Mercor Inc
Strategic Project Lead (SPL)
Work Hours:
Monday-Saturday (Office Monday-Friday)
About Mercor
Mercor is training models that predict how well someone will perform on a job better than a human can. We use our platform to source, vet, and onboard expert contractors who help train AI models in a wide variety of domains. Our technology is so effective it's used by all of the top 5 AI labs. We scaled from $1-500M in revenue run rate in the last 17 months, making us the fastest growing company in the world. Our growth is accelerating. We averaged 11% week over week growth in July, 18% WoW growth in August, and 19% WoW growth in September. The team is small and we remain profitable because we can't hire great people as quickly as revenue is growing. As reinforcement learning becomes the primary driver of AI model performance, research increasingly depends on compute and high-quality data. Mercor powers cutting-edge AI research by connecting domain experts-lawyers, doctors, engineers, and beyond-with top labs to generate the datasets that advance the frontier of artificial intelligence.
For example, to improve a model's legal reasoning, Mercor might recruit thousands of lawyers to design evaluation sets that measure and refine model performance across different areas of law.
Just as a factory manager oversees a production line, Strategic Project Leads (SPLs) oversee a virtual data production process-managing the full lifecycle of data creation at scale.
About the Role
Silicon Valley's leading AI companies partner with Mercor to scale high-quality data operations. As an SPL, you will: Drive the tactical execution of multi-million-dollar projects. Build deep client relationships with researchers at top AI labs. Orchestrate the work of 1,000+ contributors. Ensure flawless operational execution under demanding timelines. This is a hands-on operations role for candidates excited by process optimization, rapid iteration, and high-intensity problem solving. SPLs report directly to a General Manager
Core Responsibilities
Operational Excellence
Design and manage end-to-end data pipelines, from customer specifications to final delivery. Diagnose bottlenecks, restructure workflows, and implement solutions that improve quality, throughput, and cost-efficiency. Examples include: creating incentive systems, re-sequencing workflows, refining instructions, and scaling review processes. Customer Relationships
Act as the primary point of contact for leading AI labs. Deliver clear, consistent reporting and proactively anticipate client needs. Build long-term trust and identify opportunities for expansion. Large-Scale Coordination
Manage 1,000+ distributed contributors in Slack-based workspaces. Source, vet, train, and performance-manage domain experts. Maintain high execution standards across all stages of production. Quality Reporting
Run daily internal syncs ("war rooms") to stay ahead of issues. Provide regular, transparent progress updates to customers. What We're Looking For
Experience:
Background in consulting, finance, startups, or other operationally intense environments. Skills:
Strong analytical and communication abilities; proven track record of managing complex projects. Customer-Facing Experience:
Comfortable working directly with high-profile clients. Mindset:
Excited by "gritty" process optimization and large-scale execution. Key Facts
SPLs generate $10M+ in project revenue annually. Work schedule: Monday-Saturday (in-office Mon-Fri). Customer requests are high-pressure and time-sensitive (e.g., onboarding 1,000 contributors in 3 days, delivering 10+ hours of quality data per contributor within 48 hours). The role is explicitly operations-focused-not strategy, product, or GTM. Growth Path
SPLs begin as individual contributors, running projects end-to-end. High performers may advance to Senior SPL (SSPL) roles, managing multiple projects and teams of SPLs. Compensation
Base cash comp from $120K-$150k Generous equity grant vested over 4 years A $20K relocation bonus (if moving to the Bay Area) A $10K housing bonus (if you live within 0.5 miles of our office) A $1K monthly stipend for meals Free Equinox membership Health insurance
We consider all qualified applicants without regard to legally protected characteristics and provide reasonable accommodations upon request.
Work Hours:
Monday-Saturday (Office Monday-Friday)
About Mercor
Mercor is training models that predict how well someone will perform on a job better than a human can. We use our platform to source, vet, and onboard expert contractors who help train AI models in a wide variety of domains. Our technology is so effective it's used by all of the top 5 AI labs. We scaled from $1-500M in revenue run rate in the last 17 months, making us the fastest growing company in the world. Our growth is accelerating. We averaged 11% week over week growth in July, 18% WoW growth in August, and 19% WoW growth in September. The team is small and we remain profitable because we can't hire great people as quickly as revenue is growing. As reinforcement learning becomes the primary driver of AI model performance, research increasingly depends on compute and high-quality data. Mercor powers cutting-edge AI research by connecting domain experts-lawyers, doctors, engineers, and beyond-with top labs to generate the datasets that advance the frontier of artificial intelligence.
For example, to improve a model's legal reasoning, Mercor might recruit thousands of lawyers to design evaluation sets that measure and refine model performance across different areas of law.
Just as a factory manager oversees a production line, Strategic Project Leads (SPLs) oversee a virtual data production process-managing the full lifecycle of data creation at scale.
About the Role
Silicon Valley's leading AI companies partner with Mercor to scale high-quality data operations. As an SPL, you will: Drive the tactical execution of multi-million-dollar projects. Build deep client relationships with researchers at top AI labs. Orchestrate the work of 1,000+ contributors. Ensure flawless operational execution under demanding timelines. This is a hands-on operations role for candidates excited by process optimization, rapid iteration, and high-intensity problem solving. SPLs report directly to a General Manager
Core Responsibilities
Operational Excellence
Design and manage end-to-end data pipelines, from customer specifications to final delivery. Diagnose bottlenecks, restructure workflows, and implement solutions that improve quality, throughput, and cost-efficiency. Examples include: creating incentive systems, re-sequencing workflows, refining instructions, and scaling review processes. Customer Relationships
Act as the primary point of contact for leading AI labs. Deliver clear, consistent reporting and proactively anticipate client needs. Build long-term trust and identify opportunities for expansion. Large-Scale Coordination
Manage 1,000+ distributed contributors in Slack-based workspaces. Source, vet, train, and performance-manage domain experts. Maintain high execution standards across all stages of production. Quality Reporting
Run daily internal syncs ("war rooms") to stay ahead of issues. Provide regular, transparent progress updates to customers. What We're Looking For
Experience:
Background in consulting, finance, startups, or other operationally intense environments. Skills:
Strong analytical and communication abilities; proven track record of managing complex projects. Customer-Facing Experience:
Comfortable working directly with high-profile clients. Mindset:
Excited by "gritty" process optimization and large-scale execution. Key Facts
SPLs generate $10M+ in project revenue annually. Work schedule: Monday-Saturday (in-office Mon-Fri). Customer requests are high-pressure and time-sensitive (e.g., onboarding 1,000 contributors in 3 days, delivering 10+ hours of quality data per contributor within 48 hours). The role is explicitly operations-focused-not strategy, product, or GTM. Growth Path
SPLs begin as individual contributors, running projects end-to-end. High performers may advance to Senior SPL (SSPL) roles, managing multiple projects and teams of SPLs. Compensation
Base cash comp from $120K-$150k Generous equity grant vested over 4 years A $20K relocation bonus (if moving to the Bay Area) A $10K housing bonus (if you live within 0.5 miles of our office) A $1K monthly stipend for meals Free Equinox membership Health insurance
We consider all qualified applicants without regard to legally protected characteristics and provide reasonable accommodations upon request.