Senior Hardware Recruiter
At a glance
Senior Recruiting & Talent Acquisition role at Normal Computing Corporation. Palo Alto · full-time · $165,000–$195,000 base.
hrroles summary, based on the employer's posting.
What you'll do
- Run senior hardware, ASIC and silicon-architecture searches from role intake through offer close, adapting as technical hiring priorities change
- Find and engage silicon architecture, design verification and systems architecture candidates who are not actively job hunting
- Align with engineering managers on candidate standards and recalibrate as each search develops
- Use the WHO Method to calibrate talent and keep interview processes to four or five rounds at most
- Keep Ashby records and pipeline stages accurate, report on recruiting activity, and represent the team at DAC and similar events
What you bring
- At least six years of end-to-end technical recruiting, including direct hiring work with AI, ASIC, silicon or semiconductor engineers
- You have closed senior engineers when they had competing offers and can make a credible case beyond compensation
- You can discuss AI silicon and custom ASIC development knowledgeably with chip architects
- Advanced Ashby skills, or comparable ATS experience, covering candidate tracking, reporting and process automation
Who this fits
This senior role suits a technical recruiter who can work credibly with silicon engineers and hiring managers, and close experienced candidates in a competitive market. The position is hybrid in Palo Alto.
From the employer
Normal Computing | Build with Us
Normal is an applied AI company solving the hardest problems in AI and silicon. We build foundational hardware and software for the semiconductor industry, critical AI infrastructure, and the broader systems that power our world, in partnership with the world's most advanced institutions. We work as one team across New York City, Silicon Valley (Mountain View), London, Copenhagen, and Seoul.
The Role
Recruiting silicon talent is a specialist's craft: the candidate pool is small, every strong architect and DV engineer is fielding multiple offers, and the people you're hunting can smell a recruiter who doesn't know what a tapeout is.
As a Technical Hardware Recruiter, you will work on full-cycle recruiting for Normal's silicon organization. You will partner directly with hiring managers who are themselves deep technologists, source candidates who aren't looking, and close people who have every option.
What You'll Own
Full-Cycle Recruiting: Manage an end-to-end recruitment process for senior hardware, ASIC, and silicon architecture roles from intake through close, flexing to AI, silicon software, and other technical searches as priorities shift.
Strategic Sourcing: Identify and engage top-tier talent in unconventional silicon architecture, design verification, and systems architecture: people who are rarely on the market and need a reason to talk.
Engineering Partnership: Act as a strategic partner to engineering hiring managers, aligning on candidate qualifications, technical bars, and calibration as searches evolve.
Process Discipline: Run the WHO Method for talent calibration and maintain high-efficiency interview loops, targeting 4-5 rounds maximum so great candidates don't die in process.
ATS Ownership: Maintain impeccable data hygiene and pipeline flow in Ashby: clean stages, honest statuses, reporting the team can trust.
Brand Ambassadorship: Represent Normal Computing at industry events like DAC, engaging specialized candidates in the rooms where they actually gather.
What Makes You a Great Fit
6+ years of full-cycle technical recruiting, including direct experience recruiting AI, ASIC, silicon, or semiconductor engineers: RTL, DV, physical design, architecture, or adjacent roles
A track record of closing senior engineers against competing offers: you know how to sell equity, risk, and conviction, not just a comp number
Technical literacy across the deep-tech landscape: AI silicon, and custom ASIC development — you can hold a credible intake conversation with a chip architect
Advanced fluency in Ashby (or comparable ATS) for candidate tracking, reporting, and process automation
Operational excellence: low ego, comfortable with ambiguity, and able to move real work forward at the volume of a scaling startup
Bonus Points
Exposure to AI/ML and software engineering recruiting in addition to hardware expertise
Experience recruiting for unconventional computing or physics-based hardware architectures
Previous experience in a high-growth venture-backed startup, semiconductor company, or research lab
Equal Employment Opportunity Statement
Normal Computing is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other legally protected status.
Accessibility Accommodations
Normal Computing is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, please let us know at accommodations@normalcomputing.com.
Privacy Notice
By submitting your application, you agree that Normal Computing may collect, use, and store your personal information for employment-related purposes in accordance with our Applicant Privacy Notice.