical/engineering users
- Supply chain or logistics background
- Startup experience without large support structures
Interview
What to Expect
Here is a preview of what you can expect:
Intro Call
Hiring Manager Screen
On-Site
- Group Case Study: Live product case study with group discussion.
- Grit Interview: Assessing resilience and scrappiness.
- Leadership: Behavioral conversations with CEO and CTO.
- Engineering: Discussion on collaboration, working style, and technical depth.
Details
The Fine Print
- Compensation: $210-250K base + equity
- Reporting: Erik Charpentier (Director of Product)
- Location: Palo Alto, CA — in-office Monday/Wednesday/Friday
- Work Authorization: Transfer only — Instrumental can transfer an existing visa but cannot sponsor new work authorization.
Next Steps
Interested?
Schedule a confidential conversation with Product Scout.