---
title: 'Head of Operations, DataLab at Protege'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/head-of-operations-datalab-protege-remote-d2vacek37tq3'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-10-30'
---

# Head of Operations, DataLab at Protege

- **Company:** Protege
- **Location:** Remote
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Work type:** remote
- **Posted:** 2026-10-29
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-10-30
- **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/protege/a3fc5740-c072-4fbd-967a-36f898463722

## Job description

Company Overview: We are building Protege to solve the biggest unmet need in AI — getting access to the right training data. The process today is time intensive, incredibly expensive, and often ends in failure. The Protege platform facilitates the secure, efficient, and privacy-centric exchange of AI training data. Solving AI’s data problem is a generational opportunity. We’re backed by world-class investors and already powering partnerships with some of the most ambitious teams in AI. The company that succeeds will be one of the largest in AI — and in tech. We’re a lean, fast-moving, high-trust team of builders who are obsessed with velocity and impact. Our culture is built for people who thrive on ambiguity, own outcomes, and want to shape the future of data and AI.

## Role Overview

As Head of Operations, DataLab at Protege, you will be a strategic partner and problem-solver, driving alignment, execution, and impact across the organization. You’ll work side-by-side with the CEO and leadership team to ensure our most important priorities move forward, from operational planning and strategic initiatives to executive communications and cross-functional coordination. This is a role for someone who thrives on variety, enjoys switching between strategic thinking and hands-on execution, and can adapt quickly in a fast-moving environment. You’ll have broad exposure to the business, making this an ideal position for someone who wants to help shape Protege’s future.

## Key Responsibilities

- Own day-to-day operations for the Data Lab, including planning, prioritization, and execution across data initiatives.
- Design and implement scalable operational processes (intake, prioritization, resourcing, delivery, and reporting) to support data projects from concept through launch.
- Partner with Data, Product, and Engineering leaders to identify operational bottlenecks and continuously improve workflows, tooling, and decision-making.
- Establish operating rhythms, metrics, and dashboards to track progress, performance, and impact of Data Lab work.
- Translate strategic objectives into clear roadmaps, timelines, and accountability across cross-functional stakeholders.
- Prepare clear, concise updates and materials for executives, partners, and internal stakeholders on Data Lab priorities and outcomes.
- Act as a hands-on problem solver and “operator in residence,” stepping into critical gaps as the Data Lab scales.

## About You

- 8+ years of experience in business operations, consulting, or a strategy/analyst role in a high-growth or fast-paced environment
- You have the proven ability to manage multiple complex projects simultaneously
- You have strong analytical skills with the ability to translate data into actionable insights
- You are comfortable navigating ambiguity and proposing structured solutions
- You have strong communication and stakeholder management skills; able to work effectively with both technical and commercial teams
- You are highly adaptable, resourceful, and proactive in taking ownership of outcomes
- You are curious, tenacious, and proactive.
- You are biased towards action and continuously stay scrappy.
- You treat those around you with kindness

Bonus if you have these attributes

- Experience in AI or data-driven industries
- Prior exposure to startup or scale-up environments
- Comfort with SQL, analytics tools, or low-code automation platforms
- Experience designing and implementing new business processes or systems
- Background in project management or change management

Protege Values Pass the Loved Ones’ Test We act with integrity and do the right thing — especially when it’s hard and no one is watching. Always Find a Way We are resourceful, resilient builders who solve hard problems and push through obstacles. Go Fast and Grow Fast Velocity matters. We move with urgency, learn quickly, and continuously improve as individuals and as a company. Practice Kindness and Candor We communicate directly and respectfully, building trust through honest feedback and genuine care for one another. Deliver Together We win as one team. Collaboration, accountability, and shared ownership drive our success. Own the Outcome. Hone the Craft. We take pride in our work, sweat the details, and continuously raise the bar for excellence.

## About Protege

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Protege is a platform for the secure exchange of proprietary, real-world data between data holders and AI developers, covering the full AI lifecycle from pre-training to evaluation.
- **Entity Type**: Private (Series A; $90M total funding)
- **Headquarters**: New York City, New York, United States
- **Founded**: 2024
- **Founders**: Bobby Samuels (CEO), Travis May (Chairman), Engy Ziedan (Chief Scientific Officer), Richard Ho (CTO)

## Core Business
- **Primary Industry**: Data Infrastructure and Analytics / AI Training Data Marketplace
- **Target Customers**: B2B – AI model builders (startups to enterprises) and data holders (healthcare, media, audio, video, physical intelligence companies)
- **Mission**: “Building a world where the right data powers AI for the good of humanity” – curating and connecting high-quality data with expertise while protecting and fairly compensating data holders.

## Products & Services
- **Protege Platform**: A marketplace and data infrastructure that enables secure, governed exchange of proprietary datasets for AI training.
- **Pre-Training Datasets**: Massive, diverse real-world datasets across industries for foundation model training.
- **Post-Training & Fine-Tuning Data**: Narrower, domain-specific datasets for supervised training and human feedback.
- **Evaluation & Benchmarks**: Contaminated‑free, real‑world test sets (e.g., Protege Evaluation Datasets and Benchmarks for Healthcare AI) to measure model performance.
- **Data Partner Revenue Program**: Monetization channel for data holders with provenance and rights protections.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation**: Not disclosed
- **Key Metric**: Total funding of **$90M** across three Series A extensions (Seed: $10M led by CRV; Series A: $25M led by Andreessen Horowitz, $25M led by Footwork, $30M extension led by a16z)
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: Andreessen Horowitz, CRV, Footwork; acquired Calliope Networks (Dec 2024)
- **Growth Signals**: Headcount of 63 employees (+203.7% YoY); operations in 6 countries; rapid hiring (14 open positions); active expansion into healthcare, audio, video, and spatial intelligence verticals

## Competitive Advantages
- **Trust & Governance**: Built‑in rights protections, provenance tracking, and security for data holders – a key differentiator in an era of IP and compliance concerns.
- **Domain Expertise**: Team of experienced startup operators and scientists with deep industry knowledge (healthcare, media, etc.).
- **Curation + Scale**: Combines curated, real‑world datasets with expert oversight, bridging the gap between raw data and AI‑ready training sets.
- **Early Traction**: Already serving customers across multiple high‑value domains (healthcare, media, audio, motion capture).

## Strategic Focus
- **Vertical Expansion**: Hiring General Managers for healthcare, video, audio, and spatial/physical intelligence to deepen domain‑specific offerings.
- **Benchmarks & Evaluation**: Developing sector‑specific evaluation datasets (e.g., healthcare) to become the standard for model testing.
- **Platform Growth**: Scaling the two‑sided marketplace to attract more data holders and AI builders globally.

## Why Work Here
- **Remote‑First, Locally‑Connected**: Default remote with regular company‑sponsored off‑sites for collaboration and team building.
- **Competitive Pay & Equity**: Premium market salaries and ownership through equity, aligning employee growth with company success.
- **Comprehensive Benefits**: Full coverage for medical, dental, and vision plans for employees and dependents.
- **High‑Trust Time Off**: Flexible, impact‑driven time off policy.
- **Culture & Values**: Emphasis on ownership, delivering together, ethical impact, and outcome‑focused work. Team includes early employees from Datavant, Verana Health, dbt Labs, Facebook, and Mastercard.
- **Growth Opportunity**: Rapidly scaling startup with clear path to leadership roles; active hiring in engineering, research, sales, and operations.

## Sources
1. [Protege Website](https://www.withprotege.ai/)
2. [LinkedIn Company Profile](https://www.linkedin.com/company/withprotege)
3. [Protege Careers Page](https://www.withprotege.ai/careers)
4. [Protege People Page](https://www.withprotege.ai/people)
5. [Job Board (Ashby)](https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/protege)

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