Lab Operations Specialist

About the role

You'll build and run the physical operations layer of the company: how material comes in, how it gets tracked, how it reaches the engineer who needs it, and how finished robots get out the door and to a customer in one piece. Today that means inventing the system. Later it means running and scaling it. This is a hands-on job. You'll be on the floor, in the lab, and on the loading dock.

Responsibilities

• Inventory and materials: Design and run our inventory system end to end — part numbering, bin and location scheme, receiving, put-away, cycle counts; Own inventory accuracy across labs, warehouses, and set the accuracy targets we hold ourselves to; Kit parts for robot builds and get them to the right bench at the right time; Manage consumables and reorder points: fasteners, cabling, adhesives, PPE, ESD supplies; Track tools and lab equipment, including calibration schedules and preventative maintenance
• Lab operations: Set and enforce lab organization standards — labeled storage, bench discipline, 5S, clean-as-you-go; Own ESD compliance and lab safety practices; Handle battery and hazmat storage in line with our lithium-ion safety requirements; Support lab buildouts: new benches, test stations, equipment installs
• Customer shipping: Own outbound robot shipments end to end, domestic and international; Design and source crating and packaging — shock mounting, tip and impact indicators, reusable vs. one-way; Manage freight forwarders and carriers; quote and book LTL, FTL, and air freight; select Incoterms; Prepare export documentation: commercial invoices, packing lists, HS classification, certificates of origin; Maintain serial-number-level tracking and as-shipped configuration records for every unit; Handle cargo insurance and damage claims; Coordinate inbound and outbound with our Seoul office

Requirements

• 3+ years in hardware lab operations, materials management, or logistics at a hardware, robotics, or capital equipment company
• Direct experience with inbound and outbound logistics, including international shipments
• You've built or meaningfully improved an inventory system, not just operated one someone else designed
• Comfortable around engineering hardware — you can read a BOM, understand why a part revision matters, and handle prototypes without damaging them
• High bar for organization and accuracy, and willing to hold other people to it
• Able to lift 50 lbs and be on your feet for much of the day

Skills

• Current hazmat / dangerous goods certification for lithium batteries (49 CFR ground, IATA DGR air) – if you don't have it, we'll certify you — but someone here needs it before our first unit ships.
• Experience shipping capital equipment internationally: semiconductor tooling, medical imaging, industrial automation, or similar
• Export compliance background — ECCN classification, restricted party screening, license determination
• Forklift certification
• Experience at a company that scaled from prototype builds to customer shipments