hrroles

Founding Talent Partner

Kick Open · verified Oct 19, 2026
Palo Alto Full-time Mid-level Recruiting & Talent Acquisition

At a glance

Mid-level Recruiting & Talent Acquisition role at Kick. Palo Alto · full-time · $160,000–$200,000 OTE.

On-target earningsStated by Kick
$160,000 – $200,000
On-target earnings for this role, in USD per year, as published in the posting. Base plus commission; the split is in the posting.
RoleRecruiting & Talent Acquisition
SeniorityMid-level
LocationPalo Alto
EmploymentFull-time
OTE$160,000–$200,000
PostedApr 16, 2026 · 6mo ago
Role brief

hrroles summary, based on the employer's posting.

What you'll do

  • Run hiring from initial outreach through offer acceptance for go-to-market, technical, product and operations roles
  • Set role criteria and candidate scorecards with founders and hiring managers, then align on what strong candidates look like
  • Build the recruiting setup, including the applicant system, interview stages, structured feedback and employer branding
  • Find candidates through LinkedIn, personal networks, events and other creative routes, then track pipeline, hiring speed and conversion
  • Give every candidate a strong first interaction with the team

What you bring

  • At least three years of full-cycle recruiting, ideally including time at a fast-growing startup
  • A track record of closing both go-to-market and technical hires
  • Hands-on use of newer technologies in recruiting, plus proactive sourcing beyond inbound applicants
  • Strong organization and judgment while managing eight to twelve open roles at once

Who this fits

This role suits a hands-on recruiter who can build hiring processes from the ground up and close candidates considering larger employers. You’ll work in person in downtown Palo Alto four to five days each week, so you need to be in the Bay Area or willing to relocate.

From the employer

Why Kick

Kick is an applied AI company building the first self-driving bookkeeping experience. We’ve raised $20M from OpenAI, General Catalyst and Google Ventures to help millions of Business Owners and Accountants to automate the boring stuff–so they can focus on what matters most.

What You’ll Do

  • Own the full recruiting life cycle; including sourcing, screening, coordinating interviews, managing offers, and closing candidates across GTM, Engineering, Product, & Operations roles
  • Partner directly with the founders and hiring managers to define role requirements, build scorecards, and calibrate on candidate quality
  • Build Kick’s recruiting infrastructure from scratch (e.g., applicant tracking, interview processes, structured & automated feedback loops, and employer branding)
  • Source proactively through LinkedIn, networks, events, and creative channels
  • Track and report on recruiting metrics (pipeline health, time-to-fill, conversion rates) to continuously improve the process
  • Be a stellar first impression of Kick for every candidate

Ideal Candidate

  • Has 3-6+ years of full-cycle recruiting experience, ideally with 1-2 years at a high-growth startup
  • Has personally closed hires across GTM & technical roles (not just one or the other)
  • Has experience as a AI-Native recruiter, leveraging the newest technologies to find great candidates
  • Scrappy and resourceful sourcer who doesn’t wait for inbound applications
  • Strong closer who can sell a mission-driven startup to candidates weighing offers from bigger companies
  • Highly organized as this role will manage 8-12 open roles at a time
  • Excellent judgement on people with an ability to pattern match on quality, not just credentials
  • Comfortable building process from scratch rather than inheriting a playbook
  • Based in, or willing to relocate to, Palo Alto, CA (4 - 5 days / week in office)

Bonus if you have

  • Recruited for Applied-AI and/or FinTech companies in the Bay Area and/or Toronto
  • Experience building the recruiting tech & process stack from the ground up
  • Hired for Accounting, Bookkeeping, or Financial Services roles
  • Worked at a company during the “20 to 100 employees” growth phase
  • A network in the Bay Area and/or Toronto startup ecosystem
  • Partnered with or managed external recruiting agencies.

Location

  • Downtown Palo Alto, in person, 4-5 days per week
  • 1 block from the Palo Alto Caltrain Express stop
  • Candidates should be based in the Bay Area or open to relocation

What We Offer

  • Top-of-market $160,000–$200,000 total compensation + meaningful equity
  • Employee-friendly equity (QSBS eligible)
  • 100% employer paid medical, dental, and vision benefits
  • Apple laptop/headset, health/commuter stipends
  • Daily lunch and unlimited Verve coffee.