Sr. Manager, Strategic Accounts at Instrumental in Palo Alto, CA

In this role, you will own operational execution and expansion across Instrumental’s High Volume Electronics (HVE) customers—some of the most recognizable consumer hardware companies in the world. You will work directly with hardware engineering and operations leaders responsible for new product introductions, helping them accelerate failure analysis, stabilize manufacturing ramps, and improve product quality at scale using Instrumental’s AI-driven manufacturing platform. You will lead a team responsible for delivering measurable outcomes across these accounts while working closely with Instrumental leadership to expand the platform across new programs and factory sites.

Manufacturing advanced electronics requires understanding millions of signals generated across complex assembly processes. Instrumental builds systems that capture and analyze those signals — images, test results, and process data — enabling engineers to discover failures, identify root causes, and deploy production controls that improve yield and product maturity. Leading companies such as NVIDIA, Cisco, and Meta rely on Instrumental to accelerate new product development and scale manufacturing across global factories. Instrumental has become mission-critical for manufacturers building and scaling the next generation of AI infrastructure hardware.

We’re Looking for Someone Who:

• Has 8–12 years of experience in electronics development, manufacturing, or hardware program leadership roles, with exposure to high-volume consumer hardware products.

• Has operated across hardware development and manufacturing lifecycles, including NPI, PVT, Ramp, and Mass Production.

• Has experience leading teams responsible for complex technical or operational programs, with a track record of coaching strong performers and maintaining a high performance bar.

• Understand what's important to Director and VP-level stakeholders, particularly hardware engineering and operations leaders responsible for product development and manufacturing outcomes.

• Understands how improvements in manufacturing KPIs—such as yield, defect escapes, and failure analysis cycle time—translate into business outcomes like launch timing, product quality, and margin.

• Demonstrates strong ownership and execution, with examples of stepping in when programs were at risk and driving outcomes across cross-functional teams.

• Thrives in startup environments where leaders must operate with urgency, solve ambiguous problems, and build systems that scale.

What You’ll Be Doing:

• Own operational execution across Instrumental’s High Volume Electronics (HVE) customers, ensuring deployments deliver measurable outcomes and expand across programs and factory sites.

• Drive value across the hardware development and manufacturing lifecycle, including NPI, PVT, Ramp, and Mass Production, helping customers identify defects faster, stabilize yield, and accelerate root cause analysis.

• Build and maintain relationships with hardware engineering, operations, and quality leaders, influencing Directors and VPs responsible for new product introductions and manufacturing performance.

• Lead and develop a team of Customer Success professionals responsible for day-to-day engagement with HVE customers, establishing clear operating rhythms and performance expectations.

• Run structured business reviews with customer stakeholders, communicating measurable outcomes and identifying opportunities to expand Instrumental across additional programs and sites.

• Partner cross-functionally within Instrumental with Sales, Product, Engineering, and Data teams to ensure customer deployments are successful and to bring field feedback into product development.

• Identify and drive expansion opportunities within existing accounts, positioning Instrumental as a critical platform for improving product quality, accelerating launches, and protecting manufacturing margins.

We’re a growing team that works collaboratively, supports each other, and is energized by having impact. We value passion and the ability to learn – you’re encouraged to apply even if your experience doesn’t match the job description precisely!

The following is a representative annual base salary range for this position within the Bay Area: $186-214k. In addition, job level and salary opportunities are evaluated through our interview process – we review the experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities of each applicant.

Instrumental is proud to offer a highly-rated variety of benefits, including health, vision, dental, commuter plans, and parental leave.

At Instrumental, protecting company and customer information is a shared responsibility. All employees are expected to comply with company security and privacy policies and promptly report suspected security incidents or policy violations.