Operations Associate

Level: Individual Contributor 
Compensation: $70,000 – $90,000
Location: San Francisco, CA

About the Role

HumanSignal specializes in operationally complex, multimodal data collection and annotation — delivering the datasets that frontier AI research requires and remote workforce marketplaces can't. We own projects end-to-end, from scoping and protocol design through final delivery, running on-site and distributed expert workforces across 50+ knowledge domains, 30+ languages, and 75+ countries. Our work spans RLHF, evals, red-teaming, and custom multimodal data creation, all powered by Label Studio Enterprise and built on a foundation of rigorous quality workflows, ethical sourcing, and full data security. This role sits at the operational core of that delivery engine — responsible for ensuring our clients get the highest-quality data on time, every time.

This role is not for everyone. HumanSignal Services operates at the intersection of frontier AI research and large-scale human data delivery — and the work is fast, demanding, and unforgiving of dropped balls. You'll own complex, high-stakes data programs end-to-end, managing expert workforces, navigating shifting customer requirements, and holding quality and delivery timelines simultaneously. There is no playbook handed to you. You will build it, break it, and rebuild it better. If you thrive under pressure, take personal pride in operational excellence, and don't quit when a project gets hard — this is the role for you

What You'll Do

The day-to-day is intense by design. You'll juggle multiple programs at once, each with its own contributors, quality standards, and customer expectations. You'll make hard calls with incomplete information, hold contributors and vendors accountable, and find creative solutions to problems that don't have obvious answers. The expectation is simple: own the outcome, no excuses. High performers here grow faster than anywhere else in the industry. The bar is high — and that's the point.

What You'll Do

• Build and drive critical operational processes to meet day-to-day customer delivery commitments
• Manage daily operations across multiple Fellow or contributor programs, including onboarding, workflow coordination, and ongoing program health
• Maintain operational trackers and documentation to ensure consistent execution and follow-through across the team
• Monitor contributor engagement and flag retention or performance risks before they become delivery issues
• Create an effective feedback loop between frontline operations, product, strategy, and customers
• Identify recurring bottlenecks and recommend process improvements; run pilots and experiments to test solutions
• Collaborate with SPLs, TPMs, Customer Operations, and Product teams to improve processes for new and existing customers

Required Qualifications

• 2+ years of experience in an operational role or top-tier consulting firm
• Undergraduate degree in an analytics-heavy field (Engineering, Economics, or related)
• Action-oriented; balances creative problem-solving with scrappy execution
• Strong analytical and process-improvement capability
• Proficiency in SQL or demonstrated analytical tooling skills

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in marketplace, logistics, or workforce platform operations
• Familiarity with tools like Zendesk, Notion, or Airtable
• Exposure to AI/ML workflows, data annotation, or contributor management
• Entrepreneurial mindset; comfortable in fast-moving, ambiguous environments