| Location | San Francisco, CA |
About us
Were solving AIs hardest problem: alignment.
Encord is the data layer for Physical AI and enterprise, serving as core infrastructure for 300+ teams at the cutting edge of AI, including Woven by Toyota, Hitachi, Skydio, AbbVie, Dyna, Walden, and Agility Robotics. From autonomous vehicles and robotics to sports and healthcare, were solving AIs hardest problem: turning complex, real-world data into production-ready intelligent systems.
Were a team of former founders, scientists, quants, researchers, and even Olympians who've helped build some of the most successful companies in Silicon Valley, and alumni of MIT, Stanford, UC Berkeley, Oxford, Cambridge, and Imperial. We've raised $110M from early investors in companies like Databricks, ElevenLabs, and Vercel, and we're growing at an extraordinary pace.
Were looking for exceptional people who want to help build a category-defining company, operating with high urgency and taking real ownership to help shape the future of AI.
The role
As a Strategic Projects Lead, youll fully own and optimize the data annotation and machine learning workflows behind Encords largest client relationships. Youll work directly with clients, annotation specialists, ML engineers, Account Managers, and Forward Deployed Engineers to ensure the data powering their models is fast, accurate, and scalable.
This is a hands-on, high visibility role. You have direct influence on whether Encords highest-value customers renew and expand.
What youll do
Own data annotation projects end-to-end, translating complex AI/ML requirements into clear workflows and instructions for annotation teams
Design and refine annotation processes, audit results, and build feedback loops that raise data quality
Act as a trusted advisor to clients - designing and implementing the human-annotation workflow that gets them to production fastest
Partner with product and engineering to drive improvements in AI training data tools and methodology
Directly influence account health: your workflow design and execution are a primary driver of whether strategic accounts renew, expand, or churn
Who were looking for
A sharp, execution-oriented operator with a consulting or AI-company pedigree . A structured thinker, strong PM instincts, bias for getting things done
Analytically rigorous and comfortable with ambiguity. You break down operational problems from first principles
Technically fluent: comfortable querying a database, auditing annotation outputs, or automating a workflow in Python
A natural translator between ML engineers and non-technical clients on multi-stakeholder projects
Entrepreneurial - you take ownership without waiting to be told what to do
Experience requirements
3-7 years of professional experience, with a strong preference for backgrounds in top-tier strategy consulting and/or operations or data roles at leading AI or technology companies
Proven ownership of complex, multi-stakeholder workflows end-to-end: scoping, execution, QA, iteration
Experience designing/optimizing data operations with an eye for quality, consistency, and scalability, ideally human-in-the-loop or structured labeling work
Demonstrated ability to engage effectively with both technical stakeholders (ML engineers, data scientists) and non-technical clients, translating requirements clearly in both directions
Bonus: hands-on experience with computer vision, generative AI, or multimodal data workflows; prior exposure to data annotation platforms or quality management frameworks; experience coaching or managing operational teams
Bonus: Working proficiency in Python or SQL, with the ability to query data, automate workflows, or audit annotation outputs; broader familiarity with relational databases or data annotation tooling equally valued
Why Encord
Competitive salary, commission, and meaningful equity in a high-growth startup
Clear, accelerated growth opportunities as the company scales rapidly
Strong in-person culture: 4 days/week
Daily team lunches & dinners
Annual learning & development budget
Comprehensive health, dental, and vision coverage
US employees: 18 paid vacation days plus US public holidays
UK employees: 25 paid vacation days plus UK public holidays
Frequent travel opportunities across the U.S., London, and Europe
Bi-annual company offsites & monthly socials
Operating principles
High agency
You see something broken, you fix it or find the person who can. We celebrate the people who solve 90% of a problem before anyone asks.
Build with care & urgency
We bear-hug the customer. Former founders and people from fast-moving, high-stakes environments thrive here.
Self-aware & hungry
We stay warm, self-aware, and genuinely hungry. We elevate our peers, and ego doesnt last long.
Invent in real time
We move toward the ambiguity. We're pragmatic, resourceful, energized by the fact that theres no playbook.
If youre looking to do the most meaningful work of your career alongside people who push you to be better, wed love to meet you.