AI Data Operations Manager

Role Overview

• Own day-to-day operations for geo data, scanning, and labeling programs that power AI models and mapping products.
• Ensure data workflows run efficiently, on time, and at the right cost/quality bar across internal teams and vendors.
• Maintain rigorous data tracking and inventory so stakeholders clearly understand what data exists, where it lives, and its readiness and constraints.
• Plan and manage large-scale field capture programs using 360 cameras, RGB LiDAR, and drones, including complex urban mapping operations and targeted customer captures.
• Coordinate surveyors and vendors to execute capture schedules, resolve in-field issues, and maintain safety and compliance standards.
• Keep up to date with the latest mapping processes and their impact on scanning requirements; contribute field insights into the evolution of Niantic’s Photon devices and capture tooling.
• Execute direct, internal data capture when required by specific security protocols, data sensitivity, or when the project scale does not necessitate external vendor mobilization.
• Act as the primary operational point of contact for key external partners such as capture vendors and annotation vendors, and for strategic customer programs.
• Translate customer and internal stakeholder needs into clear scopes of work, SLAs, and procedures for vendors; monitor performance and drive continuous improvement.
• Manage labeling operations to provide research, ML, and product teams with high-quality labeled datasets, including defining taxonomies, guidelines, and QA processes.
• Distill customer requirements into precise labeling instructions and workflows; balance quality, time, and cost tradeoffs and communicate them transparently.
• Lead multi-month, multi-vendor operations such as large-scale drone and 360 capture campaigns (e.g., city-scale mapping projects and DroneToGround dataset expansions).
• Identify and manage risks, issues, and escalations across all active programs, ensuring stakeholders understand options and tradeoffs.
• Develop and execute continuous improvement plans for tools, workflows, metrics, and reporting to increase efficiency and reliability over time.
• Represent AI data operations in cross-functional forums with Product, Engineering, Research, Legal, Finance, Procurement, Security, and GTM teams.
• Partner with Legal on data privacy, GDPR/DSA compliance, and data usage governance for customer and internal datasets.
• Manage budgets and resources for scanning and labeling operations, including forecasting capacity and making resourcing recommendations.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in a related field (e.g. Geospatial, Engineering, Operations, Data Science) or equivalent practical experience.
• 3+ years of experience in operations, data operations, or technical program management, ideally in mapping, geospatial, or AI/ML data domains.
• Demonstrated experience running real-world data collection and/or labeling operations, including managing outsourced or vendor teams.
• Hands-on experience with geo data workflow management, field scanning, and visual data labeling; familiarity with GIS or mapping tools is a plus.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and project management skills; able to turn complex, shifting inputs into clear plans and rigorous execution.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills; able to translate between highly technical teams (ML, engineering) and operational/vendor partners.
• Comfortable working independently in a fast-moving, ambiguous environment and juggling multiple concurrent programs and stakeholders.
• Willingness to travel as needed for field operations, vendor visits, and on-site coordination.
• Valid driving license required; FAA drone pilot certification strongly preferred, given the centrality of drone operations to our capture programs.
• Experience collaborating with Legal, Finance, Procurement, and Security on contracts, compliance, and vendor management is strongly preferred.

Benefits

• bonus
• equity
• benefits