Operations Associate

About us Robotics Center of Silicon Valley is the full-stack robotics supply chain — hardware, data, AI training, and live deployment under one roof. Backed by Y Combinator (S25) and NVIDIA Inception, our San Francisco lab puts 60+ robot platforms within reach and powers one of the largest real-robot datasets anywhere. We're building the infrastructure layer for physical AI.

About the role We're looking for an Operations Associate to run and scale the day-to-day operations of a fast-growing robotics company from the ground up. You'll work directly with leadership across everything it takes to keep the lab running — people operations, logistics, events, vendors, and internal systems — and own the foundation a startup is built on. This is a hands-on role with real ownership from day one.

What you'll do

People operations:

• Own recruiting coordination: source candidates, schedule interviews, and manage the hiring pipeline
• Run onboarding for new hires, operators, and interns
• Maintain HR records, documentation, and compliance basics

Broader operations:

• Manage lab logistics — inventory, shipping/receiving, and hardware tracking across 60+ robot platforms
• Coordinate with vendors, suppliers, and partners
• Own facilities and keep the lab running smoothly day to day
• Handle finance and administrative tasks such as invoicing, expense tracking, and record-keeping
• Plan and run culture and community events, including our monthly community meetups
• Build and document operational and people-ops processes as we scale

What we're looking for

• Bachelor's degree (any major — we care more about drive than field of study)
• 0–3 years of experience in operations or ops-heavy roles, a comparable track record of getting things done, or current enrollment in a degree program for internship candidates
• Strong organization and communication skills, and discretion with sensitive information
• A proactive, "write it down and figure it out" mindset
• Comfort juggling multiple workstreams and shifting priorities in a fast-paced environment
• Genuine interest in startups, robotics, or AI is a plus
• Able to work on-site in San Francisco

Why join us You'll shape how a YC-backed robotics company runs and scales, work alongside engineers and researchers building real robots, and gain broad operations experience across people, logistics, and events that you can't get at a big company. As one of our early operations hires, you'll have real ownership and a direct line to leadership.