Project Manager - Annotation

About Pillar Labs

Founded by a trio of researchers, Pillar Labs serves as the internal R&D and innovation engine behind some of the most technically advanced human data annotation in the world. We sit at the intersection of human expertise and artificial intelligence, developing cutting-edge systems, methodologies, and tools that push the boundaries of agentic AI training and evaluation data. Our mission is to enable models to think, reason, and act with greater autonomy, accuracy, and depth of understanding.

About the Role

We’re looking for a Project Manager to help lead complex, multi-phase annotation initiatives from planning through execution. This role combines strategic oversight, operational coordination, and people management. This looks like owning projects end to end, meeting client and internal quality standards, and supporting the continued growth of our annotator community.

You’ll collaborate closely with the Pillar Labs core team, project specialists, and reviewers to translate goals into actionable workflows, monitor project health, and drive continuous improvement across quality, efficiency, and engagement. As a member of a small and fast-moving team, you’ll also contribute to broader operational efforts that help Pillar Labs scale effectively as we expand our research and production capabilities.

Primary Responsibilities

Project Leadership & Operations (65–70%)

• Oversee day-to-day project operations, ensuring deliverables meet scope, schedule, and quality targets.

• Translate client or internal objectives into clear annotation goals, workflows, and measurable outcomes.

• Collaborate with Project Experts and Quality Reviewers to refine guidelines, manage feedback cycles, and implement process changes.

• Track progress through internal dashboards and performance data, identifying risks or bottlenecks early.

• Coordinate launches, updates, and transitions between project phases.

• Partner with the R&D and Operations teams to pilot new annotation methodologies and tooling improvements.

Team Coordination & Communication (20–25%)

• Serve as the main point of contact for assigned projects, bridging communication between leadership, research, developers, project specialists, reviewers, experts, and annotators.

• Monitor internal communication channels, ensuring issues are triaged promptly and feedback loops stay active and actionable.

• Support a healthy and well-informed annotator community by sharing updates, clarifications, and policy changes.

• Contribute to the creation of documentation, training materials, and onboarding content to align annotators, reviewers, and the internal Pillar team on standards and best practices.

• Help maintain accountability, structure, and fairness across the community through clear communication and proactive moderation when needed.

General Operations & Scaling (10%)

• Contribute to building internal systems and processes that help Pillar Labs scale efficiently (e.g., tooling setup, documentation, workflow automation, or process standardization).

• Participate in internal planning sessions or cross-team initiatives focused on operational excellence and scalability.

• Identify pain points or inefficiencies in company processes and propose sustainable solutions.

• Support light operational or administrative tasks as needed during high-growth or transition phases.

You Might Be a Good Fit If You:

• Have 4+ years of experience managing complex, multi-stakeholder projects in AI training, data operations, product operations, or a related analytical/technical field.

• Have experience at an early-stage or scaling startup, or in product operations or annotation project environments, where systems and roles are still being built.

• Have an overlap with UK/European business hours.

• Can plan, execute, and monitor multiple initiatives simultaneously, balancing speed, quality, and clarity without losing sight of long-term goals.

• Excel at building and scaling operational systems: you identify inefficiencies, design sustainable workflows, and implement improvements with measurable impact.

• Are fluent in metrics-driven decision-making: you use data to identify risks, measure progress, and drive alignment across teams.

• Communicate with precision and confidence. Can translate technical, ambiguous, or evolving information into clear action plans and decisions.

• Demonstrate structured problem-solving under ambiguity: you can break down loosely defined goals into actionable, trackable steps.

• Bring strong interpersonal and cross-functional collaboration skills, balancing empathy with accountability in working with leadership/founders, engineers, researchers, reviewers, experts, and annotators alike.
  
  We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.