Strategic Project Lead
About The Position
HireNow Staffing is partnering with a fast-growing AI startup to identify seasoned and skilled Strategic Project Leads to help scale and optimize its data operations. This is a hands-on, high-ownership role built for operators who thrive in ambiguity, move quickly, and enjoy building systems that scale under real-world constraints. As a Strategic Project Lead (SPL), you will own the end-to-end production of reinforcement learning (RL) training data —from customer specifications through final delivery. Your work will directly influence data quality, operational efficiency, revenue, and margins , placing you at the core of the company's growth engine. Candidates must meet the required experience and operational expectations outlined below to be considered for interview. The Opportunity This role sits at the intersection of operations, data, and AI development . Strategic Project Leads are trusted to make high-stakes decisions daily balancing quality, speed, and scalability while navigating evolving systems and incomplete information. This is not a strategy-only position. You will be deeply involved in execution, people management, and process design, with accountability for outcomes from day one.
Requirements
- 2–8 years of experience working with data annotation, human data generation, or human-in-the-loop data pipelines
- Hands-on operations experience managing both people and processes (not strategy-only roles)
- Proven ability to operate in fast-moving, ambiguous environments
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with a data-driven approach
- Willingness to work onsite, five days per week , in New York City
Nice To Haves
- Background from a top-tier academic institution or a top company with strong external signaling
- Experience owning production workflows at scale in high-growth environments
- Technical fluency with tools such as SQL, Python, or similar
- Experience training, coaching, and managing fast-moving teams
- Prior exposure to AI or human data platforms (e.g., Scale, Mercor, Surge, Handshake, Snorkel)
- Experience as a founding team member, founder, or early high-impact contributor
- Ability to communicate complex operational concepts clearly to non-technical stakeholders
- Strong judgment under pressure and comfort making tradeoffs quickly
Responsibilities
- Own complex, end-to-end data pipelines , from customer requirements through final production and delivery
- Translate customer specifications into clear operational plans and execution frameworks
- Identify bottlenecks and implement automation and workflow improvements to increase throughput and data quality
- Balance quality, velocity, and cost in high-pressure production environments
- Partner closely with engineering, product, and leadership during periods of rapid growth
- Recruit, manage, and deploy high-skill talent across multiple AI data projects
- Monitor performance, quality metrics, and timelines; make real-time adjustments as needed
- Take full accountability for project outcomes, including delivery timelines and output quality
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Mid Level
Education Level
No Education Listed
