Founding Recruiter

Founding Recruiter

Build the team before the recruiting playbook exists.

One Conversation, Multiple AI Startups. You could apply to every startup individually. Or you could have one conversation and figure out which ones are actually worth your time.

Lumova Talent is connecting with exceptional recruiters interested in founding and early stage opportunities with high growth startups across the San Francisco Bay Area.

These aren't roles built around managing inbound applications. You may be the first recruiter in the company, working directly with founders to identify who needs to be hired, find talent that isn't actively looking, build the company's story in the market, and create the recruiting engine from the ground up.

What you could own

• Full cycle recruiting across Engineering, Product, GTM, and other critical startup functions
• Proactive sourcing of senior, staff, and other hard to find technical talent
• Talent mapping, market intelligence, compensation insight, and hiring strategy for founders
• Translating company growth plans into clear hiring priorities and search strategies
• Building the employer value proposition and compelling passive candidates to take a conversation
• Creating interview processes, recruiting systems, metrics, and candidate experience from the ground up
• Closing candidates in competitive situations involving compensation, equity, and competing offers

Who tends to thrive in these roles

• 3+ years of full cycle technical recruiting experience, with meaningful ownership of engineering searches
• Direct experience in a high growth technology company, startup, or similarly demanding recruiting environment
• Proven success sourcing and closing senior or difficult to find technical talent
• Experience recruiting beyond Engineering, ideally across Product, GTM, or other startup functions
• Experience advising founders, executives, or senior leaders on talent strategy and hiring decisions
• Evidence that you have built or materially improved recruiting processes, sourcing programs, interview structure, or recruiting infrastructure
• Strong understanding of technical talent and the ability to credibly assess profiles before handing them to a hiring manager
• A proactive, high ownership approach. You build pipeline rather than wait for applicants

We're looking for experienced technical recruiters who have already demonstrated the sourcing depth, judgment, pace, and ownership needed to operate as an early talent partner.

Location: San Francisco Bay Area, with many opportunities onsite or hybrid
Compensation: $150K–$220K base + equity

This is an ongoing Lumova Talent network for current and future founding and early stage recruiting opportunities.