At Niantic Spatial, we’re building the future of geospatial AI. Powered by a proprietary database of over 30 billion posed images and a groundbreaking third-generation digital map, our mission is to develop spatial intelligence that helps both humans and machines better understand, navigate, and engage with the physical world. Our high-fidelity mapping technology unlocks a new dimension of interaction—laying the foundation for AI to truly comprehend and operate within real-world environments. Join us as we build a living model of the world that people and machines can talk to.

Niantic Spatial’s R&D Operations team powers our AI and mapping capabilities with high-quality real-world data. The AI Data Operations Manager will own end-to-end operations for AI data capture, geo scanning, and labeling programs, working across internal teams and external vendors to deliver reliable, high-quality datasets for research, ML, and product use cases. This role combines hands-on program management of field data collection (360 cameras, RGB LiDAR, drones) with scalable data and labeling operations management.

Responsibilities End-to-end AI data operations

• 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.

Field data capture (360, LiDAR, drone)

• 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

Vendor and partner management

• 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.

Labeling and data quality operations

• 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.

Program management, risk, and reporting

• Lead multi-month, multi-vendor operations such as large-scale drone and 360 capture campaigns (e.g., city-scale mapping projects and Drone ToGround 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.

Cross-functional collaboration and governance

• 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.

Role-specific requirements

• 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.

• Required In-Office Days:

3 days per week.

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