Physical IntelligenceGeneral Manager, Research Operations
Physical Intelligence is hiring a General Manager, Research Operations in San Francisco, United States. Level rates it ; you can apply on Level.
AI in this role
Lead large-scale research operations supporting the development of general-purpose AI and robotics foundation models.
General Manager, Research Operations
Who We Are
Physical Intelligence is bringing general-purpose AI into the physical world. We are a group of engineers, scientists, roboticists, and company builders developing foundation models and learning algorithms to power the robots of today and the physically-actuated devices of the future.
High-quality data is the fuel for that mission. Our operations teams bring together people, robots, environments, and processes to produce the data our models need.
The Team
Research Operations supports the hands-on work behind our research, from collecting and evaluating data to testing and deploying our own tools and systems. The work changes quickly as our research evolves, so the team needs to be both highly organized and adaptable. The Research Operations GM leads the people and managers doing this work. They ensure teams are staffed effectively, build strong managers, and create an organization where people can perform at a high level and grow.
In this role you will
Lead and develop a large operations team and its managers.
Own staffing, performance, retention, and day-to-day operations.
Make sure people and resources are focused on the highest-priority work.
Build training and development programs that improve performance and prepare people for more complex research and deployment work.
Use data to identify problems and improve quality, productivity, and how the team operates.
Work closely with researchers and engineers to adapt the operation as their needs change.
What We Hope You'll Bring
7+ years leading large, high-output operations teams, ideally involving physical or hands-on work.
Experience managing and developing managers and team leads.
A track record of improving quality, productivity, and retention at scale.
Strong judgment around staffing, prioritization, and performance.
Experience building teams where strong people stay and grow.
Comfort working in a fast-changing, technical environment.
Bonus Points
Experience in robotics, hardware, manufacturing, logistics, or other complex physical operations.
Experience supporting research or engineering teams.
Experience building training and career development programs.
Experience with data collection, eval, or deployment operations.
Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.
How we rate this
General Manager, Research Operations at Physical Intelligence rates 65 out of 100 for how much of the daily work is AI. That makes it Works on AI (AI Level 3 of 4). The level is about AI in the job, not seniority.
Works on AI. The daily work is on AI products, without building the model.
- ●●●● Builds AI80 to 100
- ●●●○ Works on AI60 to 79
- ●●○○ Uses AI40 to 59
- ●○○○ Little AI0 to 39
Levels come from how often the tools, models and workflows of the role are named in the posting itself. Open the description and count.
Prepare for this job
Built from this posting and from similar jobs on Level.
Skills and AI tools this role asks for
Questions you could be asked
- Tell me about a project where operations management was part of your work. What did you do?
- Tell me about a project where team leadership was part of your work. What did you do?
- Tell me about a project where robotics was part of your work. What did you do?
- Tell me about a project where data collection was part of your work. What did you do?
- Describe a typical day in a role like this one: which parts run through AI directly?
Adapt your resume
- List these exact terms on your resume: Operations Management, Team Leadership, Robotics, and Data Collection. An applicant tracking system matches the wording, not the idea.
- Attach one line of real, concrete experience to at least one of them. A tool named with nothing behind it rarely survives a human read.
- Show where AI is part of your daily process, not a one-off project. This role expects it to be a running habit.
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