Founding Recruiter

Workstream • Menlo Park, CA

4d • Onsite

About The Position

Workstream is a mission-driven company building the all-in-one HR, payroll, and hiring platform for managing the hourly workforce. We are looking for a highly driven, entrepreneurial, and results-oriented Founding Recruiter to join the AI Agency startup we're building and become the very first recruiting hire dedicated to scaling the organization. This is a unique opportunity to build the recruiting function from the ground up within a fast-growing AI startup environment. As the first recruiter on the team, you will play a critical role in shaping how we attract, engage, and hire exceptional talent. You'll partner directly with founders and business leaders, helping define recruiting strategies, processes, and best practices that will support the company's growth for years to come. This role is ideal for someone with a staffing or agency recruiting background who thrives in fast-paced, high-growth environments and enjoys building from zero to one. You will own the full recruiting lifecycle—from sourcing and outreach through offer acceptance—while serving as a strategic partner to hiring managers and leadership. Unlike traditional corporate recruiting roles, this position requires a strong hunter mentality. You should be energized by ambitious hiring goals, proactive sourcing, candidate engagement, and building talent pipelines from scratch. You'll have the opportunity to influence hiring strategy, establish recruiting operations, and help shape the culture of a company at an exciting stage of growth. Success in this role requires urgency, creativity, resilience, and accountability. You'll work closely with founders and key stakeholders to build scalable recruiting processes, accelerate hiring velocity, and ensure we attract the talent needed to bring our vision to life. If you're excited by the idea of being the first recruiter at an AI startup, wearing multiple hats, and helping build something from the ground up, we'd love to meet you.

Requirements

• 5+ years of experience in agency recruiting, staffing, executive search, or high-volume recruiting environments
• Proven track record of consistently meeting or exceeding recruiting goals and performance targets
• Strong sourcing capabilities with experience building pipelines from scratch
• Demonstrated ability to operate independently and drive results with minimal oversight
• Exceptional communication, relationship-building, and influencing skills
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple searches simultaneously
• Experience using ATS platforms, recruiting tools, and sourcing technologies
• Comfortable working in a fast-paced startup environment with evolving priorities
• High ownership mindset and willingness to take accountability for outcomes
• Willingness to work from the Menlo Park office for 5 days per week

Nice To Haves

• Experience in staffing, recruiting agencies, or talent marketplaces
• Experience recruiting for startups or high-growth technology companies
• Familiarity with hourly workforce, staffing, or workforce management industries
• Experience recruiting across both technical and non-technical roles
• Prior experience helping build or scale a recruiting function

Responsibilities

• Own full-cycle recruiting across a variety of functions and hiring levels
• Proactively source, engage, and nurture candidates through outbound recruiting efforts
• Build and manage strong talent pipelines using LinkedIn, job boards, referrals, networking, and creative sourcing strategies
• Develop compelling outreach campaigns that drive candidate engagement and conversion
• Screen, interview, and assess candidates against role requirements and company culture
• Partner closely with hiring managers to understand hiring needs, align on candidate profiles, and drive hiring decisions
• Manage recruiting pipelines, hiring metrics, and candidate funnel performance
• Operate with a strong sense of urgency to meet aggressive hiring goals and timelines
• Track and report recruiting performance metrics, pipeline health, and hiring forecasts
• Deliver an exceptional candidate experience throughout the recruiting process
• Help refine recruiting processes, sourcing strategies, and operational workflows as the team scales
• Help manage other US role requisitions and support sourcing and other recruitment initiatives, where needed

Benefits

• Competitive salary and equity
• Comprehensive health coverage: medical, dental, and vision. We pay 95% of your premiums for our employees and 85% for dependents
• In office amenities and stocked kitchen
• 401K Plan
• Pre-tax commuter benefits
• Learning/development stipend
• Flexible PTO

What This Job Offers

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