Founding Technical Recruiter

Navigate AI•San Francisco, CA

About The Position

Senior Technical Recruiter — Navigate AI Why Navigate At Navigate, we’re building the AI copilot for the physical world—bringing AI, AR, and computer vision to the frontline workforce. We’re starting with construction, a ~$2T industry that still runs on fragmented, outdated workflows. We’ve partnered with some of the largest construction companies in the U.S. and have access to cutting-edge AI platforms—but the real challenge (and opportunity) is turning that into products people actually use every day in the field. This is a chance to help build a generational company from the ground up. We’re early, moving quickly, and making foundational decisions about the product, the team, and the company itself. The problems are real, the feedback loops are tight, and the impact is immediate. Our team is small, highly driven, and deeply product-oriented. We work closely with users, move fast, and take ownership across everything we do. If you’re excited about building teams from first principles, partnering closely with our exec team, and helping shape how AI shows up in the real world—we’d love to work with you. Role Overview As the founding recruiter, you’ll play a foundational role in building Navigate’s engineering and operations teams. This is a full-cycle role with high ownership—you’ll partner directly with hiring managers to define roles, build pipelines, and close exceptional talent. This isn’t a plug-and-play recruiting role. You’ll help shape how we hire, what great looks like, and how we attract builders who want to work at the edge of AI and real-world applications.

Requirements

Have 6+ years of experience in full-cycle technical recruiting, ideally in fast-moving or early-stage companies
Have a track record of hiring strong engineers or technical talent in competitive markets
Build trust quickly with both candidates and hiring partners, and operate as a true advisor
Are highly proactive and comfortable owning ambiguous problems end-to-end
Have strong judgment on talent and know how to identify high-signal candidates
Communicate clearly and thoughtfully, especially with senior or hard-to-reach candidates
Are detail-oriented and care about both candidate experience and operational rigor
Stay close to the market—understanding where top talent is and what motivates them

Nice To Haves

Experience recruiting for AI/ML, AR/VR, or product-focused engineering roles
Experience working closely with founders or executive teams
Familiarity with Ashby or similar ATS tools
Experience helping define recruiting strategy at an early-stage company

Responsibilities

Partner closely with hiring managers and technical leaders to deeply understand hiring needs and shape role definitions
Build and manage pipelines of high-quality technical talent across engineering, AI/ML, and product-facing roles
Lead full-cycle recruiting efforts—from sourcing and outreach through closing and offer negotiation
Craft compelling narratives that resonate with top-tier candidates, especially passive talent
Act as a strategic partner to hiring managers, advising on market trends, compensation, and hiring strategy
Continuously improve recruiting processes, tooling, and candidate experience as we scale
Maintain strong data hygiene and leverage tools like Ashby to track and optimize funnel performance
Help define and raise the bar for talent across the company
Contribute to building Navigate’s brand as a place where top engineers and operators want to work

Benefits

Be a foundational part of building the team and culture from the ground up
Work directly with leadership on some of the most important decisions in the company
Help shape a product that brings cutting-edge AI into real-world workflows
Join a small, high-ownership team where your impact is immediate and visible
Competitive compensation and meaningful equity

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