Applied Science Operations Lead , Fauna

Amazon • New York, NY

11h • $197,900 - $267,800 • Onsite

About The Position

We are seeking an Applied Science Operations Lead to serve as a strategic partner to the Director of Applied Science. This is a high-agency role at the intersection of science strategy and operational excellence. You will shape how our Applied Science organization structures its research portfolio, allocates resources across workstreams, and delivers on its most ambitious goals. This is not a coordination role. You will independently identify the highest-leverage problems facing the science organization, develop frameworks for solving them, and drive outcomes. You will co-author the science strategy, build the operational rhythms that keep the organization focused, and represent Applied Science to cross-functional partners. The right candidate brings deep scientific fluency, strong judgment about where to invest, and the operational instincts to turn strategy into execution.

Requirements

• Master's degree in Engineering, Technology, Science, Operations Research, Robotics, Mathematics, or related fields, or PhD
• 5+ years of experience leading complex technical efforts — whether as a PI running a research lab, a startup CTO or technical co-founder, leading multi-institution collaborations, managing a research program, or in an industry science/strategy role
• Demonstrated ability to operate with high autonomy — setting direction, making resource allocation decisions, and driving outcomes without close oversight
• Strong written communication — experience authoring research proposals, strategy documents, investor materials, or technical narratives that secured funding, alignment, or organizational commitment
• Experience managing competing priorities across multiple concurrent projects or research thrusts

Nice To Haves

• Experience communicating across technical and non-technical audiences, including executive level stakeholders or clients
• Experience as a professor, research group leader, or startup CTO/technical co-founder — roles that require simultaneously setting technical vision, managing people and resources, and communicating to diverse stakeholders
• Experience translating a broad research vision into a structured portfolio with milestones, decision points, and resource plans
• Background in robotics, embodied AI, or a closely adjacent field
• Track record of building operational processes for a research group — hiring pipelines, review cadences, planning cycles, or collaboration structures
• Familiarity with industry R&D environments, particularly the tradeoffs between research exploration and product timelines

Responsibilities

• Structure and manage the Applied Science portfolio — ensure workstreams are well-defined, resourced, and progressing. Identify gaps, redundancies, and reallocation opportunities across the research agenda.
• Serve as a thought partner to the Director of Applied Science on research direction, hiring priorities, investment tradeoffs, and organizational design.
• Author key documents — science strategy narratives, investment cases, org-level roadmaps, and leadership updates. These are persuasive artifacts that shape decisions, not status reports.
• Design and own the cadences that keep the science org aligned — planning cycles, review forums, cross-team syncs. Own the structure, not just the logistics.
• Act as the primary interface between Applied Science and partner organizations (hardware, product, program). Ensure science priorities are understood and cross-org dependencies are managed.
• Lead high-priority org-level initiatives — new team formation, process redesign, strategic pivots — that require dedicated attention and independent judgment.

Benefits

• health insurance (medical, dental, vision, prescription, Basic Life & AD&D insurance and option for Supplemental life plans, EAP, Mental Health Support, Medical Advice Line, Flexible Spending Accounts, Adoption and Surrogacy Reimbursement coverage)
• 401(k) matching
• paid time off
• parental leave
• sign-on payments
• restricted stock units (RSUs)

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior