AI Hiring Index

Baseten · Operations · Lead / Manager · Posted 2026-09-10

Data Centers & Powered Land Sourcing Lead

Baseten · San Francisco · $175k–215k base

This range's midpoint is above 56% of posted operations ranges at AI companies right now. See the salary index.

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ABOUT BASETEN

Baseten powers mission-critical inference for the world's most dynamic AI companies, like Cursor, Notion, OpenEvidence, Abridge, Clay, Gamma, and Writer. By uniting applied AI research, flexible infrastructure, and seamless developer tooling, we enable companies operating at the frontier of AI to bring cutting-edge models into production. We're growing quickly and recently raised our $1.5B Series F https://www.baseten.co/blog/announcing-our-series-f/, led by Altimeter Capital, Conviction Partners, and Spark Capital. Join us and help build the platform engineers turn to ship AI products.

THE ROLE

This is a sourcing-first role, not a deal-closing role. Baseten needs someone who can build and maintain deep relationships across the long tail of data center and powered land providers, well beyond the handful of large, well-known players that everyone in the market is already competing for. This coverage area is a key differentiator for Baseten's broader compute strategy, so we're looking for the best possible person in this specific lane rather than a generalist. You'll own the full lifecycle of a sourcing relationship — from first outreach to ongoing management — not just the introduction.

WHAT YOU'LL DO

- Build and maintain a comprehensive map of data center and powered land opportunities, with a particular focus on the long tail rather than the handful of major, oversubscribed players

- Own the full sourcing lifecycle for each relationship — from identifying and reaching out to new providers, through negotiation support, to ongoing relationship management — not just the initial introduction

- Develop and manage sourcing relationships across neoclouds, hyperscalers, brokers, and independent operators

- Quickly and independently evaluate new sites and spaces to determine fit and priority

- Prepare business cases and cost analysis to support new data center and powered land opportunities, partnering with Finance where needed

- Maintain accurate records of suppliers, contracts, and commercial terms so the team has a reliable source of truth

- Protect Baseten's standing relationships carefully — this role requires real judgment about not burning bridges with the very providers we depend on elsewhere

- Feed market intelligence back into the broader Supply team, including regular updates on pricing and market developments, to support deal strategy and prioritization

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR

- A sourcer at heart, not a dealmaker — someone who thrives on building and maintaining a large network of long-tail relationships rather than closing individual transactions

- Strong project management instincts — you own the full lifecycle of a relationship, not just the handshake

- Background in neocloud, hyperscaler, or brokerage environments where data center or land sourcing was part of the role

- Ability to independently assess and prioritize opportunities without heavy hand-holding

- Comfortable with commercial analysis — building business cases, tracking costs, and engaging in contract-level conversations with suppliers

- Judgment and discretion in relationship management, given the sensitivity of sourcing from providers Baseten also depends on in other contexts

NICE TO HAVE

- Existing relationships across the data center and powered land brokerage community

- Familiarity with the broader GPU/compute supply landscape and how it intersects with power and site availability

- Experience managing supplier contracts or commercial records across multiple vendors or regions

BENEFITS

- Competitive compensation, including meaningful equity

- (U.S. only) 100% coverage of medical, dental, and vision insurance for employee and dependents

- Flexible PTO policy including company wide Winter Break (our offices are closed from Christmas Eve to New Year's Day!)

- Paid parental leave

- Fertility and family-building stipend through Carrot

- (U.S. only) Company-facilitated 401(k)

- Exposure to …

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See also: AI jobs in San Francisco Bay Area · Baseten salaries · Spark jobs.

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