Founding Recruiter, Technical
At a glance
Mid-level Recruiting & Talent Acquisition role at Lightfield. San Francisco · full-time · $170,000–$210,000 base.
hrroles summary, based on the employer's posting.
What you'll do
- Run technical searches from outreach through offer, concentrating on software engineering, machine learning and infrastructure hires
- Build outbound, referral and other sourcing channels to create candidate pipelines instead of depending on applicants
- Screen candidates and help engineering leaders set role profiles, assess talent and keep searches moving
- Shape a lightweight recruiting process, maintain candidate communication and track metrics to improve sourcing and conversion
What you bring
- At least four years handling technical hiring from initial search through closing
- You have recruited software engineers, machine-learning specialists or infrastructure talent, including senior or staff-level candidates
- You can find and engage technical candidates proactively, then communicate persuasively through competitive hiring processes
Who this fits
This suits a hands-on recruiter who is comfortable managing several searches independently, adapting as priorities change and making quick decisions. The role is based onsite in San Francisco, with Wednesdays available to work from home.
From the employer
About Lightfield
Lightfield is reimagining CRM as a world model of a business. By learning from emails, meetings, and customer conversations, we’re building a living understanding of how a company works—so AI can help teams anticipate what comes next, make better decisions, and take action.
More than 5,000 companies have used the product since its November launch. We’ve raised more than $70M from Andreessen Horowitz, Coatue, Maverick Ventures, and Greylock to attack the biggest software category in the world. We previously built Tome, which reached more than 25 million users, and our team brings experience from Llama, Instagram, Google, and Salesforce.
About The Role
Lightfield is reinventing CRM from the ground up - and we're doing it fast. We're an early-stage startup where every hire directly shapes our trajectory, and we're looking for a hands-on technical recruiter to help us build the next phase of our engineering team.
You'll own technical recruiting across the company, with a focus on scaling our Engineering team across software engineering, ML, and infrastructure. You'll work closely with our technical leaders to source exceptional candidates, run initial screens, manage processes end-to-end, and help us close great people.
This is a highly hands-on role for someone who loves recruiting, moves quickly, has strong judgment on technical talent, and wants significant ownership at an early-stage company.
What You'll Own
Full-cycle technical recruiting - end-to-end ownership across our technical roles, with a focus on scaling our Engineering team. Senior engineers, ML specialists, infrastructure leads - you know how to find them, pitch them, and close them in competitive markets.
Sourcing engine, zero → one - proactively build strong technical candidate pipelines rather than relying on inbound. You'll figure out where the best engineers are, how to reach them, and how to get them excited about Lightfield across outbound, referrals, and other creative sourcing channels.
Screening & talent judgment - run initial screens and develop a strong understanding of what great looks like at Lightfield, so our engineering team spends its time with the right candidates.
Process & tooling - implement the right amount of ATS structure and communication discipline for a lean, fast-moving startup so no great candidate ever falls through the cracks - without over-engineering for a company our size.
Candidate experience - run a crisp, high-velocity process that respects candidates' time and turns skeptics into advocates, hired or not.
Hiring manager partnership - work closely with engineering leaders to define profiles, calibrate quickly, keep searches moving, and identify what's working or not working in each funnel. Track key recruiting metrics and use them to continuously improve sourcing and conversion.
Who You Are
4+ years of full-cycle technical recruiting experience, ideally in fast-paced, high-growth startup environments
Strong experience recruiting technical roles across software engineering, ML, and/or infrastructure, including senior and staff-level talent
An excellent sourcer who knows how to proactively identify and engage exceptional technical candidates rather than relying primarily on inbound
A strong communicator who can get technical candidates excited about an early-stage company and help close them in competitive processes
Highly organized and able to manage multiple searches simultaneously without letting candidates or processes fall through the cracks
Comfortable with speed and ambiguity - at an early-stage startup, the priorities shift, the roles evolve, and the bar keeps moving; you adjust without losing momentum
Autonomous and decisive - you operate well as a team of one, make trade-offs without hand-holding, and iterate fast
Genuinely motivated by the mission, not just the process - you want to help build something from the ground up, not just fill seats
Benefits & Perks
Competitive salary
Meaningful early equity
Health insurance (medical, dental, vision)
3 weeks of PTO
11 paid company holidays + we enjoy a winter holiday break
3 months of paid family leave
Wednesdays work from home
Regular team dinners, events, offsites, and retreats
401k plan
Other perks include: commuter and lunch stipend