Founding Recruiter / Talent Acquisition Lead

Cylake, Inc•Sunnyvale, CA

About The Position

We’re looking for a Founding Recruiter to join us as an early hire and build our talent acquisition function from the ground up. This is a highly impactful role for someone who loves rolling up their sleeves, partnering closely with founders and leaders, and designing scalable recruiting systems while hiring exceptional talent. We have an exceptionally high bar for talent, and this role requires deep judgment in identifying, assessing, and closing candidates who will meaningfully raise the bar and shape our team, culture, and long-term success. We are looking for someone who can actively leverage AI and emerging technologies in innovative ways to streamline the recruiting process, identify top-tier talent, and deliver a candidate experience that reflects our culture and values.

Requirements

Several years of recruiting experience, ideally in early-stage startups or fast-growing teams
Strong experience hiring engineering and product talent with the judgment to know what “great” actually looks like in technical talent
Someone who is comfortable working directly with founders and having real opinions that shape the future of our team, culture and company success
A track record of building or improving hiring processes, not just running them
High ownership, good instincts, attention to detail and care for getting things right
A genuine belief that early hires have outsized impact and a willingness to act accordingly
Curiosity and exploration of AI and other emerging tools to enhance recruiting impact

Nice To Haves

Experience as a first or founding recruiter
Experience hiring beyond technical roles
Familiarity with Ashby
Interest in growing into a long-term talent leadership role

Responsibilities

Hire the Earliest Team Members
Own full-cycle recruiting for our earliest hires, starting with engineering and product
Spend a meaningful amount of time sourcing and engaging candidates directly, especially in competitive technical markets
Work closely with founders to clarify what we are actually looking for in each role and adjust as we learn
Balance urgency with rigor, optimizing for the long-term impact of each early hire
Build How We Hire
Set up and own our recruiting foundation, including Ashby as our ATS
Continuously evaluate emerging technologies and AI tools to surface and engage top talent more efficiently
Design interview processes that are structured and thoughtful but not bureaucratic or inefficient
Help the team get better at evaluating candidates clearly and consistently to maintain a high bar for talent
Build the foundation of a strong hiring culture in the company that continuously improves as the company grows
Shape Culture Through Hiring
Treat hiring as one of the main ways we build and reinforce our culture
Hold a high bar for how people work together, take ownership, and show up, not just for their functional expertise
Create a candidate experience that is thoughtful, efficient and aligned with our values
Grow the Function Over Time
Help expand hiring into business and go-to-market roles as needed
Play a key role in deciding when it makes sense to add more recruiters or external resources to support increasing hiring plans
Help hire and mentor future team members who share a high-bar, thoughtful approach
Use both data and judgment to inform hiring decisions and workforce planning