Head of Robot Operations Center

Description

Join Our Team

At Onward Robotics, we are a bold, gritty, and purposeful team with an ambitious mission to revolutionize fulfillment. Our team is driven by a client-first mentality: we aim to solve hard problems and fuel our clients’ growth with innovation. We are seeking talented individuals who will have a huge impact on both our business and our team. Join us on our mission as we move fast, think big, and have fun!

About Us

Onward Robotics delivers innovative automation technology that coordinates humans and robots as a cohesive system to revolutionize fulfillment. Our Meet Me solution combines proprietary software with person-to-goods mobile robots to increase efficiency in warehousing, distribution, and e-commerce operations. Onward Robotics provides the boost in productivity, flexibility, and speed that companies need to remain competitive and grow. Learn more at onwardrobotics.com.

Job Summary

The Head of Robot Operating Center will establish, lead, and scale our Robot Operations Center, creating systems and processes to monitor, support, and optimize the operation and performance of our system in the field. This role requires a combination of technical expertise and awareness of customer operations.  The Head of Robot Operating Center will help Onward develop a support platform that maximizes robot uptime, reduces issue resolution time, and improves customer satisfaction.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Build and lead a high-performing support team responsible for monitoring robot performance and resolving issues that provides 24/7 operational coverage during critical deployment phases.
• Develop comprehensive monitoring and data collection systems, alert protocols, and escalation procedures.
• Create and implement standard operating procedures for robot diagnostics, troubleshooting, and remote assistance.
• Collaborate with product and engineering teams to prioritize technical improvements based on field performance data.
• Contribute to the definition of preventative maintenance programs that maximize robot performance and reliability.
• Establish KPIs along with the associated data collection and reporting systems to measure system performance and ROC effectiveness.
• Work closely with customer success teams to ensure coordinated customer communications about technical issues.

Core Competencies: 

• Grit: Persistence and determination to solve complex problems under pressure
• Customer Focus: Unwavering commitment to customer satisfaction and success
• Boldness: Willingness to make difficult decisions and lead through uncertainty
• Purposeful: Strong sense of accountability for action over process

Typical Day:

• As the Head of Robot Operating Center, each day brings a balance of strategic leadership and hands-on problem-solving. You start your morning by reviewing system performance dashboards and overnight incident logs, prioritizing any critical issues for immediate action. After syncing with your ROC team leads to ensure smooth shift transitions and coverage, you lead a daily stand-up to align on active incidents, ongoing investigations, and priority tickets.
   
• Mid-morning might involve working with engineering and product teams to analyze recurring robot behaviors, propose software or hardware improvements, and fine-tune alert protocols. You’ll review system health metrics and identify opportunities to enhance uptime and customer value.
   
• In the afternoon, you could be updating or drafting standard operating procedures, refining escalation workflows, or coaching team members through complex troubleshooting scenarios. You also meet regularly with customer success leaders to coordinate on messaging and support strategies for shared accounts.
   
• Throughout the day, you're continuously monitoring performance KPIs, ensuring robust documentation, and evaluating your team’s effectiveness in meeting service goals. Whether you're improving operational processes, scaling systems for new deployments, or jumping in to help with a tough technical challenge, you’re at the heart of delivering a seamless robot experience to our customers.

Qualifications

Required Skills:

• Experience in an early-phase fast-paced startup environment is a must
• Strong technical background with the ability to understand robotic systems, diagnose issues, and collaborate with engineering on solutions
• Experience with data collection, data mining and monitoring tools, ticketing systems, and technical documentation
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to translate technical concepts for various audiences

Minimum Experience Requirements:

• 5+ years of experience building and leading technical support or operations teams, preferably in robotics, hardware, or complex technical products

Minimum Education Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Computer Science, or related field (or equivalent experience