Lead Deployment Technician

Watershed Ventures; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 95,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Glacier, a San Francisco robotics startup, is seeking a Deployment Lead to own robot installs end to end. You will build install plans, schedules, staffing, and logistics, then lead on-site teams to execute the plan with safety and quality.

This role requires hands-on coordination across engineering, manufacturing, and customer teams to ensure smooth deployments. When not traveling, you’ll partner with the Director of Deployments to refine install processes, improve documentation, and drive

Qualifications

• 3+ years leading or coordinating technical builds, installs, or field deployments.
• 2+ years of project/hardware deployment planning experience (schedules, staffing, resourcing).
• Comfortable directing a team on-site and interfacing directly with customers.
• Willing to travel frequently (up to 75%, domestic and international), including evenings/weekends.
• Able to lift up to 50 lbs, climb, bend, stand for extended periods.
• Self-starter, adaptable, detail-oriented.

Responsibilities

• Own pre-install planning including schedules, staffing, task assignments, parts and equipment logistics.
• Lead installation teams at customer sites, overseeing field quality control to ensure safe, efficient, and on-schedule deployments.
• Partner with the Director of Deployments to identify and execute continues improvement projects related to installs.
• Serve as the main on-site contact for customers during installs, providing timeline updates, addressing challenges, and building trust.
• Make on-the-spot decisions when issues arise in the field, balancing customer needs, team capacity, and technical requirements.
• Maintain and update install documentation as needed.
• Support in-house manufacturing during non-travel periods.

Skills

3+ years leading or coordinating fits

2+ years of deployment planning

On-site leadership and customer interf

Mechanical/electrical assembly & build

Travel up to 75%

Lift up to 50 lbs / physical stamina

Self-starter & detail-oriented

Job description

Hey, we're Glacier! Series A startup based in San Francisco tackling one of the world's most pressing problems: trash. Did you know that in the US, we send over half of our recyclables to the landfill? We're working to fix that. In doing so, we'll also be reducing carbon emissions, energy consumption, and depletion of natural resources.

Glacier builds custom sorting robots designed to sort apart recyclables as well as AI-powered business analytics that enable recyclers to superpower their plants and improve our society's circularity. From major CPG companies like Colgate and Amazon to municipal recycling facilities, our clients trust us to turn recycling data into actionable insights. Our technology has been recognized as one of TIME's Best Inventions and featured in a TIME documentary, TechCrunch, Fortune, and CBS.

We're looking for a Deployment Lead to own robot installs end to end, planning first, execution second. You'll build the install plans, schedules, and staffing before the team arrives, then lead that team on-site to execute the plan. When not traveling, you'll work with our Director of Deployments to improve how we install our products at customer sites.

Up to 75% travel, domestic and occasional international.

Responsibilities:

• Own pre-install planning including schedules, staffing, task assignments, parts and equipment logistics

• Lead installation teams at customer sites, overseeing field quality control to ensure safe, efficient, and on-schedule deployments.

• Partner with the Director of Deployments to identify and execute continues improvement projects related to installs.

• Serve as the main on-site contact for customers during installs, providing timeline updates, addressing challenges, and building trust.

• Make on-the-spot decisions when issues arise in the field, balancing customer needs, team capacity, and technical requirements.

• Maintain and update install documentation as needed

• Support in-house manufacturing during non-travel periods

Experience requirements:

• 3+ years leading or coordinating technical builds, installs, or field deployments

• 2+ years of project/hardware deployment planning experience (schedules, staffing, resourcing)

• Comfortable directing a team on-site and interfacing directly with customers

• Familiarity with mechanical/electrical assembly, tools, and build documentation

• Willing to travel frequently (up to 75%, domestic and occasional international), including evenings/weekends

• Able to lift up to 50 lbs, climb, bend, stand for extended periods

• Self-starter, adaptable, detail-oriented

What traits will make you successful in this role:

• You can plan five moves ahead and still keep a group of people moving under pressure

• You follow the plan, but you know exactly when to throw it out and improvise

• You've got real hustle, you don't wait around for someone to tell you what's next

• Nothing slips past you, details matter and you catch what others miss

• You know how to manage up, down, and sideways, with your team, with customers, with leadership

• You want to keep driving toward improvements and aren’t satisfied with "good enough"

Why join us:

• Own end-to-end installs for a fast-growing robotics fleet, real ownership from day one

• Direct, visible impact: your plans will directly lead to working robots at customer sites

• Work closely with leadership to shape how Glacier scales deployment operations

• Mission-driven work ending waste, backed by top-tier VCs with a fleet already in production

If you're excited about planning ahead, leading technical installs, and growing into a bigger strategic role, we'd love to hear from you!

Compensation: The base compensation range for this role is 95,000-110,000. In addition to cash compensation, Glacier also offers competitive equity compensation and benefits. Final compensation depends on individualized factors including skills, experience, and interview performance.