About the job
Location: San Carlos, CA (on-site)
About 1X
1X builds versatile robots in San Carlos, California, with a focus on advancing AI and robotics for everyday life. The team aims to design humanoid robots that work alongside people, learning and adapting as they go. The goal: friendly, useful home robots that fit naturally into daily routines.
Role Overview
1X seeks a Director of Maintenance and Repair Operations to build and lead the internal team responsible for keeping robotic systems running smoothly. This leader will shape the full workflow for diagnosing, repairing, and maintaining robots in a hands-on workshop environment. The work will span from early prototype support to scaling up for higher-volume production.
The Director will play a key part in improving system reliability, gathering product feedback, and ensuring the company is ready for expanded operations. Success in this role calls for deep technical knowledge, strong operational judgment, and a willingness to work directly with the team in a startup setting.
What You Will Do
- Build and lead the Maintenance and Repair organization for robotic systems.
- Refine and expand playbooks for diagnosing and troubleshooting complex electromechanical issues at both system and component levels.
- Create and scale repair workflows, including intake, triage, repair, validation, and return-to-service steps.
- Hire, coach, and develop a team of repair technicians and diagnostic/service engineers (including both exempt and non-exempt roles).
- Set clear roles, responsibilities, and career paths within the Maintenance and Repair team.
- Partner with Quality Assurance to build structured processes for failure tracking, root cause analysis, and ongoing improvement.
- Work closely with design, manufacturing, and reliability engineering teams to drive product improvements based on real-world and production feedback.
- Interpret and enforce the use of technical documentation such as schematics, work instructions, and bills of materials (BOMs).
- Maintain high standards for quality, safety, and traceability throughout operations.
- Support the shift from low-volume builds to higher-volume production as operations grow.

