Encord

Studio Lead, Robotics Operations

Encord

full-time

Posted on:

Location Type: Hybrid

Location: San Francisco • California • United States

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Job Level

Senior

About the role

  • You'll run our robotics operations facility end-to-end.
  • That means owning the P&L, building and leading the team, hitting service targets for clients, and creating the processes that will scale as we grow.
  • You'll have a team of Shift Managers reporting to you, and through them, a floor of Operators who remotely control robots for our customers.
  • This is a builder role. We're not handing you a playbook—you'll write it.
  • If you've ever wanted to run your own operation with real ownership and accountability, this is that job.
  • Own facility performance
  • SLAs, quality metrics, client satisfaction
  • Build and refine SOPs, escalation paths, and quality standards
  • Manage the facility budget
  • Find ways to improve margins without sacrificing quality
  • Ensure 7-day coverage through smart workforce planning
  • Build the Team
  • Hire, develop, and retain Shift Managers—they're your leadership bench
  • Own the full talent pipeline: recruiting partnerships, hiring, onboarding, training
  • Create a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, and ownership
  • Document everything—your processes will be the blueprint for future facilities
  • Forecast staffing as client demand and robot autonomy evolve
  • Partner with engineering and product teams to improve systems

Requirements

  • Operations Leadership: 5+ years in operations, including 3+ years managing managers (not just ICs). You've owned a P&L or budget and know how to balance cost, quality, and speed.
  • Builder Mentality: You've created processes from scratch—SOPs, training programs, performance systems. You don't need a template to get started.
  • Data-Driven: Comfortable with dashboards, KPIs, and root cause analysis. You make decisions with data, not gut feel.
  • Executive Presence: Clear communicator who can present to leadership, handle tough client conversations, and rally a team.
  • International Mobility: Willing to travel internationally and relocate to launch future facilities.
  • Want real ownership—not a cog-in-the-machine corporate role
  • Get energy from building teams and watching people grow
  • Are comfortable with ambiguity and figuring things out as you go
  • See this as a step toward senior operations or GM leadership
  • Bonus points: Robotics, autonomous systems, or tech operations experience. Contact center or NOC background. Experience launching new sites. Lean/Six Sigma. Bilingual English/Spanish.
Benefits
  • Competitive salary and equity in a hyper growth business.
  • Strong in-person culture: most of our team is in the office 3+ days a week in our loft office in North Beach.
  • 18 days annual leave a year + public holidays.
  • Annual learning and development budget.
  • Paid trips to visit prospects, attend conferences, host events across UK, Europe and US.
  • Company lunches twice a week.
  • Monthly socials & bi-annual off-sites.

Applicant Tracking System Keywords

Tip: use these terms in your resume and cover letter to boost ATS matches.

Hard skills
operations managementP&L managementbudget managementSOP creationperformance systemsdata analysisKPI trackingroot cause analysisteam buildingworkforce planning
Soft skills
leadershipcommunicationaccountabilitycontinuous improvementproblem-solvingadaptabilityclient relationship managementteam developmentexecutive presencebuilding culture
Certifications
Lean certificationSix Sigma certification