Founding Recruiter

As a Founding Recruiter, you will build the entire recruiting function from scratch, including systems, processes, and employer brand. You will be responsible for full-cycle recruiting, sourcing, assessing, selling, and closing top technical (AI/ML/Eng) and operations talent. This role requires a player-coach mindset, executing hands-on searches while developing a roadmap for future team growth, focusing on improving hiring speed and quality, and championing candidate experience.

Must Have

• Build recruiting from scratch (systems, process, brand)
• Own full-cycle recruiting (source, assess, sell, close)
• Execute searches hands-on today, while building the roadmap for a future team
• Improve hiring speed and quality, track funnel metrics
• Champion candidate experience (fast response, respectful process)
• Partner with hiring managers to deeply understand roles, set priorities
• Source creatively beyond LinkedIn (GitHub, niche forums, personal networks)
• Close strategically (tailor pitch, explain comp, win against competition)
• Teach and train team on interviewing well, legally, and fairly
• Proven full-cycle recruiting experience, especially in technical roles
• Startup experience, ideally as a founding or first recruiter
• San Francisco market familiarity (networks, norms, compensation)
• Demonstrated scrappy sourcing chops
• Strong closer skills
• Comfort recruiting AI/ML talent
• Excellent written & verbal communication
• Low ego and high EQ
• Ability to operate in-person in SF
• Structured mindset (non-negotiables vs flex areas, prioritize profiles)

Good to Have

• Scrappy, resourceful, and relentless in sourcing
• Clear communicator who thrives in ambiguity
• Values-driven: cares about mutual fit, not just closing
• Excited to build something foundational at an early-stage startup

We’re building a gamified developer platform where tens of thousands of engineers create high-fidelity datasets that push LLM frontiers. Recruiting is mission-critical to scaling this vision. As our Founding Recruiter, you’ll build the function from zero: systems, process, and brand. You’ll start as a player-coach—sourcing, selling, and closing top talent—then grow into leading a team that scales with us.

What You’ll Do

• Build recruiting from scratch: Design and implement the tools, processes, brand, and training to scale hiring.
• Own full-cycle recruiting: Source, assess, sell, and close candidates across technical (AI/ML/Eng) and ops roles.
• Be a player-coach: Execute searches hands-on today, while building the roadmap for a future team.
• Improve speed and quality: Shorten time-to-fill, track funnel metrics, and instill rigor into every stage of hiring.
• Champion candidate experience: Protect our brand, ensure fast response times, and run a respectful, engaging process.
• Run great intakes: Partner with hiring managers to deeply understand roles, set priorities, and flex across disciplines.
• Source creatively: Go beyond LinkedIn (GitHub, niche forums, personal networks) to surface hidden talent.
• Close strategically: Tailor the pitch to each candidate’s motivations, explain equity/comp packages, and win against competition.
• Teach & train: Help the team interview well, legally, and fairly; build structured processes and rubrics.

You’ll Succeed Here If You Have

• Proven full-cycle recruiting experience, especially in technical roles.
• Startup experience—ideally as a founding or first recruiter, with bias toward small-company breadth over big-company depth.
• San Francisco market familiarity—strong local networks, norms, and understanding of compensation standards.
• Demonstrated scrappy sourcing chops—you can show us creative tactics that worked.
• Strong closer skills—able to handle competitive offers and tailor sell-stories to candidate motivations.
• Comfort recruiting AI/ML talent; you know where to find them and how to get their attention.
• Excellent written & verbal communication with low ego and high EQ.
• Ability to operate in-person with us in SF (especially in the early stage) to embed with the team.
• A structured mindset: clarity on non-negotiables vs flex areas, and how to prioritize candidate profiles.

Characteristics We’re Looking For

• Scrappy, resourceful, and relentless in sourcing.
• Clear communicator who thrives in ambiguity.
• Values-driven: cares about mutual fit, not just closing.
• Excited to build something foundational at an early-stage startup.