Laboratory Operations Manager

London · On-site

About this role

Here at Humanoid, we believe in a future where robots amplify human potential. That’s why we’ve set out on a mission to build the world’s most capable, commercially-scalable, and safe humanoid robots. We’re bringing that mission to life with HMND‑01 Alpha - our rapidly developed humanoid platform now running in real industrial pilots - and we’re growing the team to take it even further.

We are hiring a Laboratory Operations Manager to ensure our technical environments operate safely, efficiently, and professionally while enabling engineers and technicians to move at high velocity.

About the Role

As Laboratory Operations Manager, you will be responsible for the day-to-day operation of our laboratories, workshops, integration spaces, and prototype manufacturing environments.

Your primary objective is to ensure that all technical spaces are safe, compliant, organised, fully operational, and ready to support the needs of Engineering, Prototype Production, Data Collection Operations, and Product teams. You will provide leadership for laboratory operations and health & safety standards while partnering closely with stakeholders to enable high-velocity execution.

Reporting to the Global Workplace & Facilities Director, you will serve as the operational owner of our technical spaces, partnering closely with Engineering, Prototype Production, Manufacturing Engineering, Data Collection Operations, Product, IT, and Operations teams to ensure our facilities support the company’s ambitious product development goals.

Key Responsibilities

Health, Safety & Compliance

  • Lead laboratory health and safety programmes across engineering laboratories, workshops, prototype manufacturing areas, and testing environments

  • Develop and maintain risk assessments, safe systems of work, operating procedures, and training materials

  • Partner with Engineering, Prototype Production, Data Collection Operations, and Product teams to ensure activities are planned and executed safely and effectively

  • Establish clear safety standards, governance, and operating frameworks while supporting teams in achieving their operational objectives

  • Conduct regular inspections, audits, and workplace assessments

  • Investigate incidents, near misses, and safety concerns, ensuring appropriate corrective and preventative actions are implemented

  • Monitor compliance with applicable health, safety, environmental, and regulatory requirements

  • Promote a culture where safety, operational excellence, and engineering velocity coexist

Laboratory & Workshop Operations

  • Manage the day-to-day operation of laboratories, workshops, integration spaces, and technical work areas in the UK

  • Ensure spaces remain organised, functional, clean, and ready to support engineering activities

  • Coordinate laboratory access, scheduling, utilisation, and space allocation

  • Establish and maintain high standards of workplace organisation, visual management, and housekeeping

  • Support the setup and reconfiguration of spaces as engineering priorities evolve

Equipment, Tooling & Asset Management

  • Manage shared laboratory equipment, tools, fixtures, and technical assets

  • Establish preventative maintenance, calibration, inspection, and certification programmes

  • Maintain accurate inventories of equipment, consumables, materials, and tooling

  • Ensure critical equipment remains available, functional, and fit for purpose

  • Support procurement and replenishment activities for laboratory consumables and equipment

Engineering & Operational Support

  • Support Engineering, Prototype Production, Data Collection Operations, and Product teams with facility and equipment readiness

  • Coordinate laboratory requirements for integration, testing, debugging, data collection, demonstrations, and prototype build activities

  • Support installation, commissioning, relocation, and decommissioning of laboratory equipment

  • Identify and resolve operational bottlenecks impacting productivity and facility utilisation

Continuous Improvement

  • Develop and maintain KPIs covering safety, equipment uptime, utilisation, inventory accuracy, and operational performance

  • Implement systems and processes that improve efficiency, safety, and user experience

  • Drive 5S, visual management, and operational excellence initiatives throughout technical spaces

  • Support the Global Workplace & Facilities Director to standardise laboratory operations, health and safety practices, and technical space management across global sites

What We’re Looking For

  • 5+ years of experience managing laboratories, workshops, prototype facilities, technical operations, or advanced manufacturing environments

  • Strong health and safety background, ideally supported by NEBOSH, IOSH, or equivalent qualifications

  • Experience supporting hardware development, robotics, aerospace, automotive, electronics, or other advanced engineering organisations

  • Strong understanding of laboratory equipment management, maintenance, calibration, and asset control

  • Proven ability to establish operational processes, standards, and systems in fast-paced environments

  • Highly organised, proactive, and detail-oriented

  • Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills

  • Comfortable balancing rigorous safety standards with the need for rapid engineering iteration

Bonus Points

  • Experience supporting robotics, mechatronics, electronics, or prototype manufacturing environments

  • Familiarity with ESD-controlled environments, machinery safety, electrical safety, and workshop operations

  • Experience implementing asset management, maintenance management, or laboratory management systems

  • Background in Lean, 5S, or operational excellence methodologies

What We Offer

  • Competitive equity: stock options with meaningful upside as we scale.

  • 30+ paid days off, including 23 days of annual leave, all UK bank holidays, and additional company closure days (including Christmas–New Year shutdown).

  • Private healthcare, including virtual and in-person care.

  • Pension scheme with 8% total contribution (5% employee, 3% employer) on full earnings.

  • Free daily breakfast, catered lunch, and snacks in-office.

  • Work at the frontier - collaborate daily with world-class engineers, researchers, and product experts building the next generation of AI and humanoid robotics.

  • Real ownership - direct access to founding leadership, meaningful input on product direction, and the ability to drive key initiatives from day one.

Company at a glance

In a world where artificial intelligence opens up new horizons, our faith in its potential unveils a new outlook where, together, humans and machines build a new future filled with knowledge, inspiration, and incredible discoveries.

The development of a functional humanoid robot underpins an era of abundance and well-being where poverty will disappear, and people will be able to choose what they want to do.

We can imagine millions of bipedal robots doing more work than all human labour does today freeing people from the servitude of some repetitive and boring tasks that nobody likes to perform.

We believe that we have enough abundance to take care of everyone who is displaced. Eventually, providing a universal basic income will lead to the true evolution of our civilization.

Labor shortages loom, as the demands on our built environment rise. With the world’s workforce increasingly moving away from undesirable tasks, the manufacturing, construction, and logistics industries critical to our daily lives are left exposed.

By deploying our general-purpose humanoid robots in environments deemed hazardous or monotonous, we envision a future where human well-being is safeguarded while closing the gaps in critical global labour needs.

Founded2024
Team Size51-200 employees
WorkspaceOn-site
IndustryRobotics Engineering
Location
London, England, United Kingdom
LinkedInLinkedIn

Top Benefits

  • Stock Options
  • 30+ Days Time Off
  • Annual Leave
  • Bank Holidays
  • Company Closure Days
  • Private Healthcare
  • Pension Scheme
  • Free Daily Breakfast
  • Catered Lunch
  • Snacks

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