Director, Talent Engine – OperateCo

Job Summary

The Director, Talent Engine leads the strategy, build-out, and operations of OperateCo's talent capability for Rackspace's Data & AI business: an internal engine that identifies, trains, certifies, and deploys technical operators, beginning with delivery on Palantir Foundry and AIP engagements. This leader builds the model alongside — not in competition with — Palantir's own Forward Deployed Engineer (FDE) program, learning its selection bar, training cadence, and certification discipline, and applying it to a Rackspace-owned and -funded pipeline. This leader partners closely with HR, Delivery, Engineering, and Business Unit leaders to build scalable sourcing pathways, a strong training and certification bar, and a high-performing operator workforce, with a mandate to scale the model from Data & AI into a Rackspace-wide talent engine.
Job Responsibilities
Identify – Talent Sourcing & Selection
- Build and run three merit-based pathways into the program: a high-school / early-career fellowship track, a non-graduate track, and a graduate track — mirroring the breadth of Palantir's own sourcing model.

- Define and apply a consistent merit bar across all three pathways, screening for agency, maturity, and technical aptitude rather than pedigree or tenure.

- Own sourcing volume, pipeline yield, and cost-per-hire targets; report on pathway mix and selection rates.

Train – Academy & Curriculum
- Design and operate a Rackspace academy that takes new hires from platform foundations to production-ready skills in weeks, not years.

- Use OneOS and live “Customer Zero” engagements as the training ground, converting real production work into structured learning.

- Partner with Palantir's training organization to align curriculum where possible, and build Rackspace-owned content where it is not.

Certify – Standards & Quality Bar
- Establish certification as the quality bar for deployment — not tenure, not headcount pressure.

- Drive every Rackspace Forward Deployed Engineer to Palantir Foundry/AIP certification (or the Rackspace-equivalent standard) before customer assignment.

- Own the relationship with Palantir's certification team to pursue shared standards, joint certification pathways, and reciprocal recognition.

Deploy – Workforce Planning & Operations
- Manage the bench-to-billable pipeline: forecast demand, plan cohorts, and deploy certified FDEs into private cloud, sovereign, and air-gapped customer environments.

- Track utilization, time-to-deploy, and post-deployment performance; feed results back into sourcing and curriculum design.

- Partner with delivery and account leadership so operator capacity — the binding constraint on every OperateCo deployment — scales with demand.

Program & Partnership Leadership
- Serve as the primary operating point of contact into Palantir's FDE program leadership on hiring, training, certification, and deployment practices.

- Build the business case and operating model to take the Talent Engine from a Data & AI pilot to a Rackspace-wide capability.

- Report progress, economics, and risks to the CHRO and executive sponsors; own the P&L logic that ties certification levels to billing tiers.

Required Qualifications
Education and experience:
- Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business, Organizational Development, or a related field (or equivalent experience). Advanced degree preferred.

- 8+ years in talent strategy, workforce development, or technical staffing leadership, including 3+ years building a training or certification program from scratch.

- Direct experience designing multi-pathway hiring programs (early-career, non-traditional, and graduate) at scale.

- Working knowledge of technical delivery models in cloud, data, or AI environments; ability to speak credibly with engineering and delivery leaders about what “production-ready” means.

- Experience partnering with or operating alongside a customer or partner organization on share