Lab Operations Specialist
The role
You'll build and run the physical operations layer of the company: how material comes in, how it gets tracked, how it reaches the engineer who needs it, and how finished robots get out the door and to a customer in one piece. Today that means inventing the system. Later it means running and scaling it.
This is a hands-on job. You'll be on the floor, in the lab, and on the loading dock.
What you'll do
Inventory and materials
Design and run our inventory system end to end - part numbering, bin and location scheme, receiving, put-away, cycle counts
Own inventory accuracy across labs, warehouses, and set the accuracy targets we hold ourselves to
Kit parts for robot builds and get them to the right bench at the right time
Manage consumables and reorder points: fasteners, cabling, adhesives, PPE, ESD supplies
Track tools and lab equipment, including calibration schedules and preventative maintenance
Lab operations
Set and enforce lab organization standards - labeled storage, bench discipline, 5S, clean-as-you-go
Own ESD compliance and lab safety practices
Handle battery and hazmat storage in line with our lithium-ion safety requirements
Support lab buildouts: new benches, test stations, equipment installs
Customer shipping
Own outbound robot shipments end to end, domestic and international
Design and source crating and packaging - shock mounting, tip and impact indicators, reusable vs. one-way
Manage freight forwarders and carriers; quote and book LTL, FTL, and air freight; select Incoterms
Prepare export documentation: commercial invoices, packing lists, HS classification, certificates of origin
Maintain serial-number-level tracking and as-shipped configuration records for every unit
Handle cargo insurance and damage claims
Coordinate inbound and outbound with our Seoul office
What we're looking for
3+ years in hardware lab operations, materials management, or logistics at a hardware, robotics, or capital equipment company
Direct experience with inbound and outbound logistics, including international shipments
You've built or meaningfully improved an inventory system, not just operated one someone else designed
Comfortable around engineering hardware - you can read a BOM, understand why a part revision matters, and handle prototypes without damaging them
High bar for organization and accuracy, and willing to hold other people to it
Able to lift 50 lbs and be on your feet for much of the day
Strong pluses
Current hazmat / dangerous goods certification for lithium batteries (49 CFR ground, IATA DGR air). If you don't have it, we'll certify you - but someone here needs it before our first unit ships.
Experience shipping capital equipment internationally: semiconductor tooling, medical imaging, industrial automation, or similar
Export compliance background - ECCN classification, restricted party screening, license determination
Forklift certification
Experience at a company that scaled from prototype builds to customer shipments