Sr. Manager, Supply Chain (Data Operations)

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 enabling human life on Mars.

SR. MANAGER, SUPPLY CHAIN (DATA OPERATIONS)

We are seeking a leader to grow and manage SpaceXAI’s data operations team. This team is responsible for defining the strategy for sourcing high-quality data to train our model and rapidly expanding the data pipeline. This team will focus on working with external partners to source evaluations and specialized research datasets that power the training, validation, and continuous improvement of our model. You will define the overall sourcing and category strategies for your team, grow and manage a global network of data suppliers and partners, align targets with engineering roadmaps and objectives, uphold data quality standards, and deliver high-signal datasets at the cost, quality, and speed required. The ideal candidate is an experienced people leader with deep expertise in data operations or technical sourcing and a track record of delivering results in fast-moving environments.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Build, lead, and mentor a high-performing sourcing team focused on high-quality data acquisition across major taxonomy categories (e.g., agentic tool use, coding)

• Define category strategies in partnership with engineering and model performance teams and come up with creative strategies to build a strong pipeline of exclusive and proprietary enterprise datasets

• Oversee the global supplier network and end-to-end sourcing and supplier qualification to meet aggressive acquisition and delivery targets

• Negotiate major agreements focused on pricing, volume, quality, exclusivity, and reliable delivery, committing budget only to datasets that meaningfully improve model performance

• Continuously improve, standardize, and scale sourcing processes, workflows, tools, and planning systems

• Track team and category KPIs; provide regular updates and recommendations to senior leadership

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor’s degree and 6+ years of experience working in one or more of the following; or 10+ years of experience working in one or more of the following in lieu of a degree:

• Business

• Supply chain

• Engineering

• Procurement

• Strategy and operations

• Technology

PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:

• Technical understanding of AI training data, including annotations, evaluations, research datasets, and how dataset quality affects model performance

• Experience in fast-paced AI, ML, or data infrastructure environments

• Background building or managing global supplier networks for services, data, or other high-variability commodities

• Strong leadership, negotiation, analytical, and cross-functional skills

• Proven ability to secure supply and manage cost, quality, and delivery against aggressive targets

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