Head of Operations (AI/LLM)

A7 Recruitment; Manila; On-site; PHP 2,000,000 - 4,500,000; Full time

Job summary

This is a high-visibility mandate in the fastest-growing part of the business. The AI/LLM space rewards speed, standardization and an AI-native operating mindset.

The successful candidate will bring an operator's precision, a strategist's foresight and a people leader's empathy, and will be judged on delivery outcomes, workforce health and the pace of operational improvement. Candidates must have 8–12 years of progressive operations experience in a data-intensive, technology-driven or managed

Qualifications

• 8–12 years of progressive operations experience in data-intensive, tech-driven environments.
• 5+ years leading other leaders in multi-site, high-volume operations.
• Proven experience managing teams of 1,000+ FTEs and scaling toward 1,500–2,000.
• Direct AI/LLM operations experience in data annotation, evaluation, or training.

Skills

AI/LLM operations

People leadership

SLA governance

Global client exposure

Education

Bachelor's degree in IT / CS / CE or related field

Postgraduate degree preferred

AI and data credentials

Job description

About the Role

This is a high-visibility mandate in the fastest-growing part of the business. The AI/LLM space rewards speed, standardization and an AI-native operating mindset. The successful candidate will bring an operator's precision, a strategist's foresight and a people leader's empathy, and will be judged on delivery outcomes, workforce health and the pace of operational improvement.

Certifications

• Required, at least one of the following: PMP; Lean Six Sigma Green Belt or higher
• Advantage: Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, or a combination of project management and process improvement certification

Candidate Profile

Education

• Bachelor's degree required in Information Technology, Computer Science, Computer Engineering or a closely related computing discipline. This is the top consideration for the role.
• Other engineering disciplines considered where the candidate demonstrates substantive AI, data or technology operations experience. Engineers across fields have consistently shown rapid adaptation to the AI/LLM environment
• Postgraduate degree preferred. A master's in a technical, engineering, data or operations discipline is an advantage but not required.
• AI and data credentials. Formal coursework or certification in artificial intelligence, machine learning, data science or data engineering is a distinct advantage.

Experience

• 8 to 12 years of progressive operations experience in a data-intensive, technology-driven or managed services environment
• 5+ years leading other leaders in multi-site, high-volume operations, with accountability for the performance of managers and team leads
• Scale of 1,000+ FTEs. Proven track record managing teams of at least 1,000; experience scaling toward 1,500 to 2,000 is strongly preferred
• Direct AI or LLM operations experience. Hands-on accountability in one or more of data annotation and labeling, prompt evaluation, model output quality review, content moderation, trust and safety, search relevance rating, or comparable AI training and evaluation work
• AI-native operating mindset. Able to speak concretely about how AI and automation tools are applied to run, monitor and improve an operation, not merely as a subject the candidate has read about
• SLA and KPI governance. Strong command of service-level frameworks, Statement of Work management and operational performance reporting
• Workforce ramp and deployment. Experience managing new hire onboarding, workforce ramp and client platform deployment alongside Quality and Training functions
• Global client exposure preferred. Experience supporting US or EMEA-based technology clients, and leading organizational transformation during expansion or hyper-growth