--- title: 'Product Quality Manager at Apptronik' canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/product-quality-manager-apptronik-austin-sv4eett6n9g7' type: 'job' last_seen: '2026-09-08' --- # Product Quality Manager at Apptronik - **Company:** Apptronik - **Location:** Austin, TX - **Posted:** 2026-02-03 - **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-08 - **Apply:** https://boards.greenhouse.io/apptronik/jobs/5791008004?gh_jid=5791008004 ## Job description Apptronik is a human-centered robotics company developing AI-powered robots to support humanity in every facet of life. Our flagship humanoid robot, Apollo, is built to collaborate thoughtfully with people, starting with critical industries such as manufacturing and logistics, with future applications in healthcare, the home, and beyond. We operate at the cutting edge of Applied AI, applying our expertise across the full robotics stack to solve some of society's most important problems. You will join a team dedicated to bringing Apollo to market at scale, tackling the complex challenges like safety, commercialization, and mass production to change the world for the better. ## JOB SUMMARY We are looking for a PQM (Product Quality Manager) with experience in highly complex technical projects. The PQM function at Apptronik drives high product quality standards by documenting issues & driving cross functional teams for corrective action. In this role you will oversee the Quality Team and drive the documentation of issues encountered during builds as well as during system level development testing, engaging with the HW design, OPS, and SW teams to attain resolution. As our products mature from internally built prototypes to mass production, you will also oversee defining product quality plans at contract manufacturers and auditing adherence. ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES or KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES - Ability to lead and direct Quality team members (IQC, IPQC and Quality Engineers) - Self motivated & proactive, demonstrating creative and critical thinking capabilities - Champion of the bug/issue resolution process, documenting bugs, aligning stakeholders and driving corrective action (RC/CA) - Consolidate issues into dashboards and other visual tools to drive team action & update leadership on top issues - Develop Product quality plans and assess CM adherence - Audit CM team PPAP for component validation - Monitor factory yields/issues on production assembly & RMA lines - Establish Outgoing Quality Control procedures and Customer Audit Processes - Up to 20% Travel Internationally ## SKILLS AND REQUIREMENTS - Strong understanding of mechanical & electrical engineering fundamentals & manufacturing processes - Experience with hardware test & manufacturing fixture development - Expert in statistical analysis tools (GR&R, SPC, Cpk, 5WHY, Fishbone …) - Experience with data analysis, able to drive improvements to data capturing & manipulate into useful dashboards/charts - Experience supporting new product launches from a manufacturing or product development perspective - Experience managing a team and providing coaching/feedback to employees - Excellent written and oral communication in highly technical applications - Excellent interpersonal and team management skills - Detailed knowledge of product development process and life cycles - Excellent knowledge of business software tools (Microsoft office suite, JIRA, G-Suite, Dropbox, etc.) ## NICE TO HAVE - 5+ years experience with contract manufacturing at international sites - 5+ years experience with high volume manufacturing - Experience with PPAP - Bilingual – English/Spanish EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE - BS in Mechanical Engineering (or similar) - 5+ years experience in Quality, Process, or similar engineering role ## PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS - Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer - Must be able to lift 15 pounds at times - Vision to read printed materials and a computer screen - Hearing and speech to communicate *This is a direct hire.  Please, no outside Agency solicitations. Apptronik provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. ## About Apptronik ## Company Overview - **One-liner**: Apptronik builds advanced humanoid robots for real-world industrial applications, starting with manufacturing and warehousing, to address labor shortages and improve human productivity. - **Entity Type**: Private (Funding Stage: Series A) - **Headquarters**: Austin, Texas, United States - **Founded**: 2016 - **Founders**: Founded as a spinout from the Human Centered Robotics Lab at the University of Texas at Austin; leadership includes CEO Jeff Cardenas and CTO Nicholas Paine ## Core Business - Primary industry/industries: Robot Manufacturing, Humanoid Robotics, Industrial Automation, Artificial Intelligence - Target customers: B2B / Enterprise — manufacturing facilities, warehousing and logistics operators, supply chain organizations - Mission or purpose statement: “It is not Man vs. Machine, but Man + Machine” — building robots that empower humans to live to their fullest potential by solving labor shortages and reducing physical strain. ## Products & Services - **[Apollo Humanoid Robot Platform]**: A full-electric, bipedal humanoid robot designed for industrial use. Combines advanced hardware, embodied AI, and fleet-level management software. Current applications include material handling, line-side tasks, palletizing, case picking, trailer unloading, and inspection. Built as a scalable platform that can extend into healthcare, eldercare, and home environments over time. (Type: Hardware + SaaS Platform) ## Market Standing - **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not publicly disclosed - **Annual Revenue**: ~$3.5 million (estimated) - **Total Funding**: ~$963.8 million (includes a Seed Round of $14.6M in 2022, a Corporate Round in 2025, and an undisclosed Series A round; notable investors include Mercedes-Benz Group AG and Google) - **Notable Investors/Partners**: Mercedes-Benz Group AG, Google, Terex, Humanoid Global - **Growth Signals**: Headcount grew 98.1% year-over-year to 334 employees (2026 data). Named to the **2026 CNBC Disruptor 50** list. Recognized on the **Best Places to Work** list (2024, 2025). Won the **2025 IEEE Robotics & Automation Product Innovation Award**. Named **Most Innovative** (2025). Active job postings increased 238.5% year-over-year (88 open roles). Acquired Elevate Robotics Inc. ## Competitive Advantages - **Deep heritage**: Spun out of UT Austin’s Human Centered Robotics Lab; team dates back to the DARPA Robotics Challenge (2015) and includes ex-NASA collaborators. - **Full-stack vertical integration**: Covers hardware, embodied AI, and fleet-level management software — a complete, scalable platform rather than a one-off robot. - **Safe, human-centric design**: Built for human environments from the ground up, with a focus on reducing physical strain and complementing human workers, not replacing them. - **Early enterprise traction**: Active partnerships with major industrial players like Mercedes-Benz and Terex, proving real-world deployment over lab demos. ## Strategic Focus - Scaling Apollo for manufacturing and warehouse deployment (current core market). - Expanding into more complex environments: construction, healthcare, eldercare, and the home. - Continuous hardware and software upgrades (CEO Jeff Cardenas calls humanoid robotics “the space race of our time” and has signaled major upgrades to Apollo). - Building out fleet-level tools for multi-robot management and learning. ## Why Work Here - **Mission-driven**: Work on the frontier of humanoid robotics with a stated ethos of “Man + Machine” — robots that improve human quality of life. - **High-growth environment**: Doubled headcount year-over-year with massive funding and expanding job postings; strong career growth potential. - **Culture values**: Passion, creativity, collaboration, integrity, curiosity, and humility are explicitly stated as core values. - **Perks & Benefits**: - Flexible PTO (open, unlimited) - 401k retirement plan - Comprehensive Medical, Dental & Vision coverage - Parental leave - Flexible work hours - Collaborative and innovative work environment - **Remote/Hybrid Policy**: Not explicitly stated; 77% of workforce is in the United States (majority in Austin HQ). Specific roles may vary, but the company promotes a collaborative environment. - **Talent sources**: Attracts talent from top robotics and tech companies — SpaceX, Tesla, Fox Robotics, Agility Robotics, Apple, iRobot, Neocis, and top universities (UT Austin). - **Employee rating**: 3.9/5.0 on employer reviews (Work-Life: 3.5, Career: 3.7). ## Sources 1. [apptronik.com](https://apptronik.com/) — Company homepage 2. [apptronik.com/about-us](https://apptronik.com/about-us) — About Us / History / Mission 3. [apptronik.com/careers](https://apptronik.com/careers?gh_src=B+Capital+job+board) — Careers page / Perks & Culture 4. [apptronik.com/careers/job-listings](https://apptronik.com/careers/job-listings) — Open job listings 5. [linkedin.com/company/apptronik-inc.](https://www.linkedin.com/company/apptronik-inc.) — LinkedIn company profile (revenue, headcount, funding, employee breakdown) ## Other roles at Apptronik - [Principal Robotics Machine Learning Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/principal-robotics-machine-learning-engineer-apptronik-austin-x92kzcwg7nyv) — Austin, TX - [Staff Simulation Architect - Core Simulation Platform](https://feeny.ai/job/staff-simulation-architect-core-simulation-platform-apptronik-austin-117z0qakax2b) — Austin, TX - [Director, Product Learning & Development](https://feeny.ai/job/director-product-learning-development-apptronik-austin-tk6vhqnh31yt) — Austin, TX - [Global Fleet Operations Specialist](https://feeny.ai/job/global-fleet-operations-specialist-apptronik-austin-zwtj3ybk24q2) — Austin, TX - [Senior Software Engineer, ML Infrastructure](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-software-engineer-ml-infrastructure-apptronik-austin-18dndaxv44yc) — Austin, TX - [Staff Perception Hardware Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/staff-perception-hardware-engineer-apptronik-austin-19bevj2req6r) — Austin, TX - [ECAD Librarian](https://feeny.ai/job/ecad-librarian-apptronik-austin-gyswfs07ryd6) — Austin, TX - [Staff Video Producer](https://feeny.ai/job/staff-video-producer-apptronik-austin-18bpvt87c36w) — Austin, TX - [Senior Mechanical Engineer (Battery and Docking Station)](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-mechanical-engineer-battery-and-docking-station-apptronik-austin-qfmna3fch3tr) — Austin, TX - [Senior System Integration Engineer (Soft Goods/Gloves/Grip)](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-system-integration-engineer-soft-goods-gloves-grip-apptronik-austin-yfa57ybxj1f7) — Austin, TX