Data Partnerships

About the Role

As data partnerships lead at Thinking Machines Lab, you'll own the end-to-end pipeline of data procurement for frontier model training, from understanding what our research teams need, to sourcing and closing providers, to managing the quality and delivery of data. You will be the connective tissue between research, legal, and external vendors, making sure the right data reaches the right teams at the right time.

This role is ideal for a technical-leaning person who wants to get deep into the data world in service of an ambitious research agenda. You'll need to be comfortable context-switching between planning out the data needed for training runs and negotiating pricing with data vendors. Over time, you'll build the repeatable, scalable processes that allow our data operations to keep pace with the speed of our research.

What You'll Do

• Drive and coordinate data procurement initiatives end-to-end, ensuring that complex sourcing efforts are executed efficiently, transparently, and with scientific rigor.
• Partner closely with research teams to proactively understand data needs across pre-training, post-training, and evaluation workstreams, staying ahead of the roadmap rather than reacting to requests.
• Source, evaluate, and onboard data providers, building and maintaining a pipeline of potential vendors across domains.
• Negotiate pricing, licensing terms, and contract structures with data providers, working alongside legal to close agreements that serve our research goals.
• Evaluate incoming data alongside researchers, assessing quality and coverage for intended training objectives.
• Monitor and manage ongoing data deliveries, including tracking schedules, flagging issues, and ensuring what we receive matches what was agreed upon.
• Build repeatable, scalable processes around the full data procurement lifecycle so that sourcing new data becomes faster and more systematic over time.
• Translate technical data requirements into actionable plans with clear milestones, keeping teams aligned across research, infrastructure, legal, and external partners.
• Synthesize and communicate progress across diverse stakeholders, ensuring the right people are informed at the right time and that nothing falls through the cracks.

Skills and Qualifications

Minimum qualifications:

• Degree in computer science, artificial intelligence, mathematics, physics, engineering, or similar.
• Experience in data pipelines, procurement, and operations, or a similar role.

Preferred qualifications — we encourage you to apply if you meet some but not all of these:

• Masters or PhD in computer science, artificial intelligence, mathematics, physics, engineering, or similar.
• Experience working with data at or for frontier AI labs, including sourcing, evaluating, and managing large-scale data pipelines.
• Experience at a frontier or academic research lab, contributing to research in artificial intelligence.
• Familiarity with the data provider landscape and the commercial, legal, and technical considerations involved in data licensing.
• Ability to learn new technical domains quickly and operate comfortably in ambiguity.
• Strong technical communication, written and verbal.

Logistics

• Location: This role is based in San Francisco, California.
• Compensation: Depending on background, skills, and experience, the expected annual salary range for this position is $175,000–$475,000 USD.
• Visa sponsorship: We sponsor visas. While we can't guarantee success for every candidate or role, if you're the right fit, we're committed to working through the visa process together.
• Benefits: Thinking Machines offers generous health, dental, and vision benefits, unlimited PTO, paid parental leave, and relocation support as needed.