Humanoid Robot Operator Jobs: 11 Open, $25–$36 an Hour, 0 Remote (Sept. 23, 2026)
We counted 11 open humanoid robot operator jobs on September 23, 2026, at Figure AI, 1X, Physical Intelligence and Agility Robotics. Ten pay $25 to $36 an hour and ask for no degree; none of the 11 is remote. The eleventh is the outlier: $102,000 to $133,000 a year, for the same job title plus Python and Linux.
Figure’s morning shift starts at 6:30 AM. Per the posting, the operator’s job is to keep a humanoid robot working “constantly throughout the day,” notice when it fails, and write the ticket that tells an engineer what went wrong. It pays $30 an hour. It has been open since September 25, 2024, which tells you Figure hires for it all the time.
Search for this job and you get job-board listings: rows of titles and a button. We wanted the part the listings leave out. So this morning we opened every operator posting on the employer boards we read each day, and wrote down what each one pays, what it asks of your body, and what it does not say in the headline.
The short version
- 11 open operator and pilot postings (Sept. 23, 2026): Figure 8, 1X 1, Physical Intelligence 1, Agility 1.
- $25–$36 an hour on the 10 hourly postings. The most common rate is $30 (about $62,400 a year).
- 10 of 11 list no degree. 0 of 11 are remote.
- 1X lists a height range, 5′5″ to 6′0″, to fit its VR gear.
- Most Figure roles are contract-to-hire. The pilot is a 6-month fixed term.
What a humanoid robot operator actually does: three different jobs
“Operator” is one word covering three jobs. Read the postings side by side and they split cleanly.
The keeper. Figure’s shift and site operators keep robots running on real work, at its San Jose headquarters and at customer sites in Reno, Los Angeles and Fontana. You run the robot, catch the bug, file it in Jira, and follow the bring-up and shutdown steps. Six of Figure’s eight postings require “experience working with robots or troubleshooting mechanical systems.”
The teacher. 1X, Physical Intelligence and Figure’s pilot role are about data. You wear teleoperation gear and move, and the robot copies you. Physical Intelligence puts it plainly: “the robot mirrors your actions.” The tasks are ordinary on purpose: folding clothes, bagging groceries, opening jars. Every repetition becomes training data for the robot’s AI model.
The tester. Agility’s Robot Operator II is really a test technician. You run Python test scripts, set up network switches and IP addresses, and push the robot through “happy path and corner cases” for more than four hours a day. That is why it pays about twice as much.
How much do humanoid robot operators make? $25 to $36 an hour
Every hourly rate below is written in the body of the posting. Most job sites miss it, because it isn’t in the salary field. We explained that blind spot when we read every Figure AI posting yesterday.
| Posting | Where | Base pay per hour |
|---|---|---|
| Figure · Humanoid Robot Operator (Morning Shift) | San Jose, CA | $30 |
| Figure · Humanoid Robot Operator (Afternoon Shift) | San Jose, CA | $30 |
| Figure · Humanoid Robot Operator (Night Shift) | San Jose, CA | $32 |
| Figure · Humanoid Robot Operator, Commercial Launch Team | San Jose, CA + travel | $30 |
| Figure · Humanoid Robot Operator, Commercial Site Team | Reno, NV | $26–$30 |
| Figure · Humanoid Robot Operator, Commercial Site Team (LA) | Los Angeles, CA | $26–$30 |
| Figure · Humanoid Robot Operator & Data Creator | Fontana, CA | $30 |
| Figure · Humanoid Robot Pilot (6-month term) | San Jose, CA | from $32 |
| 1X · Operator, Data Collection (Swing Shift) | San Carlos, CA | $28–$36 |
| Physical Intelligence · Robot Operator | San Francisco, CA | $25 |
| Agility Robotics · Robot Operator II | Fremont, CA | $102,000–$133,000 a year |
All 11 read on the employer’s own job board on September 23, 2026. Only the Agility posting asks for a degree (an associate’s or equivalent certifications). The titles link to the postings.
Put in yearly terms, $30 an hour is about $62,400 at 40 hours a week. Figure’s night shift adds $2. 1X is the only hourly posting that mentions equity, and its $28–$36 range is the widest. Physical Intelligence pays the least, $25, and is the only one that calls itself “metrics-based”: you have a data-collection target for each shift.
For comparison, that $26–$36 band sits right next to the entry-level data center technician jobs we track, and below the licensed electricians building AI data centers. The full pay spread across twenty employers is in which AI company pays the most.
Do you need a degree? For 10 of the 11, no
Ten postings list no degree at all. What they ask for instead is stuff you prove on the floor: standing a full shift, focus on repetitive work, quick learning of new physical tasks. If you have worked a warehouse, a factory line, a repair bench or a busy kitchen, you already have the background these postings describe. Physical Intelligence even lists “gaming or simulation experience with controllers” as a plus.
The one posting that asks for a degree also shows you the way up. Agility wants “an associate’s degree or equivalent certifications in network administration, system administration or industrial controls & automation,” plus basic Python and Linux. That is a two-year degree or a few certificates away from the $30 jobs, and it pays $102,000 to $133,000. If you want the long version of that path, read do you need a degree to be a robotics technician.
The line we did not expect. The 1X posting says you “must be between 5′5″ and 6′0″ to safely operate required VR equipment.” It also asks you to lift up to 50 lbs and wear gear weighing up to 30 lbs. It is the only one of the 11 with a height range. It makes sense once you picture it: the robot copies your body, so your body has to fit the rig.
Can you do robot teleoperation from home? Not with these 11
“Remote teleoperation jobs” is a common search, and it is easy to see why. Teleoperation sounds like something you could do from a couch. On these boards, it is not. All 11 postings name an on-site location, and the teleoperation happens in the same building as the robot, in a lab or on a customer’s floor. Figure’s Launch Team posting goes the other way: up to 75% travel.
That matters for safety, too. If an ad offers remote “robot training” work and then asks you to buy a headset, pay for a course, or deposit a check, it is not one of these jobs. The FTC counted more than 105,000 job-scam reports in 2024 (FTC, Dec. 2024). Real remote AI work does exist, and we sort the legitimate kind from the rest in are AI training jobs legit and is the xAI AI tutor job legit.
The trade-offs the job title leaves out
These jobs are a real way into robotics. The postings are also honest about the costs, if you read to the end. Here is what we found:
- Contract first. Seven of Figure’s eight postings are contract-to-hire, “with the goal of transitioning to full-time.” The pilot is a 6-month fixed term. 1X, Physical Intelligence and Agility list full-time roles.
- Your body is the tool. Stand 8+ hours; lift up to 50 lbs at Figure’s San Jose shifts and at 1X.
- Weekends and nights. Figure’s San Jose shifts include one mandatory weekend shift. Night shift runs 10:30 PM to 7:00 AM. Physical Intelligence offers 12:00 AM to 8:00 AM.
- Quotas. Physical Intelligence says it is a metrics-based role with repetitive tasks.
- Driving. Figure’s site and launch roles need a valid driver’s license and a clean record.
None of that is a reason to skip these jobs. It is a reason to pick the right one. A student who wants nights will like the $32 shift. Someone with a family may want the 1X swing shift, or a Figure day shift that ends at 3:00 PM.
Where the job leads
Two postings describe the next step directly. Figure’s pilot posting calls the role “a strong entry point into robotics,” with room to grow into senior pilot and lead roles. The next rung on Figure’s own board is Robot Service Technician, at $35 to $65 an hour with 3+ years of experience. Agility’s tester role, with its associate’s degree and $102,000 floor, shows the wider path.
The count also moves fast. Figure’s afternoon and night shift postings first went up in January 2026, and its Los Angeles and Fontana site roles in July. We track every company daily on the AI jobs tracker.
We are not recruiters. We take no money from any employer named here, and we do not handle applications. Postings can close without notice, and the official page wins. Apply only on the employer’s own site: the links in the table go there. A real employer will not charge you a fee, ask you to deposit a check and send money back, or offer you a job by text.
What to do with this
- No degree, can stand a full shift? Pick the one posting in a city you can reach, and apply there. In your application, name something you have run, fixed or maintained.
- Want the higher rung? Look at Agility’s list: basic Python, Linux, networking. A certificate in one of those is the bridge from $30 an hour to $100,000 a year.
- Want to see every role? Browse every open role and apply on the employer’s site, or open only Figure’s roles. The board refreshes every morning.
- Want to hear when a new one opens? See job alerts for specific companies.
If you want to go deeper
Which robot companies are hiring the most? The daily ranking is in which AI companies are hiring right now. For a robotaxi company’s board, see is Waymo hiring.
What other jobs skip the degree? See entry-level AI jobs with no experience, AI jobs that don’t require coding and AI jobs for people over 50. Curious about the machines themselves? Our Physical AI guide covers them.
Is an old posting worth applying to? Figure’s morning shift has been open for a year. Read should I apply to old job postings. How we read the boards is in how we count, and you can ask the Jobs Desk a question. We answer in public and never charge.
Questions people ask about humanoid robot operator jobs
Are there humanoid robot operator jobs open right now?
Yes. On September 23, 2026 we found 11 open postings with “operator” or “pilot” in the title at four humanoid robot companies: 8 at Figure AI, 1 at 1X, 1 at Physical Intelligence and 1 at Agility Robotics. All are in California or Nevada, and all are on site.
How much does a humanoid robot operator make?
The ten hourly postings pay $25 to $36 an hour, and the most common rate is $30. That is about $52,000 to $74,880 a year at 40 hours a week. Agility’s Robot Operator II is the exception at $102,000 to $133,000 a year, but it is a test technician job that asks for Python, Linux and an associate’s degree or certifications.
Do you need a degree to be a humanoid robot operator?
Not for 10 of the 11 postings we read. They ask for stamina, focus and, at Figure, some experience with robots or fixing machines. Only Agility’s Robot Operator II asks for an associate’s degree or equivalent certifications in networking, systems administration or industrial controls.
Are there remote robot teleoperation jobs?
Not among these 11. Teleoperation here means wearing a headset or sensor gear in the same building as the robot. Every posting names an on-site location. Be careful with ads that promise remote robot-training work and ask you to pay for equipment or training first.
What does a humanoid robot operator at Figure AI do?
Per Figure’s postings, operators run the robot through its tasks all shift, spot bugs, file Jira tickets for the engineers, and handle bring-up and shutdown. The San Jose shift postings ask you to stand 8+ hours, lift up to 50 lbs and work one weekend shift a week, after a 2–3 week training period. Most of the roles are contract-to-hire.
What are the humanoid robot operator night shift hours?
Figure’s San Jose night shift runs 10:30 PM to 7:00 AM and pays $32 an hour, $2 more than its day shifts. Physical Intelligence lists an overnight shift from 12:00 AM to 8:00 AM at $25 an hour.
Cite this
On September 23, 2026, Prof H Lab counted 11 open humanoid robot operator and pilot postings at Figure AI, 1X, Physical Intelligence and Agility Robotics. The 10 hourly postings pay $25 to $36 an hour and list no degree; none of the 11 is remote. Source: AI Jobs Tracker, Prof H Lab.
We’ll read these boards again on October 21. We’re watching two things: whether other humanoid makers start hiring operators, and whether anyone posts one that is truly remote.
Sources
- Pay, shifts and requirements: our read of each posting on the employer’s own board on September 23, 2026 (links in the table). Figure first-published dates from its public Greenhouse feed. Method: how we count.
- FTC press release on job-scam reports, Dec. 2024.
- Video: Agility, “Explained: Data Collection and Humanoid Robots”.
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