Associate Director of Prototype Fleet & Repair

Job description

Job Summary The Associate Director, Prototype Fleet & Repair is a senior operational leader responsible for the full lifecycle of the Atlas robot fleet after it leaves the production line, from deployment and health monitoring through field support, repair, and return to service. This role owns two tightly coupled verticals: Fleet Operations, which ensures every deployed robot is available, healthy, correctly configured, and triaged quickly if damaged and/or faulted; and Service & Repair, which drives rapid repair diagnosis, repair execution, and continuous improvement of MTTR and repair quality across all programs. The ideal candidate is an operator who thinks in systems. Someone who can build and manage high-performing technical teams, establish disciplined processes, drive data-informed improvements, and represent the fleet and repair function at the leadership level. They are comfortable in both a strategic planning meeting and on the floor with a repair technician, and they hold themselves accountable to the same standards they set for their team. Key Responsibilities Fleet Operations Own overall fleet health and availability for all deployed Atlas robots across internal sites and external partner/customer locations. Establish and continuously improve fleet monitoring, triage, and escalation processes, ensuring every robot issue is captured, routed, and resolved with urgency and accountability. Build and lead the Internal Application Engineer (IAE) team: Robot Captains and Fleet Operations Technicians, responsible for day-to-day robot health, readiness, and internal customer/partner satisfaction. Define and track key fleet metrics including Availability, Utilization, MTB Fall, MTB Failure, and fleet-wide uptime, with a standing cadence to report progress and surface risks to leadership. Own the asset management system and fleet health tracking infrastructure; ensure real-time visibility into robot status, location, configuration, and reservation across all sites. Partner with Engineering to develop and ultimately manage the FRU (Field Replaceable Unit) strategy, ensuring critical spares are stocked at the right locations to minimize downtime at partner and internal sites. Drive a Tiered Technical Support model in collaboration with Global Support Services (GSS), ensuring clear escalation paths and ownership for field issues. Develop & coordinate hardware retrofit campaigns and preventative maintenance programs across the fleet. Service & Repair Own end-to-end repair operations for Atlas robots across full-robot, sub-assembly, actuator, and PCBA repair, with a target of Lead the Service & Repair team (day and night shift supervisors, R&D repair technicians, PCBA repair technicians) to consistently hit capacity and quality targets. Develop, maintain, and continuously improve repair work instructions, troubleshooting guides, and diagnostic playbooks to drive speed, consistency, and first-time quality. Own and improve the repair intake, triage, and return-to-operations workflow, ensuring robots move through the repair process without unnecessary delays or ambiguity. Partner with Quality & Test Engineering to close the loop on field failures, feeding repair data into root cause analysis, NCR processes, and design/supplier feedback. Drive Lean improvements in repair layout, tool access, spare parts positioning, and technician workflow to reduce cycle time and eliminate waste. Support external-facing repair capability including the Service & Repair Trailer for events, POCs, and partner site deployments. Leadership & Cross-Functional Build, develop, and retain a high-performing, multi-disciplinary team across fleet ops and repair, setting clear goals, delivering regular feedback, and creating meaningful growth paths. Partner closely with the TPM function to coordinate fleet priorities, surface dependencies, and align resourcing across competing program needs. Represent Fleet & Repair in ProtoOps, Atlas and Executive leadership forums, and cross-functional reviews, communicating status, risks, and asks with clarity and credibility. Collaborate with Engineering on robot reliability trends, field failure data, and design feedback that can prevent future fleet and repair issues upstream. Develop and manage the Fleet & Repair operating budget, headcount plan, and facilities requirements to support scaling Atlas programs and beyond. Core Competencies: Operational rigor Builds systems, not heroics. Establishes clear processes, metrics, and accountability structures so the team performs consistently, not just when the leader is in the room. People leadership Invests in team development, navigates performance with directness and care, and creates an environment where technical talent can do their best work. Customer focus Treats internal customers and external partners as the ultimate judge of fleet quality. Proactively identifies what “healthy fleet” means to each customer and builds to that bar. Data-driven execution Makes decisions grounded in fleet metrics, repair data, and trend analysis, not gut feel. Establishes the right KPIs, tracks them consistently, and uses them to drive improvement. Adaptability Thrives in the tension between scaling a new program and maintaining quality. Finds paths forward when the plan changes, and keeps the team grounded and productive through ambiguity. Cross-functional influence Builds trust and credibility with Engineering, Quality, Supply Chain, and external partners. Advocates effectively for fleet and repair needs without creating friction. Knowledge, Skills & Abilities: Deep understanding of field operations, fleet management, and repair execution for complex electromechanical systems: robotics, aerospace, or equivalent preferred. Demonstrated ability to build, lead, and scale technical teams (engineers and technicians) across multiple functions in a dynamic environment. Strong grasp of key fleet operations metrics (OEE, Availability, Utilization, MTTR, MTB Fall/Failure) and experience driving measurable improvement against them. Experience developing and maintaining repair processes, work instructions, and diagnostic playbooks for complex hardware systems. Familiarity with FRU strategy, spare parts planning, and min/max inventory management for field-deployed hardware. Proficiency with fleet tracking and asset management systems; comfort evaluating and implementing new tools as the program scales. Skilled at root cause analysis, Lean/continuous improvement methods, and driving cross-functional corrective action. Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, able to represent the team clearly in leadership settings and at the floor level. Ability to operate across strategic planning and day-to-day execution without losing effectiveness at either end. Qualifications: Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Electrical, Systems, or Industrial Engineering, or equivalent technical discipline. Advanced degree or MBA a plus. 10+ years of experience in field operations, service & repair, fleet management, or a closely related operational role in a hardware product environment. 5+ years of people management experience, including managing managers or senior supervisors. Prior experience in a robotics, aerospace, automotive, or high-complexity electromechanical product environment strongly preferred. Track record of building operational infrastructure, processes, metrics, systems, in a scaling or early-stage program. Experience managing repair or service operations across multiple sites or locations preferred. We are interested in every qualified candidate who is eligible to work in the United States. However, we are not able to sponsor visas for this position. The base pay range for this position is between $180,000 to $220,000 annually. Base pay will depend on multiple individualized factors including, but not limited to internal equity, job related knowledge, skills and experience. This range represents a good faith estimate of compensation at the time of posting. Boston Dynamics offers a generous Benefits package including medical, dental vision, 401(k), paid time off and an annual bonus structure. Additional details regarding these benefit plans will be provided if an employee receives an offer for employment.