Full-Time

Director – Product Development & Management

Posted on 10/31/2025

Sanctuary AI

Sanctuary AI

51-200 employees

General-purpose humanoid robots with autonomous control

No salary listed

Vancouver, BC, Canada

In Person

Category
Product (2)
,
Requirements
  • Degree in Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Robotics, or a related field, OR equivalent experience in Technology Development and Productization
  • A minimum of 7+ years of experience leading cross-functional teams in the development of intelligent hardware systems such as robotics, automated machinery, or sensor-based platforms, with supporting experience in AI or real-time control software
  • Understanding of machine learning, artificial intelligence, or robotics and their applications in a variety of industries
  • Strong leadership skills, with the ability to inspire and guide a team towards achieving strategic objectives; lead through dotted line relationships and cross functional collaboration
  • Excellent communication and negotiation skills, with a knack for building and maintaining strong professional relationships
  • Strategic thinker with an analytical mind, capable of making data-driven decisions and identifying new opportunities for innovation and collaboration
Responsibilities
  • Work with leadership to develop and implement a comprehensive product strategy and roadmap
  • Lead, mentor, and develop a team of product and program managers, fostering a high-performance culture that delivers on ambitious goals
  • Align product development initiatives with business goals and market needs
  • Thrive in ambiguity and bring structure to complexity. You’ve built processes, not just followed them
  • Support the product development team, ensuring timely delivery of high-quality products
  • Communicate product vision, strategy, and progress to senior management and stakeholders
  • Oversee the end-to-end product development lifecycle, from ideation to launch
  • Collaborate with engineers, designers, and other technical teams to develop product specifications and ensure feasibility
  • Understand and contribute to the technical aspects of product development
  • Ensure the product meets technical specifications and performance standards
  • Define and track key performance indicators to measure success
  • Gather and analyze data to make informed decisions and drive continuous improvement
  • Manage product lifecycle, including updates, improvements, and end-of-life strategies
  • Collaborate with cross-functional teams (including engineering, marketing, sales, and customer support) to guide products from conception to launch
Desired Qualifications
  • In-depth understanding of product development processes and technologies
  • Ability to guide and support the technical team
  • The ability to articulate complex technical concepts and strategic visions clearly and persuasively to a diverse range of stakeholders, from technical experts to non-technical partners
  • Innovative mindset with an applied research orientation
  • The capacity to lead, motivate, and unite teams and partners around shared goals
  • A consistently positive attitude and a willingness to do whatever it takes to create robust solutions to mission objectives
  • Empathetic listener with conflict resolution capabilities
  • Consistent bias for action, communication, and interpersonal savvy
  • Self-motivated and able to solve problems independently
  • Mission driven and passionate about bringing human-like intelligence to machines

Sanctuary AI is a developer of general-purpose humanoid robots designed to work alongside humans in business settings. Its flagship robot Phoenix, powered by the Carbon AI control system, can observe, assess, and carry out tasks when instructed, either autonomously or under remote piloting or human supervision. The product combines a versatile humanoid platform with an AI core that enables task automation and safe collaboration with people. Unlike many robotics players, Sanctuary AI emphasizes a single, general-purpose robot capable of handling a broad range of tasks across industries, aided by training programs to integrate Phoenix into existing workflows. The company positions itself in the AI and robotics market by selling Phoenix robots to organizations and offering ongoing training to ensure safe, effective operation. Their goal is to improve workplace efficiency and safety by deploying adaptable robots that can automate tasks while working alongside human workers.

Company Size

51-200

Company Stage

Grant

Total Funding

$88.5M

Headquarters

Vancouver, Canada

Founded

2018

Simplify Jobs

Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • Secured $140M funding from BDC Capital and InBC to scale Phoenix production.
  • Addresses labor shortages by deploying millions in automotive, manufacturing, logistics.
  • Phoenix named in TIME’s Best Inventions 2023 for workplace efficiency.

What critics are saying

  • Boston Dynamics and Tesla Optimus scale production faster, capturing market share.
  • Figure AI achieves superior dexterity via vision-only, commoditizing tactile IP.
  • Geordie Rose's CEO exit erodes investor confidence and partnerships.

What makes Sanctuary AI unique

  • Sanctuary AI ranks fourth globally in patents for general-purpose robotics and dexterous manipulation.
  • Phoenix robots feature Carbon™ AI system and new tactile sensors for precise manipulation.
  • IP portfolio emphasizes touch and grasping technologies for industrial-grade humanoids.

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Benefits

Medical, dental, & vision insurance

Wellness programs

Stock options

PTO

Schedule flexibility

Growth & Insights and Company News

Headcount

6 month growth

3%

1 year growth

0%

2 year growth

1%
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Nexera secures $4.5M for NeuraGrasp

Nexera Robotics, based in Vancouver, secured $4.5 million from BDC Capital’s Industrial Innovation Venture Fund, Defined, and RiSC Capital. The funding will be used for research, development, and market expansion of its NeuraGrasp technology, which enhances robotic grasping in dynamic environments. The round included undisclosed backers.

The Robot Report
Feb 26th, 2025
Sanctuary Ai Integrates Tactile Sensors Into Phoenix General Purpose Robots

The Phoenix humanoid robot has tactile sensors for improved teleoperation. Source: Sanctuary AI. One challenge of building general-purpose and humanoid robots is training them for dexterous manipulation. Sanctuary AI today announced that it has integrated new tactile sensors into its Phoenix robots. This will enable teleoperated pilots to more effectively conduct complex, touch-driven tasks with precision and accuracy, said the company. “Without tactile sensing, robots depend on video to interact with their environment,” noted Dr

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Feb 24th, 2025
Ai-Powered Robots Advance In General Tasks In A Crowded Market

The dream of having robots do household chores inched a little closer to reality last week. Figure, an OpenAI-backed robotics artificial intelligence (AI) startup, showed off humanoid robots that can understand voice commands and can grab objects they had never seen before. In a Figure video, a guy holding a bag of groceries starts unloading eggs, apple, ketchup, cheese, cookies and other items on a counter

Akabo Media
Dec 30th, 2024
Sanctuary AI unveils new tactile sensor technology to enhance robot dexterity

Sanctuary AI, a developer of human-like intelligence for general-purpose robots, has introduced a new generation of tactile sensor technology designed to improve dexterous manipulation in robots.

PR Newswire
Dec 19th, 2024
Sanctuary Ai New Tactile Sensors Enable Richer Sense Of Touch

Sanctuary is focused on achieving human-level dexterity for general purpose robots to perform high value tasks in the workplace. This requires a delicate—but durable—sense of touch to efficiently complete tasks with precision. Our team of industry-leading experts in tactile sensing have identified and met the requirements needed to build compliant, sensitive, and durable sensors at low manufacturing costs. "We know a sense of touch to be critical for dexterity," said Dr. Jeremy Fishel, Principal Researcher at Sanctuary AI. "The challenge is in developing tactile sensing technology with the right blend of features and durability to unlock dexterous manipulation and high-performance training data

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