Director, Talent Engine – OperateCo

Webhosting; Northern (KY); Hybrid; USD 132,000 - 194,000; Full time

Job summary

Rackspace Technology is seeking a Director, Talent Engine to lead the strategy, build-out, and operations of the talent capability for the Data & AI business. This leader will create scalable sourcing, training, and certification programs and partner with HR, Delivery, Engineering, and BU leaders.

The role emphasizes collaboration with Palantir’s team, deploying certified operators into private cloud and customer environments, driving workforce planning, and reporting to CHRO and executives.

Responsibilities

• Identify – Talent Sourcing & Selection: Build three merit-based pathways into the program and define a consistent merit bar across track types.
• Certify – Standards & Quality Bar: Establish certification as the quality bar for deployment and pursue shared certification standards with Palantir.
• Deploy – Workforce Planning & Operations: Manage bench-to-billable pipeline, forecast demand, and deploy certified FDEs into customer environments.

Job description

The Director, Talent Engine leads the strategy, build-out, and operations of OperateCo’s talent capability for Rackspace’s Data & AI business: an internal engine that identifies, trains, certifies, and deploys technical operators, beginning with delivery on Palantir Foundry and AIP engagements. This leader builds the model alongside – not in competition with – Palantir’s own Forward Deployed Engineer (FDE) program, learning its selection bar, training cadence, and certification discipline, and applying it to a Rackspace-owned and -funded pipeline. This leader partners closely with HR, Delivery, Engineering, and Business Unit leaders to build scalable sourcing pathways, a strong training and certification bar, and a high-performing operator workforce, with a mandate to scale the model from Data & AI into a Rackspace-wide talent engine.

Job Responsibilities

Identify – Talent Sourcing & Selection

• Build and run three merit-based pathways into the program: a high-school / early-career fellowship track, a non-graduate track, and a graduate track – mirroring the breadth of Palantir’s own sourcing model.
• Define and apply a consistent merit bar across all three pathways, screening for agency, maturity, and technical aptitude rather than pedigree or tenure.
• Own sourcing volume, pipeline yield, and cost-per-hire targets; report on pathway mix and selection rates.
• Design and operate a Rackspace academy that takes new hires from platform foundations to production-ready skills in weeks, not years.
• Use OneOS and live “Customer Zero” engagements as the training ground, converting real production work into structured learning.
• Partner with Palantir’s training organization to align curriculum where possible, and build Rackspace-owned content where it is not.

Certify – Standards & Quality Bar

• Establish certification as the quality bar for deployment – not tenure, not headcount pressure.
• Drive every Rackspace Forward Deployed Engineer to Palantir Foundry/AIP certification (or the Rackspace-equivalent standard) before customer assignment.
• Own the relationship with Palantir’s certification team to pursue shared standards, joint certification pathways, and reciprocal recognition.

Deploy – Workforce Planning & Operations

• Manage the bench-to-billable pipeline: forecast demand, plan cohorts, and deploy certified FDEs into private cloud, sovereign, and air-gapped customer environments.
• Track utilization, time-to-deploy, and post-deployment performance; feed results back into sourcing and curriculum design.
• Partner with delivery and account leadership so operator capacity – the binding constraint on every OperateCo deployment – scales with demand.
• Serve as the primary operating point of contact into Palantir’s FDE program leadership on hiring, training, certification, and deployment practices.
• Build the business case and operating model to take the Talent Engine from a Data & AI pilot to a Rackspace-wide capability.
• Report progress, economics, and risks to the CHRO and executive sponsors; own the P&L logic that ties certification levels to billing tiers.

Education and experience:

Success Metrics

Our compensation reflects the cost of labor across several geographic markets. The compensation range for this position ranges from $132,149.00/year in our lowest geographic market up to 193,856.30 USD/year in our highest geographic market. Pay is based on a number of factors including market location and may vary depending on job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range for your preferred location during the hiring process. The compensation package may also include incentive compensation opportunities in the form of annual bonus or incentives, equity awards and an Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP). Learn more about benefits at Rackspace.

About Rackspace Technology

We are the multicloud solutions experts. We combine our expertise with the world’s leading technologies – across applications, data and security – to deliver end-to-end solutions. We have a proven record of advising customers based on their business challenges, designing solutions that scale, building and managing those solutions, and optimizing returns into the future. Named a best place to work, year after year according to Fortune, Forbes and Glassdoor, we attract and develop world-class talent. Join us on our mission to embrace technology, empower customers and deliver the future.

More on Rackspace Technology

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