Founding Talent Lead

Symbolica AI•San Francisco, CA

3d•Onsite

About The Position

Symbolica is seeking a founding Talent Lead to spearhead hiring efforts, with a primary focus on recruiting AI research scientists in the US. This role involves close collaboration with founders and project leads to define role requirements, execute targeted recruiting strategies, build candidate pipelines, and ensure the company attracts top talent. The position offers a significant opportunity to shape the company's hiring infrastructure from the ground up in a zero-to-one environment. The role is based onsite at the SF office.

Requirements

Solid recruitment experience in an AI or deep tech startup, including establishing recruiting processes from scratch.
Proven experience hiring for AI research roles and understanding of ideal candidate profiles in this field.
Demonstrated success in using non-traditional and creative sourcing channels to reach hard-to-find candidates.
Deep understanding of sourcing tools, AI-powered recruitment platforms, and automation.
Experience organizing or utilizing hiring events (meetups, hackathons, conferences) for sourcing.
Confidence in running intake meetings with hiring managers and translating ambiguous requirements into actionable search profiles.
Ability to engage in meaningful conversations with candidates about their research and technical work.
Curiosity, resourcefulness, and persistence in finding great people.
Commitment to providing an excellent candidate experience at every touchpoint.
Willingness to work onsite at the San Francisco office daily.

Responsibilities

Lead hiring for specialized AI research roles, managing the entire process from sourcing strategy to offer.
Develop creative and personalized strategies to attract world-class candidates in a competitive market.
Build and manage US sourcing operations, including tools, AI automation, and processes for a startup environment.
Identify and engage talent through unconventional channels and niche communities such as conferences, meetups, and research forums.
Develop long-term pipelines of researchers and engineers by nurturing relationships proactively.
Collaborate with hiring managers to thoroughly understand role requirements and ideal candidate profiles.
Monitor the market to provide leadership with intelligence on compensation, talent availability, and candidate preferences.
Manage and optimize the Applicant Tracking System (ATS) setup and hiring workflows as the company scales.