Executive Search, Lead

Ambience Healthcare • San Francisco, CA

7h • $175,000 - $225,000 • Remote

About The Position

The Executive Search Lead at Ambience owns executive-level hiring for the Office of the President and CEO. You'll design the search process, personally source and engage candidates, manage external firm relationships, and drive closing motions — all in close partnership with the CEO, President, and VP of People & Talent.
There is no inherited playbook here. You're building Ambience's executive hiring capability from the ground up — the architecture, the relationships, the pipeline, the closing motions. The work is demanding, the hours aren't always predictable, and the bar is high. Executive searches don't run on a 9-to-5 schedule, and neither will you. This is a role for someone who thrives in ambiguity, moves fast without sacrificing craft, and treats every open search like their reputation depends on it — because at this level, it does.
What you get in return is uncommon: direct partnership with the CEO and President on the hires that will shape this company, full ownership of a function you'll build from the ground up, and the autonomy to build it your way, with the expectation that your way produces exceptional results. Few search professionals get this kind of access, scope, or seat at the table, especially at a company growing this fast in a space this consequential. If you want to put your name on something meaningful, keep reading.

Requirements

• 7+ years in executive recruiting or executive search, with significant experience personally sourcing and closing senior-level roles
• Experience designing end-to-end search processes with structured evaluation frameworks
• Track record of managing external search firm relationships and holding firms to a high bar
• Strong network in technology, AI/ML, or healthcare, or demonstrated ability to build one quickly
• Ability to operate as a credible peer to C-suite executives, not a transactional recruiter
• Comfort managing multiple concurrent high-stakes searches with composure and discipline
• Excellent written and verbal communication. You can brief a CEO, write a compelling outreach, and produce a sharp written assessment in the same afternoon. We believe writing is thinking, and this role requires both.
• Altitude flexibility. You can design the strategy and sweep the floors. Early-stage means wearing every hat until the team is built around you.

Nice To Haves

• Experience in high-growth startup environments strongly preferred. Backgrounds in management consulting, investment banking, private equity, or venture capital are a plus.

Responsibilities

• Design comprehensive search architectures (MOCs, scorecards, interview processes) for every executive and OOTP role — bringing structure and rigor where ambiguity exists, before any sourcing begins
• Personally source, research, and engage executive-level candidates — owning full-cycle top-of-funnel through activation. This is a hands-on role, not a delegation role.
• Select, engage, and manage external search firms, VC talent partners, and professional networks — owning all relationships, communications, and performance management. You hold firms to a high bar and aren't afraid to pull a search back when they're not delivering.
• Proactively build and maintain a passive talent pipeline — mapping the market, cultivating relationships, and surfacing high-caliber talent to executives before roles open
• Design and execute closing mechanics in partnership with the VP of People & Talent, CEO, and President — ensuring a compelling, well-orchestrated close for every executive hire
• Provide market intelligence on executive talent trends, compensation benchmarks, and competitive landscape — you don't wait to be asked, you surface what leadership needs to know

Benefits

• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage for you and your dependents
• 401(k) with a company match of up to 3% of base salary
• A remote-friendly culture (with a San Francisco HQ) and full equipment provisioning to ensure you can work effectively from wherever you’re based.
• Parental leave to support your family needs
• Annual company-wide off-sites, team off-sites and regular team lunches and all-hands gatherings, with travel, lodging and meals covered
• Flexible time off with no annual cap, company-wide holidays and an annual holiday shutdown from December 24–January 1 designed to support real rest and long-term sustainability.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Executive
• Education Level: No Education Listed