Strategic Project Lead

• The Strategic Project Lead (SPL) owns the successful delivery of company-critical research and deployment initiatives
• SPLs serve as the operational owners of a portfolio of work, partnering with researchers, Research Associates, and Production Operations to ensure projects are appropriately prioritized, staffed, resourced, and delivered
• While SPLs do not directly manage operators, they direct project work and are accountable for delivery outcomes
• Own delivery of assigned research and deployment initiatives from intake through completion
• Partner with researchers and stakeholders to define scope, success criteria, timelines, and operational requirements
• Prioritize work and allocate resources across competing projects based on impact, urgency, and available capacity
• Build execution plans that define staffing, robot allocation, dependencies, milestones, and delivery timelines
• Direct project execution across Research Associates, Production Operations, and partner teams
• Identify and resolve risks, bottlenecks, staffing gaps, and dependency conflicts before they impact delivery
• Drive project reviews, stakeholder communication, escalations, and delivery decisions
• Improve planning, prioritization, and operational systems as the organization scales
• This role sits at the intersection of program management, operations leadership, and research enablement

Preferred experience

• We’re looking for someone who can create clarity from ambiguity, coordinate complex work across teams, and consistently deliver results in fast-moving environments
• Experience leading complex cross-functional initiatives involving multiple stakeholders and competing priorities
• Strong track record of translating ambiguous goals into executable plans and successful outcomes
• Ability to quickly understand technical goals, operational constraints, and execution tradeoffs
• Experience communicating effectively with both technical and non-technical stakeholders
• 2+ years of experience in program management, operations, technical project management, consulting, startup operations, or similar roles
• Experience balancing competing priorities and making thoughtful resource-allocation decisions
• This role sits at the intersection of program management, operations leadership, and research enablement. We’re looking for someone who can create clarity from ambiguity, coordinate complex work across teams, and consistently deliver results in fast-moving environments
• Ability to influence across teams without direct management authority
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Strong operational judgment and systems thinking
• Bias toward action and execution
• High ownership and accountability for outcomes
• Exceptional prioritization and organizational skills
• Ability to identify risks, bottlenecks, and dependencies before they become problems
• Comfort making decisions with incomplete information
• Experience supporting AI, robotics, hardware, or research organizations
• Experience managing data collection, evaluation, annotation, or operational programs
• Familiarity with robotics workflows and teleoperation environments
• Experience building operational processes and scaling teams
• Experience working directly with researchers, engineers, or technical product teams