Turing: Strategic Project Lead – Software Engineering

Job Summary

We are seeking a highly skilled and experienced Strategic Project Lead – Software Engineering to oversee and drive complex, multi-stakeholder technology projects. This role involves technical project management, team leadership, and cross-functional collaboration to ensure the successful delivery of strategic software initiatives.

The ideal candidate will possess strong analytical skills, proven experience managing distributed teams, and excellent communication abilities to engage with stakeholders at all levels. As a key driver of technical program success, you will lead efforts to optimize production performance, mitigate risks, and align project objectives with organizational goals.

Rate: $55/hr

Employment Type: Short Term Contract 1099

Location: WFH in ONLY these states

Alabama

Arizona

Colorado

Florida

Idaho

Iowa

Kentucky

Michigan

Minnesota

Mississippi

Missouri

Montana

New York

North Carolina

North Dakota

Oklahoma

Pennsylvania

South Carolina

South Dakota

Virginia

Wisconsin

Wyoming

Shift: 40hrs a week with a 4hr overlap with Pacific Time business hours

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage large-scale software engineering projects, ensuring timely delivery across scope, timelines, quality, throughput, contributor performance, and cost.
• Oversee technical project management activities, including planning, execution, monitoring, and reporting using appropriate project management tools for coding datasets, agentic trajectories, RL environments, benchmarks, and rubric-based evaluations.
• Define contributor requirements and partner with talent teams to source, assess, onboard, train, and ramp distributed software engineers.
• Direct cross-functional teams comprising software engineers, product managers, and other stakeholders to achieve project milestones.
• Communicate effectively with project stakeholders at all levels, providing updates on progress, expectations, risks, and key decisions to ensure the building of long-term client relationships.
• Build team-lead and reviewer structures for programs involving 100–1,000+ contributors.
• Identify potential bottlenecks or issues within projects; develop and implement solutions to improve efficiency and performance through better instructions, sequencing, incentives, review systems, and capacity planning.
• Define contributor requirements and partner with talent teams to source, assess, onboard, train, and ramp distributed software engineers.
• Manage risks associated with complex technical programs by proactively assessing potential challenges and developing mitigation strategies.
• Supervise technical project managers or program managers, providing guidance and support for their leadership roles.
• Act as the primary customer contact for AI labs, communicating progress, risks, quality trends, and recovery plans.
• Collaborate with distributed teams or contributor networks across various locations to ensure seamless coordination and productivity.
• Demonstrate strong analytical and problem-solving skills to define meaningful metrics that measure project success and operational improvements.
• Read and review code, understand test suites, and independently assess technical work in languages such as Python, TypeScript, Java, or Go.
• Use Python, SQL, or similar tools to automate quality sampling, defect analysis, throughput reporting, and operational reviews.
• Own quality-control systems, analyze datasets for trends and systematic errors, and address root causes.
• Translate research objectives into practical task specifications and push back when requirements may not produce the intended signal.
• Foster a collaborative environment that encourages innovation, accountability, and continuous improvement within the engineering teams.
• Convert successful workflows into reusable playbooks, quality controls, evaluation assets, and contributor-management systems.
• Share operational learnings and mentor other program leads.

Skills

• Proven experience leading complex software engineering programs involving multiple stakeholders in environments such as technology companies, startups, consulting firms, or finance sectors.
• Extensive technical project management expertise combined with supervisory experience in managing technical teams or program managers.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to identify operational bottlenecks and define metrics for performance improvement.
• Excellent communication skills tailored for customer-facing interactions as well as internal stakeholder engagement.
• Proficiency with project management tools commonly used in technology settings to plan, track, and report on projects effectively.
• Demonstrated ability to manage distributed teams or contributor networks across diverse geographical locations.
• Strong leadership qualities with a focus on team development, risk mitigation, and strategic alignment of projects.

This role offers an exciting opportunity for a strategic thinker passionate about leading innovative software engineering initiatives while fostering collaborative team environments.

Pay: $55.00 per hour

Expected hours: 40.0 per week

Work Location: Remote