Hybrid | Los Angeles, CA
Direct Hire / Permanent Placement
HireNow Staffing is actively recruiting a seasoned, highly skilled Product & Operations Lead on behalf of a valued client partner in the AI data software startup sector. HireNow Staffing is acting as a direct placement partner for this Product & Operations Lead opportunity.
We are seeking a technically fluent, commercially strong operator who can work at the intersection of product, applied research, customer success, and revenue growth. This individual will serve as a primary relationship owner for advanced AI customers, translate sophisticated technical requirements internally, and help scale customer partnerships tied to frontier model development.
HireNow Disqualifier: Candidates with jumpy or unstable resumes will not be accepted or interviewed. We are prioritizing professionals with consistent tenure, progressive growth, and measurable impact.
Key Responsibilities
Own strategic customer relationships end-to-end, from onboarding through renewal, expansion, and long-term partnership growth
Serve as a trusted technical point of contact for advanced AI customers using data within model training and evaluation environments
Understand customer data pipelines, workflow dependencies, annotation processes, and training stack requirements
Translate customer feedback, use cases, and technical requests into structured internal briefs for Product, Engineering, and Operations teams
Identify upsell, renewal, and expansion opportunities tied to new dataset demand or broader platform usage
Support new business efforts including demos, technical scoping, proposals, and solution alignment
Coordinate cross-functionally to ensure timely delivery, customer satisfaction, and execution excellence
Surface market intelligence, customer pain points, and product opportunities to leadership
Improve repeatable customer operations processes in a fast-scaling startup environment
Required Qualifications (Highly Important)
1–3+ years of experience within an AI/ML data company, human data provider, AI infrastructure company, or related technical startup environment
Direct experience with human data used for AI model training and evaluation (required)
Strong understanding of ML data pipelines, model training workflows, data quality processes, and production AI environments
Ability to clearly translate customer needs into actionable technical requirements for internal teams
Proven relationship management experience with advanced technical customers or AI labs
Strong communication skills with ability to simplify complex technical topics for varied audiences
High ownership mindset, intellectual curiosity, and structured problem-solving ability
Stable employment history with clear progression; candidates with jumpy resumes will not be considered
Preferred Qualifications (Strongly Valued)
Direct experience working with top AI labs or frontier model organizations
Existing network within AI research labs, model builders, or advanced ML ecosystems
Startup or early-stage company experience with high ambiguity tolerance
Technical degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Data Science, Mathematics, or related discipline
Experience supporting renewals, upsells, or revenue expansion within technical accounts
Familiarity with RLHF, data labeling, synthetic data, model evaluation, red teaming, or related human data workflows
Product operations or technical account management background
HireNow Disqualifiers
Only general AI product management experience without direct human data / training data exposure
No ability to articulate ML data pipelines or model training workflows clearly
No customer-facing relationship ownership experience
Need for visa sponsorship (not available)
Frequent job changes without clear rationale or progression
HireNow Checklist
HireNow Staffing is recruiting candidates who meet the following profile:
Direct human data experience supporting AI model training or evaluation
Strong understanding of ML pipelines and training workflows
Proven ability to translate technical customer needs to engineering teams
Relationship network or experience within AI lab ecosystems preferred
Strong communicator with technical and commercial credibility
Ownership mindset with startup adaptability
Able to work hybrid in Los Angeles, CA
Stable resume with progressive experience
Standout Candidates Include:
Professionals from AI data companies supporting frontier model labs
Candidates with direct relationships inside top AI labs
Operators who have driven renewals and expansion revenue in technical accounts
Technically trained professionals who excel in customer-facing roles
All candidate information is handled confidentially and evaluated against defined requirements. This job description outlines the general scope of responsibilities and qualifications. Duties may evolve based on client needs and business growth. Only candidates meeting the core qualifications will be considered for interview.