Data Collection Lead, AI/ML Data Programs

Whitecollars; South Africa; Remote; ZAR 1,153,000 - 1,647,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Fully remote work

Flexible schedule

Job summary

Whitecollars is seeking a Data Collection Lead to own AI data collection projects from planning to delivery. You will translate client requirements into actionable plans, coordinate freelancers and external vendors, and design scalable collection workflows.

The role emphasizes quality control, risk management, and cross-functional collaboration across globally distributed teams. A Bachelor's degree and 3–5 years in project management or data operations are preferred, with remote work flexibility.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required or equivalent.
• 3–5 years of experience in project management, data operations, or related field.

Responsibilities

• End-to-end data collection project delivery from planning to delivery.
• Design practical collection approaches with defined participants, coverage, devices, and data specs.
• Run pilot collections, identify gaps, and refine methods before scaling.
• Coordinate freelancers, field resources, communities, and external vendors based on capability and cost.
• Plan resources and capacity, monitor performance, and adjust as requirements evolve.
• Establish quality-control workflows and validate data against specs.
• Communicate with clients on requirements, progress, risks, and feasibility; translate feedback into actions.
• Manage risks, dependencies, costs, and delivery commitments; escalate when needed.
• Document methodologies and build reusable SOPs and templates to scale future projects.
• Support stronger AI data operations across domains, geographies, and data modalities.

Skills

Project management

Data operations

Stakeholder communication

Vendor coordination

Quality assurance

Education

Bachelor's degree

Job description

Every breakthrough AI model depends on high-quality data. Behind every reliable computer vision system, multimodal model, or AI-powered application is a complex process of collecting, validating, and delivering the data that makes it work.

Someone has to turn client requirements into practical collection strategies, mobilize the right people and resources, and make sure every dataset meets the standards it was built for.

That someone could be you. Our client is looking for a Data Collection Lead to own the execution of AI data collection projects from initial planning through final delivery. This isn't just about gathering data. It's about building reliable collection workflows, solving operational challenges, and delivering the quality and coverage that AI innovation depends on.

Why This Opportunity Matters

AI companies need more than large datasets. They need the right data, collected under the right conditions, with the right participants, devices, environments, and quality controls.

One project might require thousands of images or hours of video. Another might involve multilingual speech recordings, egocentric video, sensor-based data, or specialized datasets collected across specific geographic and demographic groups. Each comes with its own operational challenges, timelines, and quality expectations.

This role exists to make those projects happen. As Data Collection Lead, you'll translate client requirements into actionable plans, coordinate freelancers and external vendors, establish collection methodologies, and manage quality from pilot to final delivery.

Your work directly influences project success. When collection processes are well designed, resources are properly coordinated, and quality issues are addressed early, projects move faster and clients receive data they can trust. This is an ownership-driven operational leadership role where your decisions have a direct impact on delivery.

About Our Client

Our client combines human expertise with machine efficiency to deliver high-quality annotated data and AI data collection services at scale. They help AI companies obtain the data they need to develop, train, and improve intelligent systems.

Their work spans a range of AI applications, data modalities, and specialized collection requirements, supporting projects that demand accuracy, scalability, and reliable execution.

As AI data requirements become increasingly complex, the ability to design practical collection methodologies and manage distributed resources becomes essential. Our client offers an environment where operational ownership, problem-solving, and continuous improvement contribute directly to the success of AI programs.

What You'll Own

• End-to-end project delivery. You'll manage assigned data collection projects from initiation through final delivery, translating client requirements into structured plans, timelines, milestones, and execution workflows.
• Collection strategy and methodology. You'll design practical collection approaches based on project objectives, defining participant profiles, geographic coverage, devices, environments, metadata requirements, and quality criteria.
• Pilot execution and scaling. You'll run pilot collections where necessary, assess results, identify operational gaps, and refine methodologies before scaling production.
• Freelancer and vendor coordination. You'll identify, evaluate, and coordinate freelancers, field resources, communities, agencies, and external vendors based on capability, availability, cost, reliability, and quality.
• Resource and capacity planning. You'll ensure the right people and resources are available when needed, monitor performance, and adjust resource allocation as project requirements evolve.
• Data quality and validation. You'll establish quality-control workflows, validate collected data against client specifications, identify recurring issues, and manage corrective actions, rejections, and recollection when required.
• Client communication and stakeholder alignment. You'll communicate directly with clients about requirements, progress, risks, feasibility, and operational challenges, turning feedback into clear actions for internal teams and external resources.
• Risk and issue management. You'll monitor project commitments, dependencies, costs, and delivery risks, resolve operational bottlenecks, and elevate early concerns with practical recommendations.
• Processes that scale. You'll document methodologies, build reusable SOPs, templates, and checklists, and continuously improve collection workflows to make future projects more efficient and reliable.
• Stronger AI data operations. You'll help strengthen our client's AI's ability to execute increasingly complex data collection programs across different domains, geographies, and data modalities.

You’ll thrive in this role if you’ve already managed data collection or operational projects from planning through delivery and understand what it takes to turn complex requirements into executable workflows.

You’ll do especially well if you bring 3–5 years of experience in project management, data operations, or a related field, with direct exposure to egocentric AI data collection projects. You understand that successful collection requires more than recruiting participants or gathering files. It demands careful planning, consistent execution, quality validation, and disciplined project tracking.

If you’ve worked on image and video collection, speech and audio recording, multilingual datasets, computer vision, multimodal data, or LLM and generative AI projects, you’ll have a strong foundation for this role. Experience with Human-in-the-Loop operations and AI/ML data requirements is a significant advantage.

You’re comfortable coordinating distributed teams and external resources, evaluating vendors, and mobilizing people quickly when project demands change. You know how to balance quality, cost, timelines, and feasibility without losing sight of the client's objectives.

You also communicate confidently with clients. When requirements are unclear or unrealistic, you ask the right questions, explain the implications, and recommend workable alternatives. You identify root causes rather than repeatedly fixing the same problems, and you build systems that make execution more consistent over time.

Most of all, you take ownership. You’re resourceful when facing unfamiliar challenges, structured under pressure, and proactive about risks. You don't wait for every instruction to be spelled out; you figure out what needs to happen and make it happen.

A Bachelor's degree in Business, Operations, Technology, Computer Science, or a related field rounds out the profile.

• End-to-end ownership. You'll have meaningful responsibility for how data collection projects are planned, organized, executed, and delivered.
• Exposure to diverse AI programs. You'll work across different data modalities, industries, geographies, and collection challenges, expanding your experience in AI data operations.
• A direct impact on AI development. Your work will help provide the high-quality datasets that AI companies need to build and improve their models.
• Room to improve and innovate. You'll have the opportunity to develop reusable methodologies, improve operational workflows, and strengthen the organization's data collection capabilities.
• Cross-functional collaboration. You'll work directly with clients, internal teams, freelancers, and external vendors, building valuable experience across the AI data delivery ecosystem.
• Professional growth. You'll deepen your expertise in project leadership, distributed resource management, data quality, and AI/ML operations as the business takes on increasingly complex programs.

• Remote flexibility. The role is fully remote, giving you the flexibility to work from your location while collaborating with a globally distributed team.

Ready to Lead the Data Behind AI?

If you're excited about owning complex data collection projects, solving operational challenges, and building processes that deliver reliable results at scale, this is an opportunity to make a meaningful impact in the AI industry.

Our client is looking for someone who can take initiative, manage competing priorities, and turn ambitious collection requirements into successful deliveries. If you have the operational experience, problem-solving mindset, and ownership mentality to make that happen.