Forward Deployed Engineering Manager at Labelbox

<div class="content-intro"><h2><strong>Shape the Future of AI</strong></h2> <p>At Labelbox, we're building the critical infrastructure that powers breakthrough AI models at leading research labs and enterprises. Since 2018, we've been pioneering data-centric approaches that are fundamental to AI development, and our work becomes even more essential as AI capabilities expand exponentially.</p> <h2><strong>About Labelbox</strong></h2> <p>We're the only company offering three integrated solutions for frontier AI development:</p> <ol> <li><strong>Enterprise Platform &amp; Tools</strong>: Advanced annotation tools, workflow automation, and quality control systems that enable teams to produce high-quality training data at scale</li> <li><strong>Frontier Data Labeling Service</strong>: Specialized data labeling through Alignerr, leveraging subject matter experts for next-generation AI models</li> <li><strong>Expert Marketplace</strong>: Connecting AI teams with highly skilled annotators and domain experts for flexible scaling</li> </ol> <h2><strong>Why Join Us</strong></h2> <ul> <li><strong>High-Impact Environment</strong>: We operate like an early-stage startup, focusing on impact over process. You'll take on expanded responsibilities quickly, with career growth directly tied to your contributions.</li> <li><strong>Technical Excellence</strong>: Work at the cutting edge of AI development, collaborating with industry leaders and shaping the future of artificial intelligence.</li> <li><strong>Innovation at Speed</strong>: We celebrate those who take ownership, move fast, and deliver impact. Our environment rewards high agency and rapid execution.</li> <li><strong>Continuous Growth</strong>: Every role requires continuous learning and evolution. You'll be surrounded by curious minds solving complex problems at the frontier of AI.</li> <li><strong>Clear Ownership</strong>: You'll know exactly what you're responsible for and have the autonomy to execute. We empower people to drive results through clear ownership and metrics.</li> </ul></div><h2 data-section-id="k5dw9e" data-start="434" data-end="507">The role</h2> <p data-start="509" data-end="672">We’re hiring a Forward Deployed Engineering Manager to lead the design, development, and delivery of reinforcement learning environments for agentic AI systems.</p> <p data-start="674" data-end="1039">You’ll manage a team responsible for building sandboxed, reproducible environments—terminal-based workflows, browser automation, and computer-use simulations—that power both model training and human-in-the-loop evaluation. This is a hands-on leadership role where you’ll set technical direction, guide execution, and stay close to architecture and critical systems.</p> <hr data-start="1041" data-end="1044"> <h2 data-section-id="1uboqym" data-start="1046" data-end="1067"><strong data-start="1049" data-end="1067">What You’ll Do</strong></h2> <ul data-start="1069" data-end="2186"> <li data-section-id="6ckvga" data-start="1069" data-end="1220"><strong data-start="1071" data-end="1121">Lead, hire, and develop a high-performing team</strong> of Forward Deployed Engineers, setting a high bar for ownership, velocity, and technical quality</li> <li data-section-id="1nwap65" data-start="1221" data-end="1336"><strong data-start="1223" data-end="1257">Own the RL environment roadmap</strong>, aligning team execution with customer needs and evolving model capabilities</li> <li data-section-id="7ax361" data-start="1337" data-end="1507"><strong data-start="1339" data-end="1388">Oversee development of sandboxed environments</strong> (terminal, browser, tool-augmented workspaces) that support deterministic execution and multi-step agent interaction</li> <li data-section-id="11zffv5" data-start="1508" data-end="1650"><strong data-start="1510" data-end="1567">Ensure reliability, observability, and data integrity</strong> through strong instrumentation (logging, trajectory capture, state snapshotting)</li> <li data-section-id="mpw1yj" data-start="1651" data-end="1768"><strong data-start="1653" data-end="1688">Drive infrastructure excellence</strong> across containerization, sandboxing, CI/CD, automated testing, and monitoring</li> <li data-section-id="1nv9ntv" data-start="1769" data-end="1928"><strong data-start="1771" data-end="1801">Partner cross-functionally</strong> with data operations, product, and leading AI labs to define task design, evaluation protocols, and environment requirements</li> <li data-section-id="vvie1y" data-start="1929" data-end="2062"><strong data-start="1931" data-end="1973">Enable rapid prototyping and iteration</strong>, helping the team move from ambiguous requirements to production-ready systems quickly</li> <li data-section-id="ava99w" data-start="2063" data-end="2186"><strong data-start="2065" data-end="2104">Stay close to the technical details</strong>—reviewing architecture, unblocking complex issues, and guiding design decisions</li> </ul> <hr data-start="2188" data-end="2191"> <h2 data-section-id="xs10nj" data-start="2193" data-end="2222"><strong data-start="2196" data-end="2222">What We’re Looking For</strong></h2> <p data-start="2224" data-end="2236"><strong data-start="2224" data-end="2236">Required</strong></p> <ul data-start="2237" data-end="2976"> <li data-section-id="r22txp" data-start="2237" data-end="2336">5+ years of software engineering experience (Python)</li> <li data-section-id="133wii" data-start="2337" data-end="2420">2+ years of experience managing or leading engineers in fast-paced environments</li> <li data-section-id="6lrs0m" data-start="2421" data-end="2513">Strong experience with containerization and sandboxing (Docker, Firecracker, or similar)</li> <li data-section-id="1dzgb3p" data-start="2514" data-end="2644">Solid understanding of reinforcement learning fundamentals (MDPs, reward design, episode structure, observation/action spaces)</li> <li data-section-id="bpae7k" data-start="2645" data-end="2720">Background in infrastructure, developer tooling, or distributed systems</li> <li data-section-id="1sn1o2o" data-start="2721" data-end="2812">Strong debugging skills and systems thinking across layered, containerized environments</li> <li data-section-id="kp5gfn" data-start="2813" data-end="2914">Ability to operate in ambiguity and translate loosely defined problems into clear execution plans</li> <li data-section-id="19l0wna" data-start="2915" data-end="2976">Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills</li> </ul> <p data-start="2978" data-end="2991"><strong data-start="2978" data-end="2991">Preferred</strong></p> <ul data-start="2992" data-end="3346"> <li data-section-id="jqx4lh" data-start="2992" data-end="3131">Experience building or working with RL environments (Gym, PettingZoo) or agent benchmarks (SWE-bench, WebArena, OSWorld, TerminalBench)</li> <li data-section-id="bimqhs" data-start="3132" data-end="3186">Familiarity with cloud infrastructure (GCP or AWS)</li> <li data-section-id="d0j4zi" data-start="3187" data-end="3268">Prior experience in AI/ML platforms, data companies, or research environments</li> <li data-section-id="3hy78k" data-start="3269" data-end="3346">Contributions to open-source projects in RL, agents, or developer tooling</li> </ul> <hr data-start="3348" data-end="3351"> <h2 data-section-id="1mcn5bt" data-start="3353" data-end="3381"><strong data-start="3356" data-end="3381">Why This Role Matters</strong></h2> <p data-start="3383" data-end="3573">RL environment quality is a critical bottleneck in advancing agentic AI. Poorly designed or unreliable environments introduce noise into training loops and directly impact model performance.</p> <p data-start="3575" data-end="3901">In this role, you’ll lead the team building the environments that define how models learn—working across a range of cutting-edge projects with leading AI labs. Alignerr offers the speed and ownership of a startup with the scale and resources of Labelbox, giving you the opportunity to have outsized impact on the future of AI.</p> <h2 data-section-id="3icmhs" data-start="116" data-end="137"><strong data-start="119" data-end="137">About Alignerr</strong></h2> <p data-start="139" data-end="427">Alignerr is Labelbox’s human data organization, powering next-generation AI through high-quality training data, reinforcement learning environments, and evaluation systems. We partner directly with leading AI labs to build the data and infrastructure that push model capabilities forward.</p> <hr data-start="429" data-end="432"> <h2 data-section-id="k5dw9e" data-start="434" data-end="507">&nbsp;</h2><div class="content-pay-transparency"><div class="pay-input"><div class="description"><p><em>Labelbox strives to ensure pay parity across the organization and discuss compensation transparently.&nbsp; The expected annual base salary range for United States-based candidates</em><em>&nbsp;</em><em>is below. This range is not inclusive of any potential equity packages or additional benefits. Exact compensation varies based on a variety of factors, including skills and competencies, experience, and geographical location.</em></p></div><div class="title">Annual base salary range</div><div class="pay-range"><span>$180,000</span><span class="divider">&mdash;</span><span>$220,000 USD</span></div></div></div><div class="content-conclusion"><h2><strong>Life at Labelbox</strong></h2> <ul> <li><strong>Location</strong>: Join our dedicated tech hubs in San Francisco or Wrocław, Poland</li> <li><strong>Work Style</strong>: Hybrid model with 2 days per week in office, combining collaboration and flexibility</li> <li><strong>Environment</strong>: Fast-paced and high-intensity, perfect for ambitious individuals who thrive on ownership and quick decision-making</li> <li><strong>Growth</strong>: Career advancement opportunities directly tied to your impact</li> <li><strong>Vision</strong>: Be part of building the foundation for humanity's most transformative technology</li> </ul> <h2><strong>Our Vision</strong></h2> <p>We believe data will remain crucial in achieving artificial general intelligence. As AI models become more sophisticated, the need for high-quality, specialized training data will only grow. Join us in developing new products and services that enable the next generation of AI breakthroughs.</p> <p>Labelbox is backed by leading investors including SoftBank, Andreessen Horowitz, B Capital, Gradient Ventures, Databricks Ventures, and Kleiner Perkins. Our customers include Fortune 500 enterprises and leading AI labs.</p> <p><strong>Your Personal Data Privacy</strong>: Any personal information you provide Labelbox as a part of your application will be processed in accordance with Labelbox’s <a href="https://docs.labelbox.com/page/job-applicant-privacy-notice">Job Applicant Privacy notice</a>.</p> <p>Any emails from Labelbox team members will originate from a @labelbox.com email address. If you encounter anything that raises suspicions during your interactions, we encourage you to exercise caution and suspend or discontinue communications.</p></div>