Strategic Projects Lead - Consulting

AfterQuery; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health Insurance

401(k) Match

Daily meals stipend

Wellness stipend

Job summary

AfterQuery is seeking a Project Manager to sit at the bottleneck of AI data solutions, coordinating expert teams and shaping dataset specs for frontier models. You’ll manage high-stakes projects from scoping to delivery for world-class AI foundations labs.

Ideal candidates bring 3+ years in top-tier consulting or corporate strategy, plus a passion for AI and strong client-facing skills. Hybrid approach with access to SF office and leadership opportunities.

Qualifications

• 3+ years at a top-tier consulting firm, Big 4 strategy, or corporate strategy.
• Background in business strategy, case analysis, and market research.
• Strong problem-solving, financial analysis, and client-facing communication.
• Entrepreneurial mindset and genuine interest in AI.

Responsibilities

• Manage projects for leading AI organizations from scoping to delivery.
• Coordinate expert teams across domains to produce high-quality outputs.
• Design dataset specifications that influence model evaluation and improvement.
• Own end-to-end execution in a fast-moving, high-stakes environment.
• Support multiple operational initiatives across the business.

Skills

Project management

Client management

Team coordination

Scoping & planning

Communication

AI familiarity

Education

MBA or advanced business degree

Business/Strategy background

Tools

Python basics

Job description

About AfterQuery

AfterQuery is an applied research lab curating data solutions for foundation model development. We serve every frontier AI lab with the mission of delivering the best data to power the best models. In doing so, we can make expertise that once took a lifetime to build available to anyone who needs it.

Our customers are the ones building the foundation models themselves and our work sits directly in the loop of how those systems improve. This is a rare opportunity to join a company at a defining moment in AI. Forbes reported that we could be YC's fastest unicorn, reportedly raising at a $3.2 billion valuation. We're based in San Francisco and backed by leading investors including Altos Ventures, BoxGroup, and Y Combinator and angels from Google DeepMind, OpenAI, Anthropic, Meta Superintelligence Labs, and Microsoft AI.

Why Apply

Massive Opportunity: Forbes reported that we could be YC's fastest unicorn, reportedly raising at a $3.2 billion valuation, and we're not slowing down.

Founding Impact: You will own and architect core infrastructure systems that power our platform from the ground up.

Equity & Growth: Competitive salary and meaningful equity. As we scale, you’ll have the opportunity to shape the engineering organization and lead major technical initiatives.

Strong Team: Our founding team has experience from Citadel Securities, Meta, Google, Silver Lake, and Morgan Stanley — work alongside world-class engineers and researchers.

Overview

The world's leading AI labs are racing to build smarter models and the data behind them is the bottleneck. We're looking for a Project Manager to sit at that bottleneck: managing expert teams, shaping dataset specs, and driving high-stakes projects from scoping to delivery for the organizations building the frontier.

Key Responsibilities

• Project and client management: Work with the world’s leading AI organizations to build next-generation data solutions that push the limits of model capability, while directly driving revenue.

• Manage expert teams across domains: Lead and coordinate highly specialized contributors across fields like finance, software engineering, law, and more to create high-quality outputs at scale.

• Shape how AI systems are trained: Design dataset specifications that directly influence how frontier models are evaluated and improved. Your taste and judgement will shape what foundation models become.

• Drive high-impact execution end-to-end: Own critical projects from idea to delivery. From scoping, executing, iterating, and shipping in a fast-moving, high-stakes environment, you will touch it all.

• Gain top tier operational experience: Support the team across a range of operational initiatives that will directly contribute to the future of AfterQuery. You will work across multiple parts of the business in the same week, ranging from building, analyzing, coordinating, and executing where needed most.

Required Qualifications

• 3+ years of experience at a top-tier management consulting firm (MBB or similar), Big 4 strategy practice, or corporate strategy team

• Background in business strategy, case analysis, market research, or corporate operations

• Strong grasp of structured problem-solving, business frameworks, and financial/quantitative analysis

• High agency and strong work ethic; comfort defining problems and thriving with minimal direction in ambiguous situations

• Demonstrated leadership excellence and strong client-facing communication abilities

• Genuine passion for AI and an entrepreneurial inclination

• Demonstrated competitive success (e.g., top-tier academic achievement, case competitions, or promotion on an accelerated track)

Preferred Qualifications

• Python proficiency or experience with data analysis tools

• MBA or advanced business degree

• Experience using AI tools to automate workflows, conduct research, or build products

Company Benefits (For Eligible Employees):

• Health Insurance: Medical, Vision, Dental

• 401(k) with Employer Match

• Daily Meals: Daily UberEats Stipend

• Monthly Wellness Stipend

We are an equal opportunity employer committed to providing a workplace free from discrimination and harassment. Employment decisions are made without regard to legally protected characteristics under applicable federal, state, or local law.

We comply with applicable pay transparency requirements and provide compensation ranges based on the position, qualifications, experience, and other relevant factors. Reasonable accommodations are available to qualified individuals with disabilities and for sincerely held religious beliefs, as required by law. This job description is intended to describe the general nature and level of work performed and is not an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, qualifications, or working conditions associated with the position. We reserve the right to modify this job description as business needs change.