MercorStrategic Project Lead
Mercor is hiring a Strategic Project Lead in San Francisco, United States. It pays $120k-$200k a year and Level rates it ; you can apply on Mercor.
Level's read on this job
- On Level's scale, this role is Works on AI ●●●○: the daily work is on AI products, without building the model.
- Tools and skills the posting cites include Slack, operations management and data pipelines.
- Level classifies it as a mid-level role.
- Level lists 107 other open roles at Mercor.
AI in this role
Manage large-scale data operations and client projects to support top AI labs in training frontier machine learning models.
Mercor's mission is to organize human intelligence to power the AI economy. We're a leading AI data company, building the layer between human expertise and frontier models. Millions of domain experts on the platform are paid over $4 million per day to train frontier AI models. Mercor's APEX benchmark family measures AI's real-world impact on professional work. Mercor Enterprise brings this same infrastructure to Fortune 500 companies: helping companies capture how their best people actually work, translating that expertise directly back into agents.
Mercor is creating a new category of work where expertise powers AI advancement. Achieving this requires an ambitious, fast-paced and deeply committed team. You’ll work alongside researchers, operators, and AI companies at the forefront of shaping the systems that are redefining society. Mercor is a profitable Series C company valued at $10 billion. We work in-person five days a week in our San Francisco, NYC, or London offices.
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. We're an early-stage startup that operates with intensity. That means being responsive on weekends and always holding a high bar for output. The upside — performance incentives, career trajectory, and meaningful equity — reflects that.
Core ResponsibilitiesOperational 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.
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-$200k
Aggressive bi-annual performance bonus structure
Generous equity grant vested over 4 years
$10K proximity bonus (if you live within 0.5 miles of our office)
$1.5K monthly stipend for meals
Free Equinox membership
$200 monthly laundry reimbursement
$200 monthly personal wellness reimbursement
Health, Dental, Vision insurance
401(k) with company match
Up to $15k Relocation bonus
We consider all qualified applicants without regard to legally protected characteristics and provide reasonable accommodations upon request.
How we rate this
Strategic Project Lead at Mercor rates 60 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.
Works on AI. The daily work is on AI products, without building the model.
- ●●●● Builds AI80 to 100
- ●●●○ Works on AI60 to 79
- ●●○○ Uses AI40 to 59
- ●○○○ 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
Questions you could be asked
- Tell me about a project where operations management was part of your work. What did you do?
- Tell me about a project where data pipelines was part of your work. What did you do?
- Tell me about a project where project management was part of your work. What did you do?
- Tell me about a project where client relations was part of your work. What did you do?
- Walk me through how you've used Slack in your day-to-day work.
Adapt your resume
- List these exact terms on your resume: Operations Management, Data Pipelines, Project Management, Client Relations, and Slack. 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. You get your review by email within 24 hours.
Get new AI jobs (Works on AI ●●●○ or higher) by email
One email a week with the new AI 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
Other 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 stepMore jobs at Mercor
About Mercor as a platform
Level reads Mercor’s own pages for pay, entry steps and accepted countries, and sets them beside the other platforms. See the Mercor platform page or compare AI training platforms.