Pre-Deployment Manager

About you and this role:
Robust AI is a fast-growing, early-stage startup founded in 2019 by an unsurpassed team of veterans in robotics, AI, and business. We are a collaborative group with a wide range of backgrounds and perspectives, seeking talented individuals who are just as excited about robotics and AI as we are! Help us redefine the very foundation of robotics and build robots that are smart, collaborative, robust, safe, flexible, and genuinely autonomous.
As a Pre-Deployment Manager at Robust AI, you will play a critical role in planning and executing customer deployments of the next generation of warehouse robotic systems. You will serve as the primary coordinator across customer stakeholders and internal teams during implementation, helping ensure launches are successful, risks are surfaced early, and communication stays clear throughout the deployment lifecycle.
This is a high-visibility role reporting to the Director of Deployments and working closely with customer operations teams, Sales, Product, Engineering, Hardware, and Fleet Operations. You will possess a unique combination of customer-facing skills, operational rigor, problem-solving ability, and relationship management through effective communication. You are someone who is comfortable working in an early-stage startup environment, can collaborate across functions, and can pivot effectively as field conditions change.
The base pay range for this role is between $120,000 and $150,000, dependent on your skills, qualifications and experience.
Main responsibilities:
Own day-to-day planning and coordination for customer deployments and launch readiness
Serve as the primary point of contact for customer deployment execution and communication
Build and manage project plans, milestones, action trackers, risk logs, and deployment status updates
Run kickoff meetings, weekly deployment meetings, readiness reviews, and go-live check-ins with customer and internal teams
Coordinate customer readiness across operations, facilities, IT/networking, training, staffing, and workflow requirements
Partner with Robot Technicians, Engineering, Product, Hardware, Sales, and Customer Success leadership to support successful launches
Escalate risks and blockers quickly and ensure timely follow-up across cross-functional teams
Support onsite launch execution and customer communication during critical deployment periods
Prepare status reports by gathering, analyzing, and summarizing relevant information
Provide deployment metrics readouts and support post-launch reviews and lessons learned
Build trusted customer relationships during deployment and early stabilization, and support expansion coordination over time as needed
Able to travel on short notice up to 80% of the time within the United States for customer launches and onsite support
What you’ll bring to the table:
BS in Business Administration, Operations, Engineering, or related field and at least 4 years of related work experience
Strong knowledge and understanding of distribution and fulfillment operations
Experience managing implementations, customer deployments, or complex operational projects
Ability to communicate technical/complex information both verbally and in writing
Self-motivated and able to solve problems independently and in customer settings
Strong communication skills to collaborate effectively with internal and external teams
Knowledge of and interest in diverse technical topics, including software, hardware, and robotics
Strong leadership and relationship-building skills
Ability to perform multiple tasks concurrently and respond to pressure situations effectively
Experience building trust with customer stakeholders while driving execution and accountability
What we offer:
Base salary, depending on your skills, qualifications and experience
Stock options and huge growth potential
Strong startup (and fun) culture
Medical, Dental, and Vision coverage
Flexible vacation and sick leave practices
Paid parental leave
Robust AI fosters a culture of belonging and a shared commitment to equality and equity.
Having a diverse set of perspectives is key to ensuring AI and robotics serve the needs of all.
We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses and identifying potential inconsistencies or verification signals in application materials based on available information. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.

Work arrangement
Yes