Strategic Project Lead – AfterQuery

talentpluto; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 130,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

TalentPluto, Inc. in San Francisco seeks a Strategic Project Lead to own client engagements end to end, partnering with researchers at top AI labs to scope, build, and deliver high-quality datasets.

You will connect engineering, expert sourcing, and domain experts, while shaping what gets built next on a high-ownership, high-agency team. This onsite role offers clear path to pod leadership as the company scales.

Qualifications

• 3+ years of experience, able to own client relationships end to end.
• Background in top-tier banking or consulting, entrepreneurial or founder track record, an early-stage startup operator role, or a technical/AI/ML background.
• High agency and action-oriented mindset under ambiguity.
• Excellent attention to detail in client-facing work.

Responsibilities

• Own client engagements end to end from data requirements to final delivery.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for lab researchers, translating needs into data specs.
• Coordinate with engineering and expert sourcing teams.
• Manage a network of domain experts and perform QA checks.
• Proactively identify high-value datasets by tracking industry news and research.

Skills

Client relationship management

Cross-functional collaboration

Requirements gathering

Quality assurance

Job description

Location: San Francisco, CA

Work Model: Onsite, 5 days per week

Industry: Applied AI / AI research data

Compensation: $130K-$150K base, ~$300K OTE

About the Company

Our partner is a fast-growing applied AI research lab that produces expert-level training data for the world’s leading AI labs. In under two years they have scaled to a nine-figure revenue run rate, backed by leading venture investors and prominent angels from across the AI field. Quality is their core differentiator, and they are rapidly expanding into new domains.

The Opportunity

As a Strategic Project Lead, you will own client engagements end to end, partnering directly with researchers at top AI labs to scope, build, and deliver high-quality datasets. You will be the connective tissue across engineering, expert-sourcing, and a network of domain experts, while keeping a pulse on the frontier to proactively shape what gets built next.

This is a high-agency, high-ownership role on a small, ambitious team, with a clear path to growing into pod leadership as the company scales.

Responsibilities

• Own client engagements end to end, from understanding data requirements to final delivery.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for lab researchers, translating their needs into clear data specifications.
• Coordinate cross-functionally with the engineering (platform) and growth (expert sourcing) teams.
• Manage a network of domain experts producing the data, and run quality assurance and quality checks.
• Proactively identify high-value datasets by tracking industry news and research.

Requirements

• 3+ years of experience, with the ability to own client relationships independently end to end.
• A background such as top-tier banking or consulting, an entrepreneurial or founder track record, an early-stage startup operator role, or a technical or research (software engineering, computer science, or AI/ML) background.
• High agency and a strong bias to action under ambiguity.
• Fast learner who can keep pace with a rapidly evolving field.
• Strong work ethic and stamina for a demanding, project-based environment.
• Exceptional attention to detail in client-facing work.
• High integrity and a collaborative, low-ego approach.
• Able to work onsite in San Francisco five days per week.