About the posting
“You’ll work alongside researchers, operators, and AI companies at the forefront of shaping the systems that are redefining society.”
Read the full posting on Mercor's site
Seen live Oct 23, 2026; first seen Oct 22, 2026.
Pay in context
This posting lists $120,000 to $200,000 a year, a midpoint of $160,000.
The midpoint is higher than 50 percent of project management postings in San Francisco, CA that list pay.
California has a pay transparency law: covered employers must include a pay range in a job posting. Which employers are covered depends on their size.
How long it has been open
Posted Jul 13, 2026, 102 days ago, and seen on Mercor's careers page today.
At 102 days old, it is over the 39-day median.
Mercor at a glance
Mercor has 108 open postings that we can see, 2 in project management; 97 percent list pay.
The application
Applying goes through Ashby.
Trailhead fills Greenhouse, Lever and Ashby forms on your computer; on the phone and on other systems it hands you your answers and your resume.
Seniority
Level: manager.
The posting mentions 4+ years.
Place and cost of living
On site in San Francisco, CA; prices in CA run 11 percent above the US average.
Similar jobs at similar pay
The project management market in San Francisco, CA
53 project management postings in San Francisco, CA are open right now, from 38 employers.
Half of them have been open 39 days or less.
From Mercor's posting
This is Mercor's own text, as published on its job board. We last checked it on Oct 23, 2026. Apply on Mercor's site. We remove a posting when the employer closes it.
ABOUT MERCOR
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 RESPONSIBILITIES
OPERATIONAL 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.