Applied Science Operations Lead , Fauna

About the role

We are seeking an Applied Science Operations Lead to serve as a strategic partner to the Director of Applied Science. This is a high-agency role at the intersection of science strategy and operational excellence.

Key job responsibilities

• Structure and manage the Applied Science portfolio — ensure workstreams are well-defined, resourced, and progressing. Identify gaps, redundancies, and reallocation opportunities across the research agenda.
• Serve as a thought partner to the Director of Applied Science on research direction, hiring priorities, investment tradeoffs, and organizational design.
• Author key documents — science strategy narratives, investment cases, org-level roadmaps, and leadership updates. These are persuasive artifacts that shape decisions, not status reports.
• Design and own the cadences that keep the science org aligned — planning cycles, review forums, cross-team syncs. Own the structure, not just the logistics.
• Act as the primary interface between Applied Science and partner organizations (hardware, product, program). Ensure science priorities are understood and cross-org dependencies are managed.
• Lead high-priority org-level initiatives — new team formation, process redesign, strategic pivots — that require dedicated attention and independent judgment.

About the team

Structure and manage the Applied Science portfolio — ensure workstreams are well-defined, resourced, and progressing. Identify gaps, redundancies, and reallocation opportunities across the research agenda.

Serve as a thought partner to the Director of Applied Science on research direction, hiring priorities, investment tradeoffs, and organizational design.

Author key documents — science strategy narratives, investment cases, org-level roadmaps, and leadership updates. These are persuasive artifacts that shape decisions, not status reports.

Design and own the cadences that keep the science org aligned — planning cycles, review forums, cross-team syncs. Own the structure, not just the logistics.

Act as the primary interface between Applied Science and partner organizations (hardware, product, program). Ensure science priorities are understood and cross-org dependencies are managed.

Lead high-priority org-level initiatives — new team formation, process redesign, strategic pivots — that require dedicated attention and independent judgment.

Basic Qualifications

• Master's degree in Engineering, Technology, Science, Operations Research, Robotics, Mathematics, or related fields, or PhD
• 5+ years of experience leading complex technical efforts — whether as a PI running a research lab, a startup CTO or technical co-founder, leading multi-institution collaborations, managing a research program, or in an industry science/strategy role
• Demonstrated ability to operate with high autonomy — setting direction, making resource allocation decisions, and driving outcomes without close oversight
• Strong written communication — experience authoring research proposals, strategy documents, investor materials, or technical narratives that secured funding, alignment, or organizational commitment
• Experience managing competing priorities across multiple concurrent projects or research thrusts

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience communicating across technical and non-technical audiences, including executive level stakeholders or clients
• Experience as a professor, research group leader, or startup CTO/technical co-founder — roles that require simultaneously setting technical vision, managing people and resources, and communicating to diverse stakeholders
• Experience translating a broad research vision into a structured portfolio with milestones, decision points, and resource plans
• Background in robotics, embodied AI, or a closely adjacent field
• Track record of building operational processes for a research group — hiring pipelines, review cadences, planning cycles, or collaboration structures
• Familiarity with industry R&D environments, particularly the tradeoffs between research exploration and product timelines

Pay

The base salary range for this position is listed below. Your Amazon package will include sign-on payments and restricted stock units (RSUs). Final compensation will be determined based on factors including experience, qualifications, and location.

USA, NY, New York - 197,900.00 - 267,800.00 USD annually