Shift Lead

physicalintelligence; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 85,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

physicalintelligence's San Francisco facility relies on relentless on-site leadership to drive robot data collection and production. The Operations team collaborates with research, hardware, and software to bring general-purpose AI into the physical world.

In this role you will lead floor operations, supervise operators, uphold data quality, coordinate cross-functional teams, and enforce safety while driving continuous improvement on the line.

Qualifications

• Hold a bachelor’s degree in a STEM field, Operations, or similar or equivalent practical experience.
• 3–5 years of experience in tech operations, manufacturing, or fast-paced physical environments.
• 2+ years of proven experience managing, scheduling, and motivating a team of hourly, shift-based workers.
• Detail-oriented with ability to learn dashboards and robotics software interfaces.
• Strong communication and collaboration skills across cross-functional teams.

Responsibilities

• Onsite Floor Operations: Lead data collection and ensure production continuity by managing stations, props, and staffing.
• Team Leadership & People Development: Supervise and train operators, provide coaching, and relay operator concerns to management.
• Data Collection and Quality: Own throughput and data quality, document defects, and escalate issues.
• Cross-Functional Communication & Reporting: Serve as on-site point of contact, share status and blockers with research, hardware and software.
• Safety & Continuous Improvement: Enforce PPE compliance and safe work practices; identify and report unsafe conditions.

Skills

Leadership

Team management

Cross-functional communication

Problem solving

Attention to detail

Education

Bachelor’s degree in STEM/Operations or equivalent

Job description

The Team

The Operations team drives the day-to-day execution of robot data collection and production at our San Francisco facility, partnering closely with research, hardware, and software teams to support our mission of bringing general-purpose AI into the physical world.

In This Role You Will

• Onsite Floor Operations: Provide daily boots-on-the-ground leadership to drive data collection, verify availability of stations, props, and staffing, and ensure production continues smoothly during disruptions or staffing gaps. Lead and coordinate operators by assigning work and adjusting resources in real-time based on priorities and constraints.


• Team Leadership & People Development: Supervise, train, and develop operators, ensuring adherence to work standards. Provide ongoing coaching and feedback, treat operators fairly and professionally, and act as a liaison by bringing operator concerns to management's attention.


• Data Collection and Quality: Own factory throughput and data quality for your team; identify deviations from standard work, take immediate corrective action, and ensure all defects are properly documented and escalated.


• Cross-Functional Communication & Reporting: Act as the primary on-site point of contact for your team, maintaining a tight feedback loop between research, hardware, software, and floor operations. Proactively communicate status, technical blockers, hardware failures, and process bottlenecks. Maintain highly accurate shift handoff notes.


• Safety & Continuous Improvement: Enforce PPE compliance and safe work practices on the floor. Proactively identify, help resolve, and report unsafe conditions.

What We Hope You’ll Bring

• Hold a bachelor's degree in a STEM field, Operations, or similar or equivalent practical experience.


• 3-5 years of experience in tech operations, manufacturing, or related fast-paced physical environments - ideally in robotics, autonomous vehicles, or other frontier hardware-AI integration sectors.


• 2+ years of proven experience managing, scheduling, and motivating a team of hourly, shift-based workers.


• Detail-oriented and comfortable using operational dashboards; ability to quickly learn proprietary robotics software interfaces.


• Clear, direct communicator who can translate operational gaps into structured feedback for technical teams; outstanding collaboration skills in cross-functional environments.


• Excellent problem-solving abilities under pressure with a high bias for action and a demonstrated history of removing operational blockers in real-time.


• Comfortable with ambiguity and changing priorities; able to manage multiple competing priorities with limited resources.


• Adept at tracking KPIs and using metrics to inform operator performance management and workflow adjustments.


• Safety-focused, detail-oriented, and quality-driven.

Bonus Points

• Experience in robotics or related fields.

Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.