The Technical Program Manager will establish and manage an AI robotics lab, handle technical operations, train AI models, run demos, and build team presence in San Francisco.
mimic is a deep tech robotics and AI company deploying frontier Physical AI on robots that can handle complex, dexterous tasks in manufacturing and logistics. We’re at the forefront of the new paradigm in robot learning: video action models that map visual input directly to actions, enabling robust real-world performance. We are headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland, and backed by leading VCs.
We are establishing a new AI research lab and showroom in San Francisco. We’re looking for an technical generalist to run the show. This is a 0 to 1 role: You will build our presence in SF from the ground up combining a hands-on technical skillset with a proactive entrepreneurial mindset.
You’ll be trusted with real responsibility from day one, managing technical operations, training state-of-the-art imitation learning models on real-world customer tasks, running evaluations and live demos, and building our team and footprint in the Bay Area. This role is designed for someone who wants to move fast, take ownership early, and operate close to both the technology and the market.
Responsibilities
- Apply and adapt our existing AI model recipes (data, training, evaluation, deployment configs) to real-world customer tasks, running policy evaluations and experiments
- Establish and manage a frontier robotics and AI lab, hands-on operating and maintaining robotic systems
- Debug and resolve issues across the full stack, from software (Linux, Python, ROS) to hardware, diagnosing failures, testing fixes, and iterating quickly in real conditions
- Teleoperate, collect data, and run real-world evaluation workflows to improve system performance and robustness in close collaboration with the AI research team
- Run live demos for customers, partners, and potential hires. Present the company and its robots, explaining complex technical systems confidently & clearly, whether you’re speaking to engineers or business executives
- Represent mimic in the Bay Area robotics and AI ecosystem, building and expanding operations, attending and hosting events, creating lasting relationships with the best engineers, operators and talent in the exploding robotics scene
- Act as a local extension of the team, connecting conversations in SF back into product, engineering, and strategy
Requirements
- Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, AI, Robotics, Engineering, or a related technical field
- Well structured and organized work ethic, with the ability to own and execute on timelines and align teams
- Able to get technically hands-on with real robotic systems across software and hardware and figure things out quickly
- Comfortable with Python, Linux, and ideally ROS / ROS2
- Excellent communication and presentation skills: You can adapt to both technical and non-technical audiences
- Familiar with the Bay Area tech ecosystem: you know how to navigate it, meet people, and bring the right ones into the room
- High agency: you take ownership and follow through
Nice to have
- Entrepreneurial or project management experience
- Solid understanding of robot hardware and experience with rapid prototyping, 3D printing, electronics, etc.
- Built something end-to-end that worked in the real world, not just in a controlled environment
- Organized or hosted events, meetups, or community initiatives
- Exposure to manufacturing, logistics, or other industrial environments
Working with us
You will have the opportunity to shape a robotics & AI company from the ground up. In flat hierarchies with high ownership and autonomy, you will work directly with the founders and some of the best talents in the robotics space.
You’ll start by spending time with the team in Zurich, getting hands-on with the systems, the workflows, and how we operate. This is your ramp-up into the role and into the culture you’ll represent in San Francisco.
This is a key role in shaping how mimic shows up in the US and in driving our next phase of growth. Joining mimic now means getting in as we move from early deployments to broader rollout, with direct exposure to how next-generation robotic systems are built and brought into production.
We offer a total compensation package including a competitive yearly base salary and a strong stock option package to make you part of our shared success.
At mimic, you are accepted for who you are. As part of our ongoing journey towards creating a diverse and inclusive environment we encourage everyone to apply and we are looking forward to you bringing along your knowledge, personal experiences, and fresh perspectives. Together we can solve some of the greatest challenges in robotics.
Top Skills
Linux
Python
Ros
Ros2
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