Join Amazon's Frontier AI & Robotics team and lead the laboratory operations that enable breakthrough research in embodied intelligence. As Head of Lab Operations, you'll lead the on-the-ground teams that power our AI research programs-directing a large contractor workforce, managing our robot fleet, overseeing data collection campaigns, and ensuring our test environments give researchers and engineers the high-quality operational foundation they need to move fast. Your leadership directly shapes the velocity and quality of our AI research by keeping robots healthy, data pipelines flowing, and test environments ready to support the next wave of innovation.

Key job responsibilities
• Lead, develop, and retain a 40-50 person contractor workforce spanning robot fleet operations, AI data collection, and test environment construction; establish clear performance expectations, career development pathways, and a culture of ownership, safety, and continuous improvement
• Own robot fleet management end-to-end-maintain robot health and readiness, drive preventive and corrective maintenance programs, track fleet utilization and uptime KPIs, and ensure robots are mission-ready to support research and data collection operations at all times
• Direct data collection operations that feed AI research pipelines; coordinate with AI researchers and data engineering teams to plan, execute, and quality-assure data collection campaigns, ensuring operational fidelity and data integrity at scale
• Develop, build out, and sustain test environments and experimental infrastructure that enable researchers and engineers to evaluate robotic systems efficiently; manage test cell configuration, instrumentation readiness, and environment lifecycle from initial buildout through ongoing operations
• Define, track, and report operational KPIs-including robot fleet uptime, data collection throughput, test environment availability, safety performance, and cost efficiency-using metrics to drive decisions and communicate operational health to senior leadership
• Scale operational processes, standard operating procedures (SOPs), and workforce capabilities as research programs grow; build infrastructure and playbooks that maintain quality and speed as scope expands

A day in the life

As the Head of Lab Operations for FAR, you set strategic direction for the operational capabilities that drive research velocity: shaping how the organization manages its robot fleet, structures its data collection programs, and builds the infrastructure that gives researchers the freedom to innovate without friction. You are a key voice in senior leadership forums, translating operational performance into strategic insights, championing investments that build long-term organizational capability, and ensuring that lab operations function as a genuine competitive advantage. You invest in your team's growth, forge deep partnerships with research and engineering leadership, and make the resource allocation decisions that keep FAR's operational foundation ahead of an ambitious and fast-moving research roadmap. You define, develop, and drive improvement on key lab performance indicators to ensure we are operating at maximum velocity and efficiency.

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS

- Bachelor's degree or equivalent

- 10+ years of progressive experience in an operations, technical or research / AI environment where human operators are working with complex technology platforms

- 7+ years of people leadership experience managing large teams (40+ people), including contractor or contingent workforces

- Ability to build, monitor, and continuously improve operational processes

- Knowledge of hardware asset and maintenance management systems and continuous improvement methodologies

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

- Experience overseeing data collection or data production operations, including coordinating campaigns, ensuring data quality, and partnering with research or data engineering stakeholders

- Experience managing robot fleet operations or complex equipment fleets, including maintenance programs, uptime tracking, and fleet readiness in a research or operational environment

- Experience managing lab equipment, tooling, and facilities

- Experience collaborating with cross-functional research and engineering teams in product development

- Experience reporting out on team performance to senior leadership

The base salary range for this position is listed below. Your Amazon package will include sign-on payments and restricted stock units (RSUs). Final compensation will be determined based on factors including experience, qualifications, and location. Amazon also offers comprehensive benefits including health insurance (medical, dental, vision, prescription, Basic Life & AD&D insurance and option for Supplemental life plans, EAP, Mental Health Support, Medical Advice Line, Flexible Spending Accounts, Adoption and Surrogacy Reimbursement coverage), 401(k) matching, paid time off, and parental leave. Learn more about our benefits at https://amazon.jobs/en/benefits.

USA, CA, San Francisco - 152,200.00 - 205,900.00 USD annually