Level

xAI

Human Data - Engineer

xAI is hiring a Human Data - Engineer in Palo Alto, United States. It pays $144k-$220k a year and Level rates it ; you can apply on xAI.

Level's read on this job

  • Works on AI ●●●○ is how Level rates this role: the daily work is on AI products, without building the model.
  • The posting mentions data engineering, evaluation and annotation workflows among its tools and skills.
  • Level classes it as a mid-level role.
  • xAI has 296 other open roles on Level.

AI in this role

Design and execute human data projects, evaluations, and training pipelines to improve Grok model performance.

data-engineeringevaluationannotation-workflows

SpaceX was founded under the belief that a future where humanity is out exploring the stars is fundamentally more exciting than one where we are not. Today, SpaceX is actively developing the technologies to make this possible, with the ultimate goal of making life multiplanetary and expanding consciousness to the stars.

SpaceXSI is building Super Intelligence to help humanity understand the universe. Our teams are building the full Super Intelligence stack: from our Colossus supercomputers, to Grok models, to our suite of applications, including Grok Bot, Grok Build, Grok Imagine, Grok Voice, and X. We're creating a powerful flywheel where more compute trains better models, better models power more useful products, and what we learn from people using those products shapes what we build next.

ABOUT THE ROLE:

You will ensure engineering teams get the right data they need—high-quality tasks and evaluations—by crafting and executing high-value Human Data projects. You sit at the intersection of engineering and data operations: partnering with model teams, designing projects that capture meaningful signals, and driving data yield and eval lift. This is a hands-on technical role for engineers who deeply understand training and evaluation and want to influence data strategy.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

  • Partner with model and engineering teams to understand needs and translate them into high-value data projects and evaluation strategies.
  • Own end-to-end delivery of critical data and eval projects that capture meaningful training signals and support rapid model development.
  • Build tools and systems to measure data effectiveness (data yield, eval lift, usage), and run evaluations yourself to continuously improve quality.
  • Maintain rigorous data integrity and truthfulness, including validation processes for factual accuracy; prioritize quality over quantity.
  • Research, implement, and evaluate techniques for data collection, annotation, generation, and multi-modal integration.
  • Shape Grok’s behavior and domain performance through targeted data work.
  • Design and improve annotation workflows, labeling interfaces, and related tools with a focus on data quality and integrity.
  • Act as a liaison between engineering, technical staff, and tutoring / Human Data teams to drive alignment and knowledge sharing.
  • Collaborate with Human Data Ops and stakeholders to scale projects, share learnings, and contribute to demand forecasting; report status, insights, and blockers for rapid decisions.

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:

  • Bachelor’s degree in engineering, computer science, or a related STEM discipline, or 4+ years of experience in lieu of a degree
  • Experience collaborating with cross-functional teams (engineering, research, product, or annotation/operations groups)
  • Demonstrated experience analyzing datasets to identify trends, anomalies, quality issues, or integrity problems

PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:

  • Master’s degree or higher in a relevant technical field
  • Direct experience curating, evaluating, or improving training or evaluation datasets for large language models or other AI/ML systems
  • Experience designing, supporting, or optimizing annotation tools, labeling interfaces, or data workflows that prioritize factual accuracy and data integrity
  • Familiarity with multimodal data (text + images, code, or other modalities) or domain-specific data (science, mathematics, programming, recent events, etc.)
  • Experience conducting model or dataset evaluations focused on quality, truthfulness, or alignment with product goals
  • Experience in a scripting language like Python
  • Experience in SQL or other data analysis tools

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:

  • Weekend work may be required.
  • Travel to other SpaceXSI sites may be required.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS:

$144,000 - $220,000 USD

Base salary is just one part of our total rewards package at SpaceXSI, which also includes equity, comprehensive medical, vision, and dental coverage, access to a 401(k) retirement plan, short & long-term disability insurance, life insurance, and various other discounts and perks.

SpaceXSI is an equal opportunity employer. For details on data processing, view our Recruitment Privacy Notice.

How we rate this

Human Data - Engineer at xAI rates 75 out of 100 for how much of the daily work is AI. That makes it Works on AI (AI Level 3 of 4). The level is about AI in the job, not seniority.

Classification

Works on AI. The daily work is on AI products, without building the model.

  1. ●●●● Builds AI80 to 100
  2. ●●●○ Works on AI60 to 79
  3. ●●○○ Uses AI40 to 59
  4. ●○○○ Little AI0 to 39

Levels come from how often the tools, models and workflows of the role are named in the posting itself. Read the description and count the AI tools, models and workflows it names.

Prepare for this job

Built from this posting and from similar jobs on Level.

Skills and AI tools this role asks for

Data EngineeringEvaluationAnnotation Workflows

Questions you could be asked

  1. Tell me about a project where data engineering was part of your work. What did you do?
  2. Tell me about a project where evaluation was part of your work. What did you do?
  3. Tell me about a project where annotation workflows was part of your work. What did you do?
  4. Describe a typical day in a role like this one: which parts run through AI directly?
  5. If you removed AI from this role, what would be left, and how do you decide what still needs a human?

Adapt your resume

  • List these exact terms on your resume: Data Engineering, Evaluation, and Annotation Workflows. An applicant tracking system matches the wording, not the idea.
  • Attach one line of real, concrete experience to at least one of them. A tool named with nothing behind it rarely survives a human read.
  • Show where AI is part of your daily process, not a one-off project. This role expects it to be a running habit.

Want an expert to read your CV for this job?

Free. Send your CV and the role you want next. We reply by email within 2 to 4 business days.

Get new software engineering jobs (Works on AI ●●●○ or higher) by email

One email a week with the new software engineering jobs (Works on AI ●●●○ or higher), each rated for how much AI is in the work. No recruiter spam, unsubscribe in one click.

Free. One email a week. Unsubscribe in one click.

Similar roles

Software Engineering roles that work on AI, at other companies.

What kind of AI work fits you?

Answer 12 practical questions in about three minutes. Get a simple profile, the work it points to, and live roles to explore next.

Find my next step

More jobs at xAI

Related searches

Same AI level

Jobs by city