The deliberate pivot · AI & data science
I'm Mosa Rahimi—a Wharton MBA, Harvard MPA, and Amazon Leo leader. After two decades in operations, policy, and strategy, I'm deliberately building at the intersection of artificial intelligence, finance, and the consequential problems those systems create.
years across public service, policy, technology, and operations—now applied to AI
Selected impact
The settings have changed—from border security to advanced manufacturing—but the work has remained consistent: make the system legible, align people, and move the mission forward.
A non-peak Amazon record
Across all 34 Afghan provinces
Scaled from 5,000 personnel
Through operational systems design
Why this pivot
Operations taught me how large systems coordinate under pressure. Policy taught me how institutions shape outcomes. Strategy taught me where leverage actually lives. AI adds a new technical language—and a new set of consequential problems—at the intersection of finance, governance, and human-scale impact.
The journey
June 2025 — Present
Amazon Leo (Project Kuiper)
Redmond, WashingtonCoordinating production for Amazon Leo (Project Kuiper)—building the manufacturing systems behind the satellite constellation and translating complex aerospace operations into dependable human-scale execution.
2024 — 2025
Amazon
Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaLed high-volume inbound and outbound operations while building confidence, capability, and data fluency across frontline teams.
2019 — 2025
Dastranj
Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaA startup with a long-term thesis: apply AI, machine learning, and computer vision to the artisan goods market—building the supply chain, brand, and operating systems to connect craft producers with global demand.
2021 — 2022
Harvard Kennedy School
Cambridge, MassachusettsResearched international security and science policy while helping students connect machine-learning theory to working code and final projects.
2019 — 2021
Team Afghan Power · Refugee Investment Network
Philadelphia · Washington, D.C.Helped shape a five-year micro-grid and internet expansion strategy and supported capital access for refugee entrepreneurs.
2016 — 2018
CyraCom
New York CityServed as the center’s sole in-house Farsi–Dari interpreter across law, finance, medicine, and emergency response; evaluated 100+ applicants and eliminated outsourcing costs.
2015 — 2016
A new beginning
New YorkThe transition period: rebuilding from the ground up in America while staying focused on education and the long horizon.
2010 — 2014
DOJ / ICITAP
Kabul, AfghanistanCoordinated more than 70 capacity-building programs across 34 provinces and aligned 30+ government, diplomatic, and civil-society stakeholders.
2008 — 2010
U.S. Army Central Command
Kabul, AfghanistanAdvised senior leaders on culture, law, and policy; interpreted daily for high-level delegations and taught leadership, anti-corruption, English, and technology.
2004 — 2008
Afghan Border Police
Kabul, AfghanistanSupported the Director General as the force grew from 5,000 to 12,000 personnel across 19 provinces, 14 crossings, and four international airports.
Education
A dual graduate journey at Wharton and Harvard built the bridge between markets, institutions, analytics, and public leadership.
Finance · Business Analytics · Management
Public leadership · Policy · Technology
Finance
Border Police
My story is a humble journey of survival and triumph over some of the toughest challenges refugees and ethnic minorities encounter every day.
Citizen by choice
As a refugee child in Iran, I heard stories of technological progress over the radio. Years later, after serving at the center of Afghan public institutions, I came to America and started again—from minimum-wage work, without a professional support network.
I chose to share that transition, not hide it. It shaped how I lead: with empathy for the person behind the metric, respect for the invisible work, and the conviction that capability is often waiting for opportunity.
Before the boardrooms, institutions, and operations floors, there was family—the first system of resilience, responsibility, and hope.
Story 02 · The impossible dream
The chance of going to college felt nonexistent. So I worked night and day—through dust, grease, fields, and machines—while holding onto a future no one around me could promise.
The work covered my clothes. It never touched the dream.
Story 03 · Service under fire
For eleven years, service meant accepting real risk—from border provinces to counter-narcotics missions across Afghanistan. Every journey carried uncertainty, but the dream was never only personal: a safer, stronger future built through institutions that could truly serve people.
The danger was real. So was the future I could see beyond it.
Story 04 · The long road to the classroom
There was no straight line—only work, service, migration, restarting, and the decision to keep going. The journey moved through the American University of Afghanistan and, eventually, two graduate programs at Wharton and Harvard Kennedy School.
Distance is not destiny. Sometimes the longest road produces the clearest purpose.
Farsi Native
English Full professional
Pashto Professional working
Featured coverage
NBC10 Philadelphia documented two defining moments: fighting to bring family to safety and, after escaping the Taliban, choosing to step forward publicly.
A report on the urgent effort to protect and evacuate family members from Afghanistan.
View report NBC10 PhiladelphiaA public turning point after escape—moving from necessary anonymity to sharing the story openly.
View reportTechnical work
AI companies, policy organizations, and technical recruiters need artifacts—not adjectives. Here is code, analysis, and work you can inspect before we talk.
For AI teams & technical recruiters
I'm looking for roles and collaborations at the intersection of artificial intelligence, operations, and policy. Start with the artifacts above—or reach out directly if you see a fit.