Head of AI (a16z sr)
Sourcerer
Software Engineering, Data Science
San Francisco, CA, USA
Sourcerer builds AI agents that autonomously source and negotiate across B2B marketplaces — navigating platforms via browser automation, conducting multi-turn negotiations, and extracting structured quotes. Our mission is to transform how businesses procure goods by automating complex sourcing workflows end-to-end.
Role Overview
The Head of AI will own the intelligence layer of our platform and build the team that scales it. This role is strategic and hands-on, focused on designing robust AI systems that operate autonomously in real-world environments.
Key Responsibilities
AI Orchestration Design and optimize across multiple LLM providers, each serving different roles (conversation, reasoning, media processing)
Negotiation Engine Own the AI pipeline driving autonomous supplier conversations, including message generation, conversation assessment, and response routing
Prompt Engineering Design structured prompt systems across platforms for negotiation, supplier evaluation, and contact enrichment
Platform Expansion Extend AI capabilities to new B2B marketplaces and messaging channels
Reliability & Evaluation Build testing frameworks and evaluation practices for non-deterministic AI outputs
Team Leadership Hire, mentor, and manage a high-performing engineering team as the company scales
Minimum Qualifications
4+ years in software engineering, with 2+ years building production LLM applications (autonomous systems, not prototypes)
Hands-on experience with multiple LLM APIs (structured outputs, tool use, cost optimization)
Strong Python skills, including FastAPI, async programming, and Pydantic
Experience with browser automation (Playwright or Puppeteer) at scale
Background in early-stage startups or high-ownership environments
Proven experience hiring and managing engineers
Strong communication skills with the ability to translate AI capabilities into product decisions
