Senior Product Manager, Teleoperation

apptronik; Austin (TX); On-site; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Apptronik is seeking a Product Manager to own the teleoperation interface, combining VR/XR expertise with human factors to deliver operator-focused tooling for data collection and robot learning. You will drive roadmaps across hardware/software boundaries, balance user needs with business goals, and partner with UX and engineering to ship robust experiences.

The role emphasizes translating market demands into executable product roadmaps, defining requirements for operator interfaces, and

Qualifications

• Shipping VR/XR or immersive interface products to real users.
• Background in human factors, HCI, or applied ergonomics.
• Experience with teleoperation or remote operation of physical systems.
• Strong analytical skills with data-driven decision making.
• Excellent communication, both verbal and written.
• Ability to make decisions in uncertainty and prioritize velocity over perfection.
• Prioritize operator and user feedback to inform product decisions.

Responsibilities

• Own and maintain the Teleoperation roadmap: scope, sequencing, and priority features across operator interface and data collection workflows.
• Define requirements for the teleoperation interface—VR/XR rigs, control mappings, haptic and visual feedback, displays with situational awareness.
• Apply human factors rigor to operator experience: cognitive load, ergonomics, latency tolerance, learnability, time-to-proficiency.
• Partner with Data Collection operations to maximize teleoperated data throughput and quality.
• Link operator experience to training outcomes: define metrics tying interface quality to robot learning data.
• Define customer-facing fine-tuning workflows for deployed robots, including safety controls and operation over networks.
• Communicate product features and requirements to engineering via clear documents and diagrams.
• Prioritize use cases by business impact, feasibility, and customer needs for real-world value.
• Collaborate with UX, UX Research, and industrial design to validate interfaces before deployment.
• Synthesize feedback and data into a strategy that advances business objectives.

Skills

VR/XR experience

Human factors / HCI

Teleoperation / remote operation

Data-driven decision making

Excellent communication

Decision making under uncertainty

User feedback advocacy

Education

Bachelor’s in HCI or Engineering

Experience in human factors / cognitive science

Job description

Apptronik is a human-centered robotics company developing AI-powered robots to support humanity in every facet of life. Our flagship humanoid robot, Apollo, is built to collaborate thoughtfully with people, starting with critical industries such as manufacturing and logistics, with future applications in healthcare, the home, and beyond.

We operate at the cutting edge of embodied AI, applying our expertise across the full robotics stack to solve some of society's most important problems. You will join a team dedicated to bringing Apollo to market at scale, tackling the complex challenges like safety, commercialization, and mass production to change the world for the better.

JOB SUMMARY

You will focus on driving the product vision, ensuring seamless execution across the complex hardware/software divide, and translating market demands into user oriented, executable product roadmaps.

You will own the teleoperation product: a first-rate interface for teleoperated data collection, serving both our data collection environment and customers who want to improve fleet performance. You will draw on virtual reality / XR experience and a human factors background to create interfaces genuinely suited to the operators who use them, maximizing data throughput and quality while keeping operators effective, comfortable, and safe.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES or KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES

• Own and maintain the Teleoperation roadmap: scope, sequencing, and feature priorities across the operator interface, data collection workflows, and customer fine-tuning workflows.
• Define requirements for the teleoperation interface — VR/XR rigs, control mappings, haptic and visual feedback, and situational‑awareness displays — in partnership with design and engineering.
• Apply human factors rigor to the operator experience: cognitive load, fatigue, ergonomics, latency tolerance, embodiment mismatch, motion sickness, learnability, and time‑to‑proficiency.
• Partner with Data Collection operations to maximize teleoperated data collection throughput and quality.
• Connect operator experience to training outcomes: define the metrics that tie interface quality to the quality of demonstrations used for robot learning.
• Define and own the customer‑facing fine‑tuning workflow for deployed robots, including permissioning, safety controls, and operation over real‑world networks.
• Define product features/enhancements and communicate requirements to engineering teams via clearly written requirements documents, diagrams, and concise verbal communication.
• Prioritize use cases based on business impact, feasibility, and customer needs, and ensure product development efforts align with real‑world economic value for customers.
• Partner with UX, UX Research, and industrial design to validate and refine operator interfaces before deployment.
• Synthesize insights from operator feedback, usage data, customer meetings, and data‑quality metrics into a strategy that delivers business objectives.

SKILLS AND REQUIREMENTS

• Demonstrated experience shipping virtual reality, XR, or immersive interface products to real users.
• Background in human factors, HCI, or applied ergonomics — you understand how to design interfaces suited to operators, and how to measure operator performance and comfort.
• Experience with teleoperation or remote operation of physical systems (robots, vehicles, drones, or similar).
• Strong analytical skills with experience in performance tracking and data‑driven decision‑making.
• Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written, enabling translation of technical insights into business impact.
• You make decisions in uncertainty, prioritizing velocity over perfection.
• You prioritize operator and user feedback, promoting and advocating for that voice to internal teams.

NICE TO HAVE

• Familiarity with robot learning data pipelines — imitation learning, demonstration quality, and what makes teleoperated data useful for training.
• Experience working with customers in light and heavy duty industrial environments.
• Experience deploying products into industrial or warehouse environments.

EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE

• At least 7 years of experience in product management.
  Bachelor’s in HCI or Engineering preferred
• Experience in human factors, HCI, cognitive science, or a related field.
• Experience with motion capture, hand tracking, or haptic input devices.
• Experience with autonomous robots or autonomous vehicles.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

• Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer
• Must be able to lift 15 pounds at times
• Vision to read printed materials and a computer screen
• Hearing and speech to communicate
• Ability to wear and operate VR/XR headsets and teleoperation rigs for evaluation purposes

*This is a direct hire. Please, no outside Agency solicitations.

Apptronik provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.