Deployment & Engagement Operations Lead
Required skills
- program management
- field operations
- technical project management
- on-site launches
- deployments of hardware
- complex physical operations
- external partner programs
- staffing
- shifts
- locations
Nice to have
- robotics
- autonomous vehicles
- AI
- new sites
- new markets
- new facilities
Role summary
Physical Intelligence is seeking a Deployment & Engagement Operations Lead to manage external engagements in the physical world, focusing on AI and robotics. This role involves owning scope, resourcing, and execution for complex projects, translating partner commitments into actionable plans, and building trusted relationships with stakeholders. The lead will secure and allocate necessary resources, oversee on-site operations including staffing and logistics, and develop practical playbooks. The ideal candidate has 5+ years in program management, field operations, or technical project management, with experience in hardware or complex physical operations deployments and technical fluency in ML and robotics.
Who We Are
Physical Intelligence is bringing general-purpose AI into the physical world. We are a group of engineers, scientists, roboticists, and company builders developing foundation models and learning algorithms to power the robots of today and the physically-actuated devices of the future.
The Team
This role sits in Research Operations and works with partnerships, research, hardware, and infrastructure. Research owns the technical goal. Research ops generally owns everything it takes to deliver operationally.
In This Role You Will
Own scope, resourcing, and execution for external engagements once initial terms are set.
Turn partner commitments into clear plans with milestones, owners, and resource needs.
Lead complex engagements with multiple teams, evolving requirements, and significant operational responsibility.
Build trusted relationships with key partner stakeholders and internal leads to work through constraints and keep decisions moving.
Exercise judgment on scope, timing, and resources, resolving tradeoffs and escalating decisions when needed.
Secure and allocate the robots, people, support, and site time each engagement needs.
Build and lead the team supporting these engagements as the work grows.
Oversee on-site operations, including staffing, shifts, travel, and logistics, and step in directly when needed.
Keep partners, researchers, and internal teams aligned on status, risks, and decisions.
Build practical playbooks and processes that make each engagement easier to run.
What We Hope You'll Bring
5+ years in program management, field operations, or technical project management.
Experience running on-site launches or deployments of hardware or complex physical operations.
Technical fluency in ML and robotics, with the ability to navigate technical tradeoffs and lead discussions with external partners.
Experience delivering external partner or customer programs.
Experience staffing and managing teams across shifts and locations.
Willingness to travel and work extended on-site stretches.
Bonus Points
Experience in robotics, autonomous vehicles, or AI.
Experience opening new sites, markets, or facilities.
Experience turning one-off launches into a repeatable motion.
Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.
