Senior Data Operations Engineer

Job description

[FieldAI](https://www.fieldai.com/) is transforming how robots interact with the real world. Our growing R&D team is based in Boston, where we develop risk-aware, reliable, field-ready AI systems that tackle the hardest problems in robotics and unlock the potential of embodied intelligence. We take a pragmatic approach that goes beyond off-the-shelf, purely data-driven methods or transformer-only architectures, combining cutting-edge research with real-world deployment. Our solutions are already deployed globally, and we continuously improve model performance through rapid iteration driven by real field use. # About the Role Field AI is transforming how robots interact with the real world. Our R&D team, the FieldAI Research Institute (FAIRI), is based in Cambridge, MA, where we build risk-aware, field-ready AI systems that unlock general purpose intelligence for robotics. FAIRI is looking for a Senior Data Operations Engineer to run the day-to-day of our data operations function: building the tooling the pipeline runs on, staying hands-on enough to dogfood and stress-test that tooling yourself, and managing the interns and contractors who carry out the bulk of day-to-day collection and annotation. You’ll work directly with the Research Operations Partner to scale FAIRI’s in-house data function, and you’ll set the technical and operational bar the rest of the Data Operations Engineering team is built around. # What You’ll Do ## Data Tooling & Infrastructure — 25% - Build and maintain hardware sensor suites — sensor harnesses, camera arrays, mounting fixtures, wearable sensor stacks (including soldering and cable assembly). - Write and maintain QA scripts for in-house and vendor data drops. - Build and maintain annotation software and other internal data tooling. ## Data Collection & Annotation — 25% - Run motion capture, teleoperation, and human-subjects data collection sessions yourself — the fastest way to dogfood and stress-test tooling and protocols before handing them to the team. - Annotate robotics/AV datasets (object interaction, contact state, multi-agent) against FAIRI’s evaluation framework. - Use hands-on collection and annotation work to surface tooling gaps and drive the tooling roadmap above. ## Team Management & Documentation — 25% - Manage and schedule data collection interns and contractors; own day-to-day throughput and quality. - Onboard and train interns/contractors on equipment, SOPs, and the informed-consent process. - Write and maintain SOPs and other supporting documentation for data collection, annotation, and lab operations. - Own first-level QC and escalation for intern/contractor output; flag protocol or safety issues. ## Technical Demo Support — 25% - Learn the product stack and operate various robotic platforms to demonstrate FieldAI FFM (Field Foundation Model) capabilities. - Support demo planning and execution, coordinating with the Research Operations Partner - Help produce content showcasing FieldAI’s ability to deploy robots on dull, dirty, and dangerous jobs. - Troubleshoot hardware and software issues live during demos with important stakeholders. # What You Bring You don’t need every skill below, but you should bring real, hands-on depth in several of them: - Soldering and cable assembly - Motion capture systems (e.g., Vicon, OptiTrack, markerless/IMU) - Data annotation for robotics or autonomous vehicles - QA for hardware and/or software - 3D scanning and 3D printing - Data collection and human subjects research (IRB/consent familiarity a plus) - AR/VR development or production - Python, Java, or equivalent scripting - LIDAR - Robotics (platforms, sensors, or control) - Linux command line - Blender or Unity - Film/TV production Beyond the toolkit: - Comfortable moving between hardware and software in the same day: genuinely hands-on, not hands-off. - High ownership: you can take an open-ended ask (“troubleshoot why this data had issues ”) and run with it without much hand-holding. - Strong documentation habits: you leave SOPs and processes better than you found them. # What Sets You Apart - Background in film/TV production, game development, data operations, or another field where wearing every hat is normal - Interest in humanoid robotics and how machines learn from human movement # Why FAIRI This role sits inside FAIRI’s Research Operations function, supporting the Humanoid Program. It’s built to grow: the Data Operations Engineering track is expected to scale from one person today to a small team over the next 12–18 months, and this hire is a leading candidate for Data Operations Engineering Lead as that team stands up.