--- title: 'Robot Operator Internship (Part-Time) at Pivot Robotics' canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/robot-operator-internship-part-time-pivot-robotics-new-boston-ohio-bt52hffx0bkg' type: 'job' last_seen: '2026-09-10' --- # Robot Operator Internship (Part-Time) at Pivot Robotics - **Company:** Pivot Robotics - **Location:** New Boston Ohio, United States - **Employment:** full-time - **Posted:** 2026-08-20 - **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-10 - **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/pivotrobotics/5b7e7074-aace-4b9a-9db8-245c8ad66a69 ## Job description ## About Pivot Robotics Pivot Robotics builds AI-powered robotic systems that automate grinding and finishing processes in manufacturing. Our robots are currently deployed in production environments, and we are expanding on-site monitoring support to improve reliability, collect feedback, and support daily operation. ## Role Overview We are seeking a Shawnee State student to serve as an on-site Robot Operations Monitor at the OSCO manufacturing facility. This is a part-time position ideal for students interested in robotics, manufacturing, or engineering operations. The role involves sitting near the deployed robotic cell during production runs, observing system behavior, documenting events, and communicating with the Pivot engineering team when issues arise. This is not a heavy technical role. The most important qualities are reliability, attention to detail, and strong communication. ## Responsibilities - Be present near the Pivot robotic cell during scheduled production runs - Observe robot operation and note any interruptions, faults, or unusual behavior - Record timestamps and short descriptions of events (stops, resets, operator interventions, etc.) - Notify the Pivot team via Slack/text when predefined issues occur - Provide simple daily summaries of how the system performed - Help coordinate basic restart procedures if instructed by Pivot remotely - Serve as Pivot’s on-site point of contact during monitored shifts Ideal Candidate - Current student at Shawnee State University - Reliable and punctual - Comfortable spending extended periods monitoring equipment - Strong written and verbal communication - Detail-oriented and organized - Interest in robotics, engineering, manufacturing, or industrial technology is a plus - No prior robotics experience required Schedule - Part-time, flexible around class schedules - Shifts coordinated based on OSCO production runs - Some shifts may involve multi-hour monitoring blocks Location - OSCO Industries facility (local to Shawnee State area) What Students Gain - Exposure to real industrial robotics deployed in production - Direct interaction with a startup robotics engineering team - Experience documenting real-world system performance - Opportunity to build hands-on manufacturing / automation experience ## About Pivot Robotics ## Company Overview - **One-liner**: Pivot Robotics builds AI-powered vision control software for industrial robots that automates dangerous and labor-intensive grinding and finishing processes in manufacturing. - **Entity Type**: Private (Seed stage, Y Combinator Winter 2024 batch) - **Headquarters**: San Francisco, California, USA - **Founded**: 2023 - **Founders**: Siddharth Girdhar and Vignesh Rajmohan ## Core Business - **Primary industry/industries**: Industrial robotics, manufacturing automation, AI vision, metal finishing - **Target customers**: B2B – high-mix manufacturing foundries, metalcasting, aerospace & defense, and other precision component manufacturers - **Mission or purpose statement**: "We're automating operations that demand the flexibility of human intelligence with the consistency and speed of automation. By making systems that see, learn, and adapt, we help manufacturers increase throughput, improve quality, and unlock new production possibilities." ## Products & Services - **Proteus (Software Platform)**: AI vision control software that turns off-the-shelf robot arms and vision sensors into adaptive automation systems. It enables zero-shot adaptation to new parts without programming, achieving 1mm precision on cast iron components. Used for grinding, cutting, sanding, machining, and spraying. - **Autonomous Finishing Cells**: Full robotic workcells deployed in production environments, combining 3D vision, AI, and adaptive control for end-to-end part processing and inspection. Already processing 5k+ parts per week at major foundries. ## Market Standing - **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not publicly available - **Key Metric**: Total funding – Y Combinator standard ~$500K (Winter 2024) plus an undisclosed round from NuVentures (announced July 2024) - **Notable Investors/Partners**: Y Combinator, NuVentures, Tyler Bosmeny (YC Primary Partner) - **Growth Signals**: - Deploying 10+ Proteus systems at a large cast iron foundry producing over 200 different parts per year. - Processing 5,000+ parts per week across major North American foundries. - Team size of 7 as of July 2024, actively hiring for multiple engineering roles. - Expanding from foundry grinding into aerospace & defense and other precision manufacturing segments. ## Competitive Advantages - **Vision-first adaptive automation**: Uses foundational vision models to adapt to part variation without extensive CAD programming or fixed toolpaths, offering 100x faster setup than traditional automation. - **Proven production reliability**: Achieves consistent 1mm tolerances on cast iron in harsh foundry environments, with defect detection and gauging on the same perception stack. - **Zero-shot learning**: New parts can be added to the system without retraining or large data requirements, ideal for high-mix, low-volume manufacturers. - **Full-stack solution**: Combines inspection and processing in one vision system, allowing for traceable quality data and adaptive finishing end-to-end. ## Strategic Focus - **Current priorities**: Scaling deployments in metalcasting and foundries, expanding into aerospace & defense, and developing hand-eye coordination for robot arms to automate tasks beyond grinding (e.g., materials handling, assembly). - **Growth direction**: Building a platform that can work across multiple industries and part types, while maintaining a tight focus on real-world production environments rather than controlled labs. ## Why Work Here - **Hard problems with real impact**: Work on cutting-edge vision-guided robotics in challenging environments (foundries, aerospace). The code you ship gets used daily in production. - **Team**: Small, high-caliber team of engineers from Uber ATG, Meta, Google X, Nimble Robotics, and ABB. Founders are former Meta robotics engineers and Carnegie Mellon graduates. - **Culture**: Ownership mentality, execution focus, comfort with "real-world messiness." They value first-principles problem solving and deep technical expertise. - **Work environment**: Hybrid workspace – employees combine remote and on-site work. Main office in San Francisco, CA, with a robot operator internship site in New Boston, Ohio. - **Perks**: Not explicitly detailed, but the culture emphasizes autonomy, cutting-edge robotics, and solving meaningful manufacturing challenges. ## Sources 1. [pivotrobotics.com](https://www.pivotrobotics.com/) – Official website with product description and company overview 2. [pivotrobotics.com/company/about](https://www.pivotrobotics.com/company/about/) – Mission, approach, and team details 3. [pivotrobotics.com/company/careers](https://www.pivotrobotics.com/company/careers/) – Careers page with open roles and culture 4. [builtin.com/company/pivot-robotics](https://builtin.com/company/pivot-robotics) – Company profile on Built In (founded 2023, team size, hybrid workspace) 5. [ycombinator.com/companies/pivot-robotics](https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/pivot-robotics) – Y Combinator profile with founders, product, funding, and news ## Other roles at Pivot Robotics - [Data Infrastructure Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/data-infrastructure-engineer-pivot-robotics-san-francisco-gyd51gmx8xtj) — San Francisco, CA - [Mechanical Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/mechanical-engineer-pivot-robotics-san-francisco-x0zxfkcga3yp) — San Francisco, CA - [Senior Mechanical Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-mechanical-engineer-pivot-robotics-san-francisco-j6170ysj5c7g) — San Francisco, CA - [Software Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/software-engineer-pivot-robotics-san-francisco-c2c7mybsap9w) — San Francisco, CA - [Robotics Software Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/robotics-software-engineer-pivot-robotics-san-francisco-5ckd5k7rpmc2) — San Francisco, CA