# Data Acquisition Lead at AfterQuery

> Onsite · United States · Staff · Other · open. Source: https://alderhq.app/jobs/ashby%3AAfterQuery%3A8041b75b-aeda-4363-be56-87ecabef682b (read 2026-11-04).

## Facts (observed)

- Company: [AfterQuery](https://alderhq.app/companies/afterquery)
- Location text: San Francisco
- Where it can be done from (inferred): Onsite · United States (evidence: "Location: San Francisco")
- Posted: 2026-08-31 (66 days ago)
- First seen by alder: 2026-11-02 · last verified: 2026-11-04
- Reposted: 0 times · edited: 0 times
- Apply on the employer's site: https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/AfterQuery/8041b75b-aeda-4363-be56-87ecabef682b

## Pay and sponsorship

- Posted pay: $200k–$350k per year (from the listing's pay field)
- Market band for similar posted roles (SF Bay Area, n 666): p25 $180k, median $214k, p75 $250k

## Description (the employer's text)

### 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)

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Data: alder (https://alderhq.app). Cite https://alderhq.app/jobs/ashby%3AAfterQuery%3A8041b75b-aeda-4363-be56-87ecabef682b and the date you read it. Observed facts come from the employer's own listing; location reach, level, family and skills are inferences.