Field Deployment Lead
No salary listed
Senior
Bachelor's
Germany+1 moreMore locations: Munich, Germany
In PersonOn-site deployment work across Germany, including the initial production ramp in Wolfsburg.
Field ServiceEquipment Field Service
About the job
Requirements
- A degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Robotics, Mechatronics, or a related field is required.
- At least 5 years of hands-on experience in industrial robotics or industrial software deployment, commissioning, or field engineering is required.
- Hands-on electro-mechanical troubleshooting skills are required, including using a multimeter and oscilloscope to diagnose faults and working with variable frequency drives, programmable logic controllers, sensors, actuators, and wiring in an industrial environment.
- A proven track record executing factory acceptance testing and site acceptance testing processes and commissioning robotic or automation systems at industrial customer sites is required.
- Linux command-line proficiency is required, including comfort reading Python scripts and shell commands, and basic Docker/container operations.
- ROS or ROS2 experience, or an equivalent industrial automation background with willingness to learn ROS2 quickly, is required.
- Strong documentation habits are required, including writing runbooks, standard operating procedures, and handover documents others can follow independently.
- Experience training non-technical operators on robotic or automated production equipment is required.
- Experience managing contractors or external service partners is required.
- Professional German and English are required.
- A valid driver's licence is required.
Responsibilities
- Own site preparation, robot installation, system integration, and commissioning at new European partner sites.
- Lead site acceptance testing sign-off with partner technical teams and ensure systems meet production-readiness criteria before handover to steady-state operations.
- Coordinate deployment timelines with Rhoda HQ Application Engineering and engineering teams, and manage site-specific dependencies and risks.
- Document configurations, integration decisions, and site-specific adaptations for each deployment.
- Design and maintain the operational runbook for each deployed site, including error response procedures, escalation paths, consumables management, and shift handover standards.
- Train and onboard contract operators at each site, set quality and documentation standards, and ensure consistent execution across shifts.
- Manage the Tier 2 local service partner by defining scope and service-level agreements, overseeing training on Rhoda hardware, and managing the callout process.
- Capture field learnings systematically, including failure modes, edge cases, and near-misses, and provide structured insights to the Application Engineering team and HQ Engineering.
- Execute scheduled preventative maintenance visits at active sites at the monthly or quarterly cadence for each site.
- Coordinate software and firmware updates with HQ Engineering and execute them on-site when remote deployment is not possible.
- Manage on-site spare parts inventory at each customer facility.
- Cover the day shift on-site during the initial production ramp in Wolfsburg to build firsthand operational expertise.
- Transition day-shift coverage to the third contract operator once steady-state is established, then shift into supervisory and multi-site work.
Desired Qualifications
- Prior experience deploying or commissioning robots at automotive prime manufacturers or Tier-1 suppliers.
- Familiarity with ISO 10218, EN ISO 13849, or TS 15066 safety standards for industrial robotics.
- Experience with Flexiv Rizon arms, ZED cameras, or comparable industrial robot platforms.
- A background writing and maintaining operational standard operating procedures and field playbooks.
- Experience managing multi-site field operations.
About the company
Rhoda AI is building a two-armed humanoid robot designed as a general-purpose bimanual manipulation platform for industrial use. Its product centers on heavy-lifting and complex manipulation in factory and logistics environments, where many humanoid robots struggle. The robot combines dual arms with software and sensors that enable grasping, coordinating with both hands, and performing tasks that require strength and precision in industrial settings. Rhoda AI differentiates itself by targeting heavy-lift capabilities in robotics, a gap for many competitors, supported by a team with deep robotics and AI expertise and substantial funding. The company aims to bring commercially viable humanoid robots to industrial markets, competing with other players in factory automation and logistics robotics, with the goal of transforming how manual work is automated in manufacturing and related sectors.
Company Size
51-200
Company Stage
Series A
Total Funding
$680M
Headquarters
San Jose, California
Founded
2024
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Simplify's Take
What believers are saying
- Rhoda raised $450 million in March 2026 at a $1.7 billion valuation.
- Reuters said investors include Khosla Ventures, Temasek, Mayfield, Premji Invest, and Capricorn.
- Rhoda says it already works with industrial partners across manufacturing and logistics.
What critics are saying
- Tesla and Figure AI already dominate humanoid attention, hiring, and customer mindshare.
- Internet-video training lacks guaranteed factory reliability; one failed pilot can stall deployments in 2026.
- Without shipping revenue by 2027, Rhoda burns capital before customers trust its platform.
What makes Rhoda AI unique
- Rhoda trains robots on millions of internet videos, not scarce teleoperation demos.
- Jagdeep Singh, Gordon Wetzstein, and Vincent Clerc bring rare robotics, optics, and product depth.
- Rhoda targets industrial heavy-lifting bimanual work, where dexterity and payload matter most.
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Benefits
- Company Equity