Robotics Deployment Project Manager

Who We Are:

At Formic, we’re on a mission to revolutionize American manufacturing and create more abundance in the world. We believe in continuing the American legacy of innovation by making automation accessible to all manufacturers and increasing their factory productivity by 10x. 

Built upon deep expertise in robotics and manufacturing, our unique Pay-for-Productivity robotics solutions combine the best automation technology, tools, and uptime services for manufacturers, paving the way for a new era of supercharged efficiency and competitiveness. 

As the world faces growing pressure from rising costs and labor shortages, Formic is a uniquely powerful tool in overcoming these challenges.  Fueled by our vision for a resurged “Made in America,” we’re growing fast - achieving 70% quarterly growth in customer count and ARR, with ~30% of our customers having already deployed multiple systems.  

Supporting us in our mission, with investments thus far totaling over $60 million, are backers including Blackhorn Ventures, Mitsubishi HC Capital America, NEC, Translink Capital,
Alumni Ventures, FJ Labs, Lux Capital, Initialized Capital and Lorimer Ventures, and founders of multiple Fortune 50 companies. 

About the PODS (Production, Optimization, Deployment & Solutions) team:

As Robotics Deployment Manager you will be responsible for managing the deployment of robotics-centric automation solutions in a variety of different applications at customer sites. The ideal candidate will be detail-oriented and have a successful track record of managing the deployment of robotic automation projects for a variety of discrete manufacturing requirements. The Robotics Deployment Project Manager will strategically lead projects–partnering with customers, engineering teams, and suppliers–while overseeing third party robotics integrators who perform much of the hands-on implementation work.

As an early member of our startup team, you will also have the opportunity to mature and scale our internal operations, cross-functional processes, and Deployment function as a whole. As we continue to scale our customer deployments and team, you can play a key role in building this foundation of our industry-leading RaaS projects and customer deployment experience.

As Robotics Deployment Project Manager, you will:

• Strategically plan and manage robotics-centric automation solutions for a variety of different clients and applications, overseeing all aspects of deployment
• Support defining project scopes, gathering project requirements, and validating proposals in cooperation with Formic Applications/Solutions Engineers and third party robotics integrators
• Develop and track project plans and monitor progress to ensure deadlines, standards, and cost targets are met
• Facilitate the resolution of issues that surface in the deployment process
• Play an active role in building, standardizing, and refining our internal processes and operations. This is a great opportunity to leverage your own experience and knowledge–as well as your learnings here at Formic–to help shape our Deployment/Project Management function as we grow.

What makes you a great fit:

• 5+ years of project management experience in technically complex manufacturing environments
• 3+ years of prior automation/robotics experience
• Experience working with or for an industrial robotics System Integrator
• Strong communication skills (both written and spoken) and ability to influence
• Ability to skillfully manage a diverse set of team members and stakeholders
• Hunger to learn and grow in a fast-paced environment
• Action-oriented with strong problem-solving skills
• Willingness to travel up to 35-40% of time in this position
• You’re located in - or open to relocate to - either the greater Chicago, IL or Philadelphia, PA
  • For Chicago area candidates: willingness to work a hybrid schedule (3+ days/week outside) in our Woodridge, IL office

What we look for:

We’re building a company from the ground up, so every single person we hire has a massive impact on our team, culture, and ability to accomplish our mission. While each individual brings their own unique skills and perspectives to Formic, we look for people who share our vision and act in alignment with our Operating Principles. If this sounds like you, Formic could be the place for you:

• Fearless Optimism: You share our ambitious vision of what we can accomplish. You’re aware of the challenges we will face as a startup doi