Robot Operations Manager
Figure AI · San Jose, CA
- Level
- Manager
- Team
- Controls
- Base pay
- $150k–$190k
- Experience asked
- 6+ years
- Industry
- Industrial
- Posted
- 30+ days ago
The role in 30 seconds
A management controls role at Figure AI (industrial) in San Jose, CA. Manage 24/7 robot operations, ensuring continuous coverage and successful execution of customer use cases.
- They ask for
- 6+ years
- Tools it names
- Robotics
- Base pay
- $150k–$190k
- Day to day
- some off-shift / weekend coverage
Read from the posting. The full description is below.
From the plant jobs report · week of November 2, 2026
Controls Engineer roles in California: typical posted base $124k–$179k. This one lists $150k–$190k.
Median of the low and high ends of 62 live postings that list pay, out of 117 controls engineer openings in California, read from manufacturers' own careers sites.
California plant jobs report →Pay by team and state →What moves pay →
How this role compares
Against 116 other live controls postings in California.
- Base pay
- About 13% above similar roles
- Experience asked
- More than usual (6+ vs 5+)
Typical $123k–$178k, from 59 postings that list pay.
Similar roles usually ask 5+ years.
Skills these teams ask for most
- Automation 68%
- PLC 44%
- ✓ Robotics 43%
- Validation (IQ/OQ/PQ) 35%
- Python 35%
✓ = this posting asks for it too. % = share of similar postings that mention it.
At a glance
Pulled from the posting text. If it's not listed here, the posting didn't say.
How to get in at this plant
Five moves over a week or two. The first one takes ten minutes.
- 1
Pick 2–3 people on the Controls team at Figure AI
Engineers who joined in the last year or two reply the most. Use the team search on this page to find them.
- 2
Send a short, curious note
One real question about their work. No favors yet. Each person gets a different note, written for this role.
- 3
Turn a reply into a short call
Questions worth asking about this team:
- What does a normal week look like on your team?
- How does off-shift and weekend coverage work?
- How did you land the job? What stood out in your interviews?
- 4
Apply with someone vouching for you
If the call went well, ask whether they’d pass your résumé to the hiring manager. Send your résumé link, apply that day, and let them know.
- 5
Bring proof to the interview
One page of before-and-after numbers from projects you led: scrap, OEE, cycle time, cost. Plant managers hire on results.
This plant: Figure AI in San Jose
6 other open roles at this site.
- Manufacturing Quality Engineer BotQ · Quality
- Grid Operations Manager · Production · Manager
- Senior Engineering Technician · Manufacturing · Senior
- Supplier Quality Engineer · Quality
- Manufacturing Equipment Technician · Manufacturing · Technician
- Manufacturing Engineer · Manufacturing
Full description from Figure AIAs posted on their careers site.ShowHide
Responsibilities
- ◆Build, train, and lead Figure’s Robot Operator team.
- ◆Manage 24/7 robot operations, ensuring continuous coverage and successful execution of customer use cases.
- ◆Oversee shift scheduling and frontline operations, including weekend coverage.
- ◆Ensure operators properly identify, document, and escalate issues through Jira.
- ◆Partner closely with engineering teams to troubleshoot operational and robot performance issues.
- ◆Track operational metrics and drive continuous process improvements.
- ◆Develop onboarding and training programs for new operators.
- ◆Promote a culture of safety, accountability, and operational discipline.
- ◆Support hands-on robot operation and troubleshooting as needed.
Requirements
- ✓6+ years experience leading frontline or technical operations teams in a fast-paced environment.
- ✓Strong problem-solving and decision-making skills.
- ✓Experience operating and troubleshooting hardware, robotics, or mechanical systems.
- ✓Excellent communication and organizational skills.
- ✓Experience managing shift-based operations and competing priorities.
- ✓Comfortable working hands-on with humanoid hardware and standing for extended periods.
- ✓Ability to thrive in a rapidly evolving environment.
- ✓Available for immediate travel as operational needs arise
Bonus
Qualifications
- ✓Experience with robotics or AI data collection.
- ✓10+ years experience leading skilled teams operating complex technology.
- ✓A passion for helping scale the deployment of learning humanoid robots.
The pay offered for this position may vary based on several individual factors, including job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. The total compensation package may also include additional components/benefits depending on the specific role. This information will be shared if an employment offer is extended.
Show full description ↓Show less ↑
Figure is an AI robotics company developing autonomous general-purpose humanoid robots. The goal of the company is to ship humanoid robots with human level intelligence. Its robots are engineered to perform a variety of tasks in the home and commercial markets. Figure is headquartered in San Jose, CA.
Figure is an AI Robotics company developing autonomous general-purpose humanoid robots. Our mission is to deploy humanoids with human-level intelligence capable of performing a wide range of tasks across commercial and home environments. Figure is headquartered in San Jose, CA and operates with a highly collaborative, hands-on culture.
Our Robot Operations team is responsible for deploying humanoid robots into real-world environments, ensuring reliable operation, and surfacing critical issues to engineering. Operators are on the frontlines running robots continuously, identifying failures, and helping improve system performance through structured feedback and issue reporting.
We are looking for a Robot Operations Manager to lead and scale our Robot Operations team, ensuring operational excellence, high robot uptime, and strong cross-functional coordination with engineering teams.