Director of Matrix Operations & Organizational Efficiency at Field AI – Irvine, California

Director of Matrix Operations & Organizational Efficiency

Field AI is transforming how robots interact with the real world. We are building risk-aware, reliable, and field-ready AI systems that address the most complex challenges in robotics, unlocking the full potential of embodied intelligence. We go beyond typical data-driven approaches or pure transformer-based architectures, and are charting a new course, with already-globally-deployed solutions delivering real-world results and rapidly improving models through real-field applications.
About the Role We are looking for a Director of Matrix Operations & Organizational Efficiency to design, operate, and continuously refine a matrix-based organization in a fast-scaling technology company. This role owns the structure of how the organization worksnot the content of the work itself. You will ensure that roles are well-defined, staffing is intentional, capacity matches demand, and organizational complexity does not quietly accumulate over time. You will work closely with project leaders, functional leaders, recruiting, and executive leadership to maintain a lean, clear, and adaptable organizational system that scales with the business.This is a high-leverage role for someone who thinks in systems, values clarity over comfort, and enjoys operating in ambiguous, founder-driven environments.What Youll Do

• Own and Operate a Matrix Organization
• Design, maintain, and evolve a matrix structure across projects and functions
• Work with project leaders to assess staffing adequacy, risk, and capacity needs
• Translate project demand into functional allocation and hiring priorities
• Ensure every projectfunction intersection has clear ownership and an explicit staffing plan

• Drive Organizational Clarity and Discipline
• Define and maintain clear, non-overlapping role responsibilities across the organization
• Continuously review roles for relevance, redundancy, and necessity
• Actively remove, merge, or simplify roles that no longer justify their existence
• Set a high bar for introducing new roles, requiring clear justification and scoped ownership

• Coordinate OKR and Performance Processes (Process Ownership Only)
• Own the operational execution of the OKR cadence (timelines, inputs, tracking, summaries)
• Ensure alignment between project goals, functional goals, and individual OKRs
• Prepare structured, review-ready materials for leadership using tooling and automation
• Focus on consistency, clarity, and signalnot performance evaluation or technical depth

• Partner with Executive Leadership
• Maintain accurate, forward-looking organizational views by function and by project
• Surface organizational gaps, capacity constraints, and scaling risks early
• Provide leadership with clear, data-backed insights into how the organization is deployed

What Youre Good At

• Designing and running organizational systems, not just managing people
• Thinking in structures, incentives, and interfaces rather than titles and headcount
• Operating comfortably across ambiguity, incomplete data, and fast change
• Asking hard questions about why roles existand acting on the answers
• Creating clarity where others tolerate complexity

Experience & Skills

• Experience operating in matrixed or multi-dimensional organizations
• Strong background in operations, organizational design, strategy, or program management
• Proven ability to work cross-functionally with senior leaders
• High operational rigor and attention to detail
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Comfort using tools, dashboards, and automation to scale processes
• Founder-mode mindset: ownership-oriented, pragmatic, and decisive

What This Role Is Not

• Not an HR role
• Not a recruiter
• Not a technical people manager
• Not a traditional project manager shipping deliverables

This role exists to prevent organizational drift, not react to it.If you are energized by building lean, high-functioning organizationsand believe that structure is a competitive advantagewed love to hear from you.
Compensation and BenefitsOur salary range is between ($70,000 - $300,000 annual), but we take into consideration an individual's background and experience in determining final salary; base pay offered may vary considerably depending on geographic location, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. Also, while we enjoy being together on-site, we are open to exploring a hybrid or remote option.
Why Join Field AI?We are solving one of the worlds most complex challenges: deploying robots in unstructured, previously unknown environments. Our Field Foundational Models set a new standard in perception, planning, localization, and manipulation, ensuring our approach is explainable and safe for deployment.
You will have the opportunity to work with a world-class team that thrives on creativity, resilience, and bold thinking. With a decade-long track record of deploying solutions in the field, winning DARPA challenge segments, and bringing expertise from organizations like DeepMind, NASA JPL, Boston Dynamics, NVIDIA, Amazon, Tesla Autopilot, Cruise Self-Driving, Zoox, Toyota Research Institute, and SpaceX, we are set to achieve our ambitious goals.
Be Part of the Next Robotics RevolutionTo tackle such ambitious challenges, we need a team as unique as our vision innovators who go beyond conventional methods and are eager to tackle tough, uncharted questions. Were seeking individuals who challenge the status quo, dive into uncharted territory, and bring interdisciplinary expertise. Our team requires not only top AI talent but also exceptional software developers, engineers, product designers, field deployment experts, and communicators.
We are headquartered in always-sunny Irvine, Southern California and have US based and global teammates.
Join us, shape the future, and be part of a fun, close-knit team on an exciting journey!
We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. Candidates and employees are always evaluated based on merit, qualifications, and performance. We will never discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, national origin, ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability, or any other legally protected status.