Director of Talent

Vapi•San Francisco, CA

2d•$240,000 - $275,000

About The Position

At Vapi, the quality of every hire compounds. As Director of Talent, you set that standard and build the function that upholds it at scale. Take a strong recruiting foundation and scale it into a best-in-class capability with genuine sourcing reach, systems that make great hiring feel inevitable, and a reputation candidates respect. Own the full hiring plan across Engineering, Product, and GTM, and lead a team of recruiters who can execute searches end-to-end without defaulting to agencies. Raise the bar on every touchpoint: how your team runs intake, how candidates are treated at every stage, and how Vapi shows up in the market before a role is ever posted.

Requirements

7+ years in recruiting with at least 2 years leading a team at a high-growth startup in developer tools, infrastructure, or AI
Proven track record of building in-house recruiting capability that reduced or eliminated agency spend without sacrificing quality or speed
Deep sourcing instincts for technical talent. You know how to find engineers who aren’t looking and make them genuinely interested
Operationally sharp, direct, and a closer: you build the systems, give honest feedback to candidates and hiring managers alike, and get to yes

Responsibilities

Get close to every open search and the hiring plan behind them. Know what's on track, what's at risk, and why
Build trust with the team and the hiring managers you'll serve. Listen before you change anything
Audit the current process end-to-end: intake quality, pipeline coverage, candidate experience, and where time is being lost
Make early wins on the searches that matter most. Show the team what great recruiting looks like in practice
Close the highest-priority open roles without leaning on agencies. Prove the in-house model works
Ship an updated intake and scorecard process that makes hiring decisions faster, more consistent, and easier to defend
Map where Vapi has weak sourcing reach in technical communities and start building presence there
Give hiring managers clear, honest pipeline updates. Set the standard for how recruiting communicates with the business
Own the full pipeline with predictable coverage across Engineering, Product, and GTM. No search should start from scratch
Launch Vapi's first structured employer brand initiative targeting engineers and operators who haven't heard of us yet
Operate at near-zero agency spend without sacrificing quality or speed
Build the reporting cadence that gives you and leadership clear signal on recruiting health: pipeline coverage, time-to-fill, offer acceptance, and quality of hire