Head of Talent

Persona AI Inc • Houston, TX

9d

About The Position

Persona AI is building the future of humanoid robotics. We've scaled from 5 to 45 people in record time, and we're just getting started. As we prepare to grow to 80+ over the next year, we need someone exceptional to lead our talent function—someone who sees recruiting not as a transaction, but as the foundation of everything we're building.
The Opportunity
This isn't a traditional HR role. You'll be our Head of Talent & Recruiting, owning the entire talent acquisition function end-to-end while helping us build a world-class people experience. You'll be hunting for robotics engineers, AI researchers, and hardware specialists in one of the most competitive talent markets in the world.
You'll report directly to leadership and have the autonomy to build a team, systems, processes, and a team that reflects your vision for what recruiting can be in the age of AI.
Who you Are
You have a deep love for people and believe that building the right team is some of the most important work a company can do. You understand that recruiting is relationship-building at scale, and you're energized by the challenge of matching brilliant people with meaningful work.
You're a go-getter and an out-of-the-box thinker. You don't wait for permission; you see what needs to happen and make it happen. You have grit—you know that finding the right robotics engineer or ML researcher takes persistence, creativity, and resilience.
You're rigorous about systems and process, but people leave conversations with you feeling energized, not drained—you're type-A with heart.
You're excited to be part of something that matters—building technology that will change how humans and robots work together.

Requirements

• 10+ years in recruiting, with your career rooted in talent acquisition (you've lived this work, not stumbled into it)
• Startup DNA: You've helped a company scale through critical growth stages (seed through Series B ideal) and know what it takes to recruit in high-growth, resource-constrained environments
• Deep technical recruiting experience: You've hired engineers, researchers, or highly specialized technical talent and know how to assess for skills you don't personally have
• Proven systems expertise: You've built or optimized ATS platforms, recruiting workflows, and data infrastructure that drives results
• Master connector energy: You genuinely love people. You build relationships that last. Your network is your superpower.
• Scrappy and resourceful: When the path isn't clear, you create one. You find ways to win even when resources are tight.
• Candidate experience obsession: You know that how someone feels during the interview process matters as much as whether they get hired
• Leadership capability: You can build, inspire, and manage a team while still being willing to roll up your sleeves
• Intellectual curiosity about AI: You're genuinely excited about how AI is transforming recruiting and want to be on the leading edge, not playing catch-up

Nice To Haves

• Experience recruiting in robotics, hardware, deep tech, or defense industries
• If not, a demonstrated commitment to becoming an expert in niche, technical domains
• Comfort in ambiguity and, at times, unstructured environments—you thrive where others freeze

Responsibilities

• Lead full-cycle recruiting for highly technical roles across robotics, AI/ML, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, and more—roles that require deep industry understanding and creative sourcing strategies
• Build and optimize recruiting infrastructure: ATS systems, passive candidate pipelines, talent communities, and data-driven processes that scale.
• Care deeply about the candidate experience: Every touchpoint matters. You sweat the details—response times, interview debriefs, rejection messages, offer presentations. Every touchpoint reflects our values and reinforces our brand.
• Build trust with candidates, hiring managers, and teams: You know that great recruiting is built on relationships, not transactions. People trust you because you genuinely care about their success.
• Design employee experience and retention strategies: You'll optimize onboarding, implement engagement surveys and feedback loops, track retention metrics to identify flight risks early, conduct career development and compensation benchmarking conversations, build recognition programs, and use exit interview insights to continuously improve how we keep our best people.
• Develop passive recruiting funnels that keep us connected and engaging with top talent.
• Help to scale the team from 40 to 80+ employees over the next year, maintaining quality and culture while moving at startup speed
• Be a systems thinker: Build frameworks for intake, assessment, offer strategy, and onboarding that can scale as we grow
• Lead and build a recruiting team as we expand—mentoring, coaching, and setting the standard for excellence
• Stay at the forefront of AI-enabled recruiting: The tools are changing rapidly. You're excited to experiment, implement, and establish best practices for AI-augmented talent acquisition

Benefits

• Enjoy full access to advanced prototyping tools, labs, and the freedom to experiment and innovate.
• We offer competitive compensation, excellent benefits, flexible work environment, and equity opportunities.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: No Education Listed
• Number of Employees: 1-10 employees