Permanent Data Labeling Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

Product & Operations Lead

Product & Operations Lead

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.

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 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

HireNow Package

• Base Salary: $150,000 – $250,000
• Additional Compensation: Equity + benefits package
• Work Location: Hybrid – Los Angeles, CA
• Employment Type: Full-Time / Direct Hire
• Visa Sponsorship: Not available

HireNow Staffing Disclaimer

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.