Founding Strategic Projects Lead, AI Training

UserTesting; Northern (KY); Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

UserTesting is seeking a Strategic Projects Lead for the AI Training business, focusing on end-to-end delivery and scalable operations. You will collaborate with customers and internal teams to shape processes, manage contributor communities, and optimize project economics, ensuring high-quality outcomes in a fast-paced environment.

You will shape how we operate from scoping to execution, building repeatable systems and partnering across functions to support the growth of AI training initiatives

Qualifications

• 4+ years of experience leading complex cross-functional projects in fast-paced environments.
• Experience managing projects involving large populations of contractors or external workers.
• Experience in AI training or human data operations is preferred.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to manage metrics and project economics.
• Excellent written and verbal communication, with cross-functional collaboration across teams.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end delivery of AI training projects, partnering with customers from initial scoping through successful execution while assessing feasibility, timelines, requirements, pricing inputs, and risks.
• Develop and execute sourcing strategies for contributor populations leveraging networks, partnerships, and channels.
• Recruit, onboard and manage contributor communities, designing scalable workflows for onboarding, task distribution, quality assurance, and delivery.
• Monitor project performance by tracking key operational metrics and adjust plans to ensure success.
• Own project economics by balancing sourcing strategies, compensation, staffing, quality expectations, and timelines.
• Serve as the primary customer contact, translating evolving requirements into clear guidance for contributors and communicating progress and risks.
• Continuously improve operations by building repeatable processes and scalable systems for long-term growth.

Skills

Strategic leadership

Project management

AI training

Cross-functional collaboration

Stakeholder management

Job description

We’re UserTesting—the leader in human insight. Our mission is to help organizations craft exceptional customer experiences through fast, actionable feedback. We empower teams to build the best products and experiences by embedding real human perspectives into every stage of the development process—from ideation to launch. With the world’s strongest participant network, AI-powered analysis, expert services, and seamless integrations, we help companies eliminate guesswork, align stakeholders, and bring customer needs into sharp focus. Trusted by more than 3,000 organizations worldwide—including 75 of the Fortune 100—UserTesting delivers measurable business outcomes, reduces risk, and helps teams deliver with confidence. Joining our team means being part of a passionate group focused on transforming how companies understand and connect with their customers. Let’s build experiences people love—together.

The Opportunity At UserTesting, we’re the leader in human insight, helping organizations build better products and experiences by connecting them with real human perspectives. As companies increasingly build and train AI systems, our technology, participant network, and expert services uniquely position us to support this rapidly evolving space. AI Training is a new business being incubated within UserTesting, focused on applying our expertise in sourcing and managing specialized communities to power high-quality AI training initiatives.

As one of the early members of this team, you’ll have the opportunity to shape how we operate, build scalable processes from the ground up, and play a key role in growing a new business. We’re looking for a Strategic Projects Lead to own the end-to-end delivery of AI training projects—from early customer conversations through successful execution.

You’ll partner with customers, internal stakeholders, and contributor communities to solve complex operational challenges, delivering high-quality outcomes while building repeatable systems that enable future growth.

Responsibilities

• Own the end-to-end delivery of AI training projects, partnering with customers from initial scoping through successful execution while assessing feasibility, timelines, operational requirements, pricing inputs, and project risks.
• Develop and execute sourcing strategies for specialized contributor populations by leveraging UserTesting’s network, external recruiting channels, partner partnerships, and other creative approaches to meet customer needs.
• Recruit, onboard, and manage contributor communities, designing scalable operational workflows that include onboarding, task distribution, contributor communications, quality assurance, escalations, and delivery.
• Monitor project performance by tracking key operational metrics—including recruiting progress, activation, throughput, quality, cost, and retention—and proactively adjust plans to ensure successful outcomes.
• Own project economics by balancing sourcing strategies, contributor compensation, staffing, quality expectations, and delivery timelines to drive efficient execution.
• Serve as the primary customer contact throughout project delivery, translating evolving requirements into clear guidance for contributors while communicating progress, risks, and tradeoffs with transparency.
• Continuously improve how the team operates by identifying opportunities to build repeatable processes, scalable systems, and operational capabilities that support the long-term growth of the AI Training business.

Requirements

• 4+ years of experience leading complex, cross-functional projects in operations, strategic programs, consulting, AI training, marketplaces, expert networks, talent platforms, data operations, or similar fast-paced environments.
• Proven experience managing projects involving large populations of contractors, contributors, participants, experts, or other external workforces.
• Experience in AI training or human data organizations is strongly preferred.
• Strong project management and analytical skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities, model project performance, monitor operational metrics, and understand project economics.
• Demonstrated ownership and problem-solving skills, with the ability to thrive in ambiguity, build processes from the ground up, and balance detailed execution with strategic thinking.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with experience partnering directly with customers and collaborating across cross-functional teams.
• Familiarity with AI training concepts such as annotation, evaluations, quality assurance, reinforcement learning environments, expert data, or post-training workflows is preferred.

Location: Remote within the United States, with the ability to work primarily within U.S. time zones.

Application Process

• Meet with a Recruiter
• Meet the Hiring Manager
• Participate in a Panel Interview
• Final Interview (if applicable)
• Offer Stage

Accommodations At UserTesting, we’re committed to creating inclusive and accessible experiences for all candidates. We believe diverse perspectives are essential to building exceptional products and experiences. If you require accommodations or would like us to tailor the interview process to better meet your needs, please contact us at [e-mail].

UserTesting is an Equal Opportunity Employer and a participant in the U.S. Federal E-Verify program. Women, minorities, individuals with disabilities and protected veterans are encouraged to apply. We welcome people of different backgrounds, experiences, abilities and perspectives. UserTesting will consider qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, as applicable.

We enable enterprises to understand their customers’ perspectives, delivering authentic customer insights quickly and reliably. We are builders and listeners who move fast, think deeply, and act with intention. We operate at the intersection of technology and empathy, helping the world’s leading brands replace guesswork with confidence.

Nothing meaningful is built in isolation. Not great products. Not great companies. And not great cultures. We’re creating an environment where curiosity is expected, impact is shared, and human understanding isn’t just what we sell.

It’s how we work. The same curiosity and empathy we bring to understanding our customers, we bring to understanding each other. Building better products starts with building a culture where people feel seen, heard, and valued.

Community in action: Our Employee Resource and Affinity Groups, including AccessAbled@UT, Black@UT, Hola@UT, LGBTQIA@UT, Women@UT, and others, create spaces for connection, dialogue, and shared learning across our global team. They amplify voices, strengthen leadership, and ensure diverse perspectives shape the decisions we make every day. Learn more here