Expert Operations

Abaka AI•Mountain View, CA

About The Position

Abaka AI is seeking an Expert Operations professional to help build and scale the expert workforce behind leading AI models. This role involves managing the entire process of identifying, evaluating, onboarding, and supporting expert contributors for AI data projects across various domains. You will collaborate with Project Managers, Operations, and Research teams to match qualified experts from the talent platform to project requirements, ensuring high-quality contributors deliver exceptional results. You will be a key contact for contributors, fostering strong relationships and ensuring a smooth onboarding experience. As an early member of the Expert Operations team, you will help establish scalable processes for expert sourcing, evaluation, onboarding, and community management. Your contributions will directly influence the quality, speed, and success of AI data projects for top AI companies. This role is ideal for individuals who thrive in fast-paced environments, enjoy working with people, and are passionate about building high-performing communities.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree or equivalent practical experience.
1+ years of experience in AI data annotation, quality assurance, reviewer operations, project operations, talent operations, recruiting, or related operational roles.
Experience working on AI data projects involving annotation, model evaluation, RLHF, preference ranking, or human feedback is highly preferred.
Excellent communication and interpersonal skills with the ability to build trust and maintain strong relationships with contributors.
Strong judgment and attention to detail when evaluating contributor quality and project fit.
Highly organized with the ability to manage multiple hiring, onboarding, and staffing pipelines simultaneously.
Comfortable working with spreadsheets, CRMs, applicant tracking systems, and operational tools.
Self-driven, adaptable, and comfortable operating in a fast-paced startup environment with a strong sense of ownership and urgency.
Experience using AI tools to improve sourcing, communication, or operational workflows is a plus.

Responsibilities

Source and identify qualified experts from Abaka's talent platform for AI data projects across domains including text, image, video, audio, coding, reasoning, multimodal AI, and domain-specific expertise.
Review contributor profiles, work history, assessments, and qualifications to evaluate project fit and staffing readiness.
Conduct interviews to assess communication skills, technical knowledge, and overall contributor quality.
Guide contributors through onboarding, training, and project setup to ensure a smooth and successful onboarding experience.
Partner closely with Project Managers to understand project requirements and efficiently staff high-quality contributors.
Build and maintain a strong pipeline of qualified experts to support both current and future project needs.
Serve as the primary point of contact for contributors, providing timely communication, support, and issue resolution throughout the project lifecycle.
Track staffing metrics, onboarding progress, contributor performance, and operational KPIs to continuously improve efficiency and quality.
Develop and refine scalable workflows for expert sourcing, evaluation, onboarding, and contributor engagement.
Leverage AI tools and automation to improve operational efficiency, communication, and talent matching processes.