Data Acquisition Lead

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. Forbes reported that we could be YC's fastest unicorn, reportedly raising at a $3.2 billion valuation. 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: Forbes reported that we could be YC's fastest unicorn, reportedly raising at a $3.2 billion valuation, and we're not slowing down.

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.

As the Data Acquisition Lead, you will own AfterQuery's data acquisition commercial strategy: how we find and reach the companies that own valuable real-world data, how we price it, and how we negotiate and close those purchases. You'll own sourcing strategy, pricing and negotiation for our largest and most complex data deals. You'll work across Ops, Research, Legal and Engineering to determine what data assets to target and how to effectively obtain those assets.

Key Responsibilities

• Data Acquisition Strategy: develop and continually refine AfterQuery's data-acquisition strategy, identifying where proprietary enterprise and other data can meaningfully improve frontier model training and prioritizing target industries and partners accordingly, working in conjunction with the RL team and leadership.

• Sourcing Strategy: design a scalable system to reach the institutions and owners most likely to sell high ROI data, with support from Marketing.

• Build and Lead a Team: recruit and manage a high-performing team of associates to help source data acquisition opportunities; coach and manage the associates and build a team culture of urgency, ownership, and continuous improvement

• Deal Negotiation & Ownership: Personally lead negotiation of AfterQuery's highest-value, most complex enterprise data-purchase agreements, from term sheet through signature.

• Pricing: set offer prices, deal structures and walk-away points in a market with little public pricing data, where no two datasets are alike

• Vendor & Partner Management: Build and maintain a portfolio of enterprise data relationships, negotiating pricing, licensing terms, and renewal/expansion agreements.

• Cross-Functional Partnership: Partner with Engineering, Ops, Legal, and Research to ensure acquired data meets technical and compliance requirements and translates into usable training assets.

• Compliance & Governance: Ensure all data purchases meet legal, IP/copyright, privacy and data-governance standards.

• Reporting & Forecasting: Own the data-acquisition budget, pipeline, and forecasting, reporting progress and ROI to executive leadership.

• Operational Support: Contribute to company-wide initiatives across building, analysis, coordination, and execution as AfterQuery scales.

Required Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience negotiating and closing high-value enterprise deals, in enterprise data acquisition, strategic partnerships, corporate development, enterprise sales, or data/vendor licensing negotiation, including people-leadership experience

• Demonstrated track record personally negotiating and closing complex, high-value enterprise deals, ideally data-purchase agreements (seven figures or more)

• Deep understanding of data licensing structures, data rights/IP considerations, and data governance and compliance frameworks, or the ability to learn them quickly alongside Legal. Deal-making experience matters more than data experience

• Experience designing a scalable outbound or sourcing motion to reach many potential counterparties, and pricing assets that have few public comparables

• Excellent executive-level negotiation, communication, and relationship-building skills

• High agency and strong work ethic; comfort operating with minimal direction in ambiguous, fast-moving environments

• Genuine passion for AI and an entrepreneurial inclination

• Demonstrated competitive success

Company Benefits (For Eligible Employees):

• Health Insurance: Medical, Vision, Dental

• 401(k) with Employer Match

• Daily Meals: Daily UberEats Stipend

• Monthly Wellness Stipend

We are an equal opportunity employer committed to providing a workplace free from discrimination and harassment. Employment decisions are made without regard to legally protected characteristics under applicable federal, state, or local law.

We comply with applicable pay transparency requirements and provide compensation ranges based on the position, qualifications, experience, and other relevant factors. Reasonable accommodations are available to qualified individuals with disabilities and for sincerely held religious beliefs, as required by law. This job description is intended to describe the general nature and level of work performed and is not an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, qualifications, or working conditions associated with the position. We reserve the right to modify this job description as business needs change.