Wanted: A human willing to babysit robots on the graveyard shift

Wanted: A human willing to babysit robots on the graveyard shift A worker performs maintenance on a humanoid robot at a Figure AI facility in 2023. Jae C. Hong/AP A new kind of babysitter is wanted in Silicon Valley.The robotics startup Figure AI is looking to hire a night-shift coordinator in Santa Clara to oversee its humanoid robots alongside the humans who operate them.The contract-to-hire job entails scheduling and coaching the team, troubleshooting robot failures and safety issues, and sometimes operating the machines themselves, according to a recently posted ad for the position. It pays $40 to $45 an hour, runs from 10:30 p.m. to 7 a.m., and includes a weekend shift.The role is also physically demanding. The coordinator will be on their feet most of the time and must be able to safely lift, carry, and maneuver equipment or humanoid hardware weighing up to 50 pounds, the posting says.The unusual career opportunity comes as a growing number of startups race to bring humanoid robots into homes and businesses. Last week, one of Figure's rivals, Agility Robotics, went public through a merger with a special-purpose acquisition company.Investors poured $33.4 billion into robotics and physical AI companies worldwide in the first half of this year, data from PitchBook show. That is well above the $28.7 billion that the sector raised in all of 2025, and a huge jump from 2020, when such companies raised just under $5 billion.Figure's opening for a night-shift coordinator isn't the only human role that it's advertising to keep its robots humming. The company is also seeking humanoid robot operators to work directly with its machines to test and validate new behaviors and skills.Founded in 2022, Figure said a little over a year ago that it was valued at $39 billion after securing $1 billion through a Series C fundraising round led by Parkway Venture Capital.Its website says Figure is focused on providing resources for jobs that humans don't want to perform. It's starting with roles in industries such as manufacturing, shipping and logistics, warehousing, and retail, where it says labor shortages are especially acute. The company expects its machines initially to handle structured, repetitive work before eventually taking on more complex tasks. "Robots that can think, learn, reason, and interact with their environments will eventually be capable of performing tasks better than humans," Figure's website says. "Over time, humans could leave the loop altogether as robots become capable of building other robots — driving prices down even more."For now, though, Figure still wants a night-shift coordinator with a pulse."You'll set priorities, keep robots running for real commercial use cases, solve problems as they come up, and hand the day team a clear, accurate picture of what happened overnight," the job posting says. "You'll be the one making the calls." Read next Business Insider tells the innovative stories you want to know Business Insider tells the innovative stories you want to know Business Insider tells the innovative stories you want to know Business Insider tells the innovative stories you want to know Sarah E. Needleman covers leadership and the workplace for Business Insider.Previously, she was a reporter for The Wall Street Journal for more than two decades, covering technology companies, entrepreneurship, and recruiting.In 2022, Sarah received an honorable mention with WSJ colleagues for their coverage of workplace misconduct at Activision Blizzard from the Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing.Sarah graduated from Rutgers University in 1997 with a bachelor's degree in journalism. She lives with her husband, daughter, and fur child (an Australian labradoodle) in northern New Jersey. Startups