Shift Coordinator, Humanoid Robot Operations (Night)

Figure; Santa Clara (CA); On-site; USD 55,000 - 62,000; Full time

Job summary

Figure is an AI robotics company headquartered in San Jose, CA, seeking a Shift Coordinator to lead the Humanoid Robot Operator team during night shifts. You will own shift outcomes, set priorities, and coordinate with engineering to keep robots running for real commercial use cases.

The role includes hands-on operation when needed, strict safety adherence, and coaching of new hires. This is a contract-to-hire path with a transition to full-time employment.

Qualifications

• 3+ years in a leadership role in fast-paced operations (manufacturing, field ops, lab, etc).
• Proven track record of owning team results and accountability.
• Ability to make sound decisions under pressure without direction.
• Excellent written and verbal communication, including shift reports and escalation to technical teams.
• Experience working with robots or troubleshooting electromechanical systems.
• Familiarity with Jira or a similar ticketing tool.
• Openness to giving/receiving constructive feedback with a drive for improvement.
• Ability to stand 8+ hours and handle humanoid hardware.
• 5-day workweek with weekend shift and 2 days off.

Responsibilities

• Lead, schedule, and direct the shift operator team, including robot and station assignments, coverage, and shift priorities.
• Own shift performance: robot uptime, task throughput, and on-time completion of customer use case; report results each shift.
• Act as first escalation point for robot failures, safety concerns, and operational blockers; triage and decide on actions.
• Ensure issues are tracked and escalated to engineering in Jira; enforce high ticket quality.
• Run structured handoffs with next shift leadership to prevent information loss.
• Coach operators in real time; support onboarding and training; build accountability culture.
• Identify recurring failures and process gaps; drive fixes with engineering and ops leadership.
• Enforce safety procedures for robot operation and model discipline.
• Maintain cleanliness and organization; ensure maintenance procedures for equipment and robots.
• Step in hands-on and operate robots when needed.

Skills

Leadership

Decision making

Communication

Robotics experience

Jira

Problem solving

Coaching

Team management

Tools

Jira

Job description

Figure is an AI robotics company developing autonomous general‑purpose humanoid robots. The goal of the company is to ship humanoid robots with human level intelligence. Its robots are engineered to perform a variety of tasks in the home and commercial markets. Figure is headquartered in San Jose, CA.

This is a contract‑to‑hire position with the goal of transitioning to full‑time employment.

As the Shift Coordinator, you will lead our team of Humanoid Robot Operators and own the results of the shift. At times there is limited engineering support, so you'll be the one making the calls. You'll set priorities, keep robots running for real commercial use cases, solve problems as they come up, and hand the day team a clear, accurate picture of what happened overnight.

This role is for someone who treats the shift's outcomes as their own. When targets are missed, you find out why and fix it. When targets are hit, you look for ways to improve on them.

SHIFT: Night - 10:30 PM to 7:00 AM

Each is a 5‑day week that includes a weekend shift, with training Monday through Friday from 7:30 AM to 4:00 PM.

Responsibilities

• Lead, schedule, and direct the shift operator team, including robot and station assignments, coverage, and shift priorities.
• Own shift performance: robot uptime, task throughput, and on‑time completion of the customer use case. Report results and misses at the end of every shift.
• Act as the first point of escalation for robot failures, safety concerns, and operational blockers. Triage quickly and decide whether to keep running, pivot, or stand down.
• Make sure every issue is tracked, documented, and escalated to the right engineering team in Jira, and hold the team to a high standard for ticket quality.
• Run structured shift handoffs with next shift leadership so nothing gets lost between teams.
• Coach operators in real time. Give direct feedback, support onboarding and training for new hires, and build a culture of accountability and continuous improvement.
• Spot recurring failures and process gaps, then drive fixes with engineering and operations leadership.
• Enforce all safety procedures for robot operation and model them yourself.
• Make sure work areas meet cleanliness and organization standards, and that the team follows equipment and robot maintenance procedures, including bring‑up and shutdown.
• Step in hands‑on and operate robots when the shift needs it.

Requirements

• 3+ years of experience in a leadership role such as shift lead, supervisor, coordinator, or team lead. Manufacturing, field operations, lab operations, or a similar fast‑paced environment is required.
• A proven track record of owning team results: hitting targets, improving metrics, and holding yourself and others accountable.
• Confidence making sound decisions on your own and under pressure, without waiting for direction.
• Excellent written and verbal communication, including clear shift reports and effective escalation to technical teams.
• Experience working with robots or troubleshooting mechanical or electromechanical systems.
• Familiarity with Jira or a similar ticketing/tracking tool.
• Openness to giving and receiving constructive feedback, with a drive for constant improvement.
• Ability to stand 8+ hours a day and physically manage humanoid hardware.
• 5‑day workweek with a mandatory weekend shift and 2 days off.

Physical Requirements

• Lifting & Handling: Must be able to safely lift, carry, and maneuver equipment or humanoid hardware weighing up to 50 lbs independently.
• Sustained Mobility: Ability to stand and move throughout the work area for the entirety of an 8+ hour shift (excluding meal/rest breaks).
• Manual Effort: Capacity for frequent bending, reaching, stooping, and fine motor manipulation of robot hardware.

Bonus Qualifications

• Experience leading overnight or off‑hours teams.
• Background in robotics, automation, or a hardware startup environment.
• Experience building or improving operational processes, SOPs, or performance tracking.
• A passion for helping scale the deployment of learning humanoid robots.

Training

There will be a 1 week training process at company headquarters. Training takes place Monday through Friday from 9:00 AM to 5:30 PM.

The US base pay rate for this full‑time position is $40.00 - $45.00 per hour.

The pay offered for this position may vary based on several individual factors, including job‑related knowledge, skills, and experience. The total compensation package may also include additional components/benefits depending on the specific role. This information will be shared if an employment offer is extended.