Operations Manager - Data Collection

About Standard Bots

Standard Bots is building the next generation of industrial robots — hardware that's powerful, affordable, and designed to scale. We're the largest U.S. industrial robotics company by robots shipped, and we're growing fast. This role keeps one of our most important production operations running on time and on target.

Note: This is a full-time, on-site role at our Glen Cove, NY manufacturing facility.

The Role

We're looking for a Data Collection Operations Manager to run our on-site data collection floor. The team you'll manage is responsible for collecting the hands-on demonstration data that fuels the building and training of Standard Bots' AI models — the same models that will shape how automation works on factory floors for years to come. Right now that means managing a team of collectors doing structured, repetitive hands-on work in a controlled environment. As the team scales, you'll eventually build the supervisory layer underneath you and shift more into a pure management role.

Think of it like running a production line: the work is defined, the targets are clear, and your job is to keep the team moving, the quality high, and the numbers on track.

This is a player-coach role to start. You're not just directing — you're on the floor, working alongside the team, learning the work, and setting the standard. You'll also coordinate with internal teams to make sure your crew always has what they need, and own the metrics that tell us whether we're on pace to hit our aggressive end-of-year target.

You'll report directly to the Head of AI Solutions & Strategy.

What You'll Do

Floor Operations & Team Management

• Run day-to-day operations for our data collection floor

• Be hands-on with the work yourself, especially early on — you set the standard by doing it, not just directing it

• Track weekly output against the pace needed to hit our end-of-year target — flag shortfalls early and fix them fast

• Keep the team engaged and productive through structured, repetitive work — you know how to make that environment run well

• Manage consumables, supplies, parts, and inventory for the floor — ordering, receiving, storage, and distribution

• Manage task rollout and retirement — bring new collection tasks onto the floor and wind down completed ones in line with research priorities

Quality & Output

• Own the quality standard for the floor — build and continuously improve QA processes (acceptance criteria, spot checks, feedback loops) so collected data meets the needs of the research team

• Build and maintain the trackers, documentation, and reporting cadence for output, quality, and team performance

• Own the data from collection to hand-off — track what's been collected, ensure nothing is lost or mislabeled, and investigate quality issues the research team flags

• Identify where output is being lost in the process and drive improvements

Cross-Team Coordination

• Keep the floor unblocked — coordinate with internal teams to make sure task assignments, equipment, and tooling are ready before the floor needs them

• Flag upstream delays or blockers early so they don't turn into floor downtime

• Maintain a backlog of approved work so the team is never sitting idle

Team Building (As You Scale)

• As the team grows, hire and onboard new collectors and eventually build the supervisory layer beneath you

• Define how the floor operates — schedules, standards, workflows — so the system scales without breaking

• Coach and develop collectors — give regular feedback and grow your strongest people into leads

• Build a floor culture of ownership, reliability, and continuous improvement

What We're Looking For

• 2-4 years of experience managing or supervising hourly workers in a warehouse, factory, production floor, or similar structured environment

• Comfortable being a player-coach — you're not too senior to do the work, and not too junior to lead the team

• Track record of hitting output targets and holding a small team accountable to daily and weekly metrics

• Experience managing repetitive, high-volume work — you know how to keep people engaged and productive through structured, routine tasks

• Organized and proactive — you don't wait for problems to find you

• Clear communicator, written and verbal — you can run a daily standup, give direct feedback, keep documentation current, and escalate issues cleanly

• Experience building or improving processes — you can create structure where it doesn't exist yet, not just run an existing playbook

• Comfortable with spreadsheets, trackers, and metrics reporting

Nice to Have

• Experience scaling a small team quickly — hiring, onboarding, and ramping up production capacity

• Familiarity with data collection, annotation, or quality control operations

• Any exposure to robotics, manufacturing automation, or tech environments

• Startup or fast-scaling environment experience

Compensation and Benefits

The salary range for this role is $80,000 to $90,000. We are open to a variety of seniority levels for this role and will build compensation packages that are commensurate with seniority and skill level. Base salary is just one part of the overall compensation at Standard Bots. All Full-Time Employees are eligible for Employee Stock Options. We also offer a package of benefits including paid time off, medical/dental/vision insurance, life insurance, disability insurance, and 401(k) to regular full-time employees.