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About Deplace AI
Deplace AI is the deployment layer for Physical AI. We evaluate cutting-edge physical AI models from leading research labs and robotics companies on clients’ real-world tasks, and collect targeted data to enable rapid model improvement and iteration. We are a VC-funded, well-capitalized startup working at the intersection of Physical AI research and real-world robotics deployment.
We are looking for a Founding Engineer to help build our evaluation and data collection platform, working closely with our CTO and the core technical team. This is a hands-on role with significant ownership, where you will help define both the technical foundations and the product direction of the company.
* Building and operating our data flywheel, from data collection to evaluation and feedback
* Contributing to our core AI and robotics software stack
* Designing and implementing evaluation frameworks for Physical AI models in both real-world and simulation settings
* Setting up simulation environments based on client tasks, objects, constraints, and performance requirements
* Supporting real-world deployments, including teleoperation and human-in-the-loop data collection and evaluations
* Participate in robotics & AI events to showcase the platform (RSS 2025, etc)
* Expand offerings with additional solutions (synthetic data, human-in-the-loop, frontier data, etc)
* Master’s degree (completed or in progress) in Computer Science, Data Science, Robotics, or a related field
* Strong empirical research skills and solid technical intuition
* Good understanding of machine learning and robotics fundamentals, including VLAs, robotic simulation, robot teleoperation, evaluation methods, and data for Physical AI
* Entrepreneurial builder mindset, comfortable operating in uncharted territory and turning ambiguous problems into working systems
* Availability of 40h a week or more
* And finally, an incredible passion for robotics & AI and the desire to change the world with it
* Contributions to robot learning or robotics research
* Experience training or working with large-scale foundation models
* Software engineering background
* Internship or research experience in robotics and/or AI at a top organization (DeepMind, Nvidia, Dolby, Open AI, Meta, Microsoft, Tesla, Google, Skild AI, Figure, Field AI, Scale, etc)
* Competitive base salary with meaningful equity participation
* Direct collaboration with the founding team from day one
* High impact role with real ownership over technical and product decisions
* Opportunity to help shape a company at the core of the Physical AI ecosystem
*Position available in the United States & Europe (Paris, France)
Operations Job Description Template (from competitor)
We’re building a large-scale physical + digital operation where coordinated fleets of robots interact with engineered setups to produce the data required to unlock the next generation of intelligent systems.

This is an environment where precision matters, reliability is engineered, and iteration moves at the speed of learning.

We’re searching for an Operations Lead who has the discipline of an engineer, the instincts of a builder, and the calm needed to run complex systems under real-world constraints. You will keep a multi-robot operation running end to end: stable, performant, and continuously improving. If you take pride in building systems that work at scale – and stay working – you’ll thrive here.

This role combines operations, hands-on engineering, process design, and procurement. You will own the objects, fixtures, and setups that enable our data workflows, and you’ll refine these systems into something robust, elegant, and ready for scale.
* Drive high-throughput performance across our physical systems: uptime, maintenance, consumables, scheduling, and operational cadence.
* Recruit, train, and lead our on-site operators and student workforce with clarity and technical rigor.
* Own the full lifecycle of our data-use cases: selecting objects, preparing them, tracking them, and integrating them into consistent, reproducible workflows.
* Build and maintain the physical tooling that enables these workflows (fixtures, mounts, custom adapters, mechanical components).
* Contribute as a hands-on hardware engineer when needed – designing or modifying end-effectors, brackets, adapters, and prototype parts.
* Troubleshoot hardware + software issues end to end and collaborate closely with engineering for deeper fixes.
* Own procurement, inventory, vendor relationships, and all logistics for equipment and materials.
* Architect and continuously improve workflows, QA layers, safety protocols, and scaling mechanisms.
* Build processes that expand gracefully – from small pilot setups to large facilities and multi-robot fleets.
* Maintain a facility that reflects engineering excellence: structured, safe, orderly, and inspection-ready.
* Take pride in making physical systems behave predictably under real constraints.
* Have the intuition to modify hardware, test components, and create simple fixtures or end-effectors with confidence.
* Understand the interplay between hardware and software and can diagnose issues across both.
* Have operated in labs, manufacturing environments, robotics facilities, or other settings where throughput, quality, and reliability matter.
* Treat organization and process design as engineering disciplines – SOPs, labeling systems, dashboards, and feedback loops.
* Lead operators with calm authority, fairness, and a builder’s instinct for clarity.
* Manage procurement and logistics with precision and cost awareness.
* Communicate clearly, act ethically, and move with urgency when needed.
* Want to build foundational infrastructure – something that will not exist unless you help create it.
Scaling robots requires more than algorithms. It demands engineered environments, reliable hardware, repeatable workflows, and operations that hold up under load.

Your work will define the stability, throughput, and technical credibility of a system that underpins everything we build. This is a role where excellence compounds – and where the fingerprints you leave will be visible for years.