Robot Operator (Contractor)

Warp; South San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 30,000 - 47,000; Full time

Job summary

Warp seeks a Robot Operator to run autonomous laboratory workflows and collect high-quality demonstrations for our robot learning systems. You will directly interact with robots and data-collection systems, performing precise handling of labware and experiments with minimal human intervention.

The role emphasizes careful data collection, protocol adherence, and rapid learning of new procedures in a chemistry-focused lab environment.

Qualifications

• Very high attention to detail and accuracy in manual tasks.
• Ability to quickly learn new procedures, tools and setups.
• Strong hands-on problem-solving skills with physical systems.
• Patience and consistency when performing repetitive tasks.

Responsibilities

• Operate robotic and teleoperation systems to collect demonstrations.
• Handle labware, weigh and transfer solids, manipulate liquids and operate equipment with precision.
• Set up and reset robot workspaces, lab equipment, consumables and experiments between runs.
• Review demonstrations, identify failures, and maintain data quality.
• Collaborate with robot learning and hardware teams to improve data-collection interfaces and task setups.

Skills

Attention to detail

Rapid learner

Hands-on problem solving

Patience and consistency

Comfort around robotics

Tools

Robotics systems

Job description

About Warp

At Warp Sciences, our mission is to help the world discover new medicines faster—and build the capacity to do it here in America. We bring AI, robotics, and life sciences together in automated labs that design, run, and learn from experiments, with each experiment making the next one better. We’re not developing drugs of our own. We’re building the infrastructure for the people who do.

About Warp

Warp is building autonomous laboratories that can run scientific experiments end-to-end.

We're starting with chemistry. We're building robotic systems that can manipulate labware, operate scientific instruments, handle materials, and execute experimental workflows with minimal human intervention.

High-quality real-world data is at the core of how our robots learn. We're looking for Robot Operators to help teach our robots how to perform the precise, dexterous tasks that happen every day in a chemistry lab.

You'll work directly with our robots and data-collection systems, performing scientific tasks, collecting demonstrations, evaluating robot behavior, and helping us continuously improve the quality of our data.

What You'll Do

• Operate: robotic and teleoperation systems to collect high-quality demonstrations of chemistry and manipulation tasks.

• Perform tasks such as handling labware, weighing and transferring solids, manipulating liquids, opening containers, and operating laboratory equipment while maintaining precision and consistency.

• Set up and reset robot workspaces, lab equipment, consumables, and experiments between data-collection runs.

• Review collected demonstrations, identify failures or poor-quality data, and maintain a high bar for data quality and consistency.

• Work closely with our robot learning and hardware teams to identify problems with data-collection interfaces, robot behavior, and task setups and help make the overall system better.

What We're Looking For

• Exceptional attention to detail and ability to perform precise tasks consistently.

• Ability to quickly learn new procedures, tools, and experimental setups.

• Strong hands-on problem-solving skills and comfort working with physical systems.

• Patience and consistency when performing repeated tasks while maintaining a high quality bar.

• Comfortable working around robots, computers, laboratory equipment, and scientific instruments.

• Ability to recognize when something looks wrong and clearly communicate what happened.

• High ownership and reliability.

Especially Useful

• Chemistry, biology, laboratory science, or laboratory operations.

• Working in a chemistry or research laboratory.

• Robotics, teleoperation, or robot data collection.

• Precise hands-on work involving small objects, tools, or instruments.

Following scientific protocols or other detailed technical procedures.

You do not need prior robotics experience. We care most about your ability to learn quickly, work carefully, and consistently produce high-quality data.

What Success Looks Like

The demonstrations you collect become training data for our robot learning systems. That means both quality and quantity matter..

A great Robot Operator doesn't just complete tasks—they notice when an interface makes a task unnecessarily difficult, when a demonstration isn't representative of how a chemist would actually work, or when a robot consistently struggles with a particular interaction.

You will be one of the people directly teaching our robots how to do science.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Warp is an equal opportunity employer. We consider qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, and related medical conditions), gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, military or veteran status, reproductive health decision-making, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

Reasonable Accommodations

Warp provides reasonable accommodations to qualified applicants with disabilities in accordance with applicable law. If you need an accommodation during the application or interview process, please contact [e-mail]

Fair Chance Hiring

Warp considers qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records in accordance with the California Fair Chance Act and other applicable laws.

General Notice

This job posting describes the position generally and does not constitute an offer of employment or an employment contract.