Scope

VP of Robotics owns a physical system: the hardware path, the software, the safety case, and the operation that has to run on a Tuesday night. A software-only AI leader is the wrong hire when the failure mode is a machine in the world.

Required experience

Has shipped robots or another physical product, with field teams and a safety process. Has managed both mechanical and software leaders. Knows the difference between a demo cell and a fleet.

Interview focus

Ask about uptime, a safety incident or a near miss, and how software and hardware shared a roadmap. A simulation-only story is not enough.

Sample job description

Lead robotics under the CTO or the COO. Set the product and the deployment motion. Hire the leaders for hardware, autonomy, and field operations. Hold a safety bar the operation can live with.