Strategic Project Lead - AI Data Startup

Strategic Project Lead (STEM) Job Opportunity at an AI Data Startup in San Francisco, California Job#16865177

A fast-growing AI data startup is hiring ten Strategic Project Leads for its STEM domains, serving the leading AI labs that are asking for more data across more scientific fields. You will act as the in-house subject-matter expert for your domain, defining what high-quality data looks like and designing dataset specifications and evaluation criteria that shape how frontier models are trained, tested and improved. You will recruit, lead and coordinate teams of specialized expert contributors, own critical projects from scoping through delivery, and partner with leading AI organizations while contributing to operational initiatives across the business. This is a high-ownership, fast-moving onsite position in San Francisco for a sharp, entrepreneurial scientist ready to move from research into building, with a competitive base salary, an on-target earnings structure in which total compensation regularly reaches two to three times base, and equity.

Qualifications

• PhD (completed or ABD) in biology, chemistry, mathematics, statistics or a related STEM field, or equivalent distinction such as IOI, IMO or USAPhO medalist, ICPC or USACO finalist, or Putnam top 500 finisher
• 0 to 8 years of experience as an expert in a STEM field
• Experience with Python, R or another language used for data analysis
• Deep scientific or quantitative research background, with the ability to speak credibly about the work and hold every dataset to the highest standard
• Entrepreneurial, high-ownership mindset with the drive to work in a fast-moving, high-stakes environment
• Nice to have: internship or fellowship at a highly regarded company or research lab, a degree from a top-20 STEM program, and familiarity with how large language models are trained, fine-tuned or evaluated
• Must be able to work onsite in San Francisco five days a week plus a half day on Sunday (remote or onsite)
• Visa transfers (such as OPT or H1B transfers) are welcome; new visa sponsorship is not available

Location

• San Francisco offers hiking in the Presidio, biking across the Golden Gate Bridge and the nearby Bay and coast. Housing is costly, but neighborhoods from the Mission to the Sunset offer a range of rentals. The Bay Area is home to top universities and the nation’s densest concentration of AI and technology employers.