Technical Sourcer - physical sciences

Periodic Labs•Menlo Park, CA

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

Periodic Labs is seeking a Technical Sourcer to identify and engage exceptional talent for their AI and physical sciences company. This role involves sourcing for a diverse range of technical positions, including software engineers, ML researchers, AI scientists, materials scientists, chemists, physicists, and lab engineers. The position is described as high-impact and high-craft, requiring the ability to find rare combinations of skill and curiosity. The Technical Sourcer will work directly with the Head of Recruiting and partner with researchers and engineers to build candidate pipelines that match the company's ambitious goals. The role requires comfort operating in uncharted territory, crafting effective outreach, and evaluating technical profiles across various disciplines.

Requirements

5+ years of sourcing or recruiting experience, with a focus on technical roles in software, AI/ML, or deep tech
A proven track record of building pipelines for hard-to-fill, highly specialized roles — including research scientists, engineers, or other niche technical profiles
Deep familiarity with sourcing tools and platforms: LinkedIn Recruiter, GitHub, Google Scholar, Semantic Scholar, ResearchGate, and Boolean search strategies
Comfort reading and evaluating technical profiles across domains you may not have formal training in — you’re curious enough to learn the difference between an ML researcher and an MLOps engineer, or between a materials scientist and a chemical engineer
Strong written communication skills and a talent for crafting outreach that feels personal, specific, and worth responding to
Experience working with an ATS (Ashby, Greenhouse, Lever, or similar) and a track record of maintaining clean data and pipeline hygiene
High agency and comfort with ambiguity — you can build sourcing strategies from scratch when no playbook exists
Genuine curiosity about science and technology, even if you’re not a scientist yourself
Bachelor’s degree or an equivalent combination of education and training or experience

Nice To Haves

Experience sourcing for physical sciences roles: materials scientists, chemists, physicists, lab engineers, or hardware/instrumentation specialists
Familiarity with academic recruiting pipelines — PhDs, postdocs, and faculty — and how to engage researchers who aren’t on traditional job boards
Experience at an AI lab, deep tech company, national lab, or research institution
Knowledge of the AI/ML talent landscape, including key research groups, university programs, conferences (NeurIPS, ICML, ICLR), and where top practitioners tend to cluster
Experience using sourcing tools like Apollo, SeekOut, Findem, or similar AI-assisted platforms
A background in recruiting coordination, executive search, or research operations that brings additional context and rigor to candidate engagement

Responsibilities

Own full-cycle sourcing across technical roles spanning AI/ML research, software infrastructure, and physical sciences (materials, chemistry, physics, lab engineering)
Build and manage diverse, high-quality talent pipelines using LinkedIn Recruiter, GitHub, Google Scholar, academic databases, conference publications, and domain-specific communities
Craft compelling, personalized outreach that resonates with highly specialized candidates who aren’t actively looking — and convert them into engaged prospects
Partner closely with hiring managers and researchers to deeply understand role requirements, ideal profiles, and the nuances that separate a great candidate from a good one
Develop and maintain sourcing strategies for hard-to-fill roles, including niche scientific disciplines and emerging fields at the intersection of AI and physical science
Track pipeline health and sourcing metrics in Ashby (our ATS), including outreach response rates, conversion rates, and time-to-pipeline, and surface insights proactively
Continuously research the competitive landscape — knowing where top talent works, studies, and publishes, and staying ahead of hiring trends in both AI and deep tech
Attend conferences, research symposia, and recruiting events to build Periodic Labs’ presence and network in key talent communities
Collaborate with the recruiting coordinator and Head of Recruiting to ensure sourced candidates have a seamless handoff and excellent early experience
Contribute to employer branding efforts by helping articulate what makes Periodic Labs unique to candidates across scientific and engineering disciplines