Strategic Projects Lead - Legal
AfterQuery
OnSite
San Francisco
Public Relations
Advertising
Job Score
90 pts
On-site model (+70)
Public Relations (+10)
Advertising (+10)
About AfterQuery
AfterQuery is an applied research lab curating data solutions for foundation model development.
We serve every frontier AI lab with the mission of delivering the best data to power the best models. In doing so, we can make expertise that once took a lifetime to build available to anyone who needs it. Our customers are the ones building the foundation models themselves and our work sits directly in the loop of how those systems improve.
This is a rare opportunity to join a company at a defining moment in AI. Since raising our $30M Series A at a $300M valuation, AfterQuery has grown well over a $100M revenue run rate.
We're based in San Francisco and backed by leading investors including Altos Ventures, BoxGroup, and Y Combinator and angels from Google DeepMind, OpenAI, Anthropic, Meta Superintelligence Labs, and Microsoft AI.
Why Apply
Massive Opportunity:
We were one of the fastest-growing YC companies in our batch, and we believe we can become one of the fastest-growing YC companies of all time.
Founding Impact:
You will own and architect core infrastructure systems that power our platform from the ground up.
Equity & Growth:
Competitive salary and meaningful equity. As we scale, you’ll have the opportunity to shape the engineering organization and lead major technical initiatives.
Strong Team:
Our founding team has experience from Citadel Securities, Meta, Google, Silver Lake, and Morgan Stanley — work alongside world-class engineers and researchers.
Overview
Responsibilities
Project and client management: Partner directly with frontier AI labs on their legal data and evaluation needs — scoping the problem, translating it into a deliverable program, and driving revenue.
Manage expert contractor teams: Recruit and lead practicing attorneys and specialists across practice areas and jurisdictions — litigation, corporate and M&A, regulatory, IP, tax, employment — and hold a high bar on the quality of what they produce.
Shape AI training: Design the specifications behind legal reasoning datasets, contract and document review tasks, statutory and case-law interpretation problems, multi-step research workflows, and the rubrics used to grade them.
Define what "correct" means: Build the grading standards and evaluation criteria that let a lab distinguish real legal reasoning from confident-sounding error, including citation integrity and jurisdictional accuracy.
End-to-end execution: Own projects from scoping through final delivery, in a fast-moving environment where the spec often does not exist yet.
Operational impact: Support initiatives across building, analysis, coordination, and
Required Qualifications
3+ years practicing law at a leading firm, in-house at a sophisticated company, a government or regulatory body, or a legal AI startup.
JD (or equivalent qualification) and a track record of substantive legal work: you have drafted, negotiated, litigated, or advised, not just coordinated.
Deep command of legal reasoning and research methodology, and strong opinions about what separates rigorous analysis from surface-level answers.
High agency and the ability to execute in ambiguity; comfort defining the problem before solving it.
Analytical ability; can break down complex legal problems and work flows into component parts.
Genuine passion for AI and interest in entrepreneurship.
Demonstrated track record of competitive success.
Strong leadership and communication skills.
Comfort with data and AI tools.
Preferred Qualifications
Python proficiency or hands-on experience with data analysis.
Experience with legal technology, e-discovery, contract analytics, or AI-assisted legal workflows.
Depth in a technically demanding practice area (securities, antitrust, tax, patent prosecution, complex regulatory).
Multi-jurisdictional or non-US legal experience.
Experience using AI tools to automate workflows and build products.
About Public Relations
The Public Relations (PR) area focuses on managing the reputation, image, and communication of an organization with its various stakeholders (such as clients, investors, employees, media, and the community). PR professionals develop corporate communication strategies, manage media relations (press relations), organize institutional events, and work in image crisis prevention and management.
About Advertising
The Advertising area is aimed at the planning, creation, and delivery of communication campaigns to promote brands, products, ideas, or services. Professionals in the sector work in advertising agencies or in-house marketing departments in creative fields (art direction, copywriting), strategic planning, account management, and media buying.
Discover Other Areas
Understand the scope of work, key skills, and tools used in different career areas.
About Product Owner
The Product Owner (PO) is the professional responsible for maximizing the value of the product delivered by the development team. They act as the voice of the customer and stakeholders, managing and prioritizing the product backlog, defining clear user stories, and ensuring the team works on the most valuable items for the business.
Key skills include backlog management, user story writing, prioritization (Mascow, RICE), agile methodologies (Scrum, Kanban), and stakeholder communication. Knowledge of tools like Jira, Trello, Azure DevOps, and Miro is essential.
Product Owners are highly sought-after professionals in the technology market, working collaboratively with Scrum Masters, Product Managers, and engineering teams to drive agility and continuous value delivery.
About Finance
The Finance area in technology companies combines traditional financial knowledge with advanced digital tools. FP&A, controlling, and corporate finance professionals are essential for the organization's financial health.
Key skills include financial modeling, metrics analysis (MRR, ARR, LTV, CAC), ERP (SAP, Oracle), and BI tools. Certifications like CFA and CPA-20 are differentiators.
The financial sector offers stable opportunities with competitive salaries, especially in fintechs and large technology companies.
About Engineering
Software Engineering goes beyond traditional development, focusing on scalability, performance, and system architecture. Software engineers are responsible for designing infrastructures that support millions of simultaneous users.
Skills include microservices architecture, DevOps, cloud computing, application security, and performance optimization. Knowledge of containerization (Docker, Kubernetes) and CI/CD is increasingly required.
Senior software engineers are rare and highly compensated professionals, with opportunities at major global tech companies.
About Product Management
Product Management is one of the most strategically relevant areas in technology organizations. The Product Manager is responsible for defining product vision, prioritizing features, and coordinating multidisciplinary teams to deliver value to users.
Essential skills include strategic thinking, data analysis, communication, leadership, and technical knowledge. Tools like Jira, Confluence, Miro, and analytics platforms are fundamental in daily work.
Salaries for PMs range from entry-level to senior positions at major tech companies, with growing opportunities for international remote work.
About Branding
Branding is the area responsible for building, managing, and strengthening a brand's identity and market value. Branding professionals create strategies that define how the brand is perceived by the public, from the logo to the complete customer experience.
Key skills include brand strategy, visual identity, brand guidelines, positioning, naming, brand voice, market research, brand equity, and brand management. Knowledge of graphic design (Figma, Illustrator, Photoshop), storytelling, and brand experience is a differentiator.
Branding professionals in technology companies are highly valued, especially those who master employer branding, digital branding, and can build strong, memorable brands in competitive markets. The field offers opportunities from brand designer to head of brand, with a focus on identity, differentiation, and perceived value.