Head of Talent/Talent Lead

Client InformationWe're building an AI-native teammate that works inside the tools your team already uses, connects across your entire stack, and handles real work across finance, marketing, ops, and engineering. The goal: replace half your SaaS stack with a single coworker.Head of Talent/Talent LeadLead talent acquisition for a portfolio of early-stage AI companies — sourcing and closing top talent, designing hiring systems, and partnering with founders on org design. Onsite in NYC.Required SkillsSourcing. Screening. Negotiation. Organizational design. Talent metrics managementRequirementsNYC-based, onsite with the foundersExperience setting up a hiring functionAbility to hire across engineering, GTM, and opsExperience with AI workflows, scorecards, interview loops, ATS setupHigh taste for talent; ability to recognize A-playersThe RoleYou will own talent end-to-end across two fast-growing AI companies. This is not a "manage a team of recruiters" role. You'll be sourcing, screening, and closing top 1% talent yourself — while building the system that lets us 5x the team without lowering the bar. Every hire goes through you. You work directly with the founders. You will be the person candidates remember from the process — and the reason A-players say yes.What You'll DoRun full-cycle hiring for engineering, GTM, and operations roles across NYC, Warsaw, and Munich.Source proactively — outbound is the default, inbound is a bonus. Build target lists, write outreach that gets replies, run your own pipeline.Design the hiring system from scratch: AI workflows, scorecards, interview loops, calibration, ATS setup, referral programs, employer brand — built to scale from 20 to 100+.Close candidates. Negotiate offers. Sell the mission, the product, the equity, the team.Partner with founders on org design — who we hire next, when, and why.Own talent metrics: time-to-hire, source quality, offer acceptance, retention at 6 months.How You'll Know You're SucceedingFounders trust your shortlist without re-screening.Hires you've made are still here, still shipping, 12 months in.The hiring system runs without you having to be in every loop — but you still are, because you want to be.We're hiring faster than competitors and losing fewer candidates at offer stage.How We WorkSmall team, high trust, minimal process — but the process you build for talent will be the exception.Decisions are made by owners, not committees. You own talent.Onsite in NYC — hiring is a contact sport and the best calibration happens at the whiteboard, not over Zoom.Expect to run your first search in week one.You'll work inside products that are already changing how teams operate — you'll see that firsthand from day one.Briefing NotesMission & ContextOur client is an early-stage AI company building autonomous agents to replace the SaaS stack. This is the first dedicated talent role, created to build the entire hiring function from the ground up and scale the team from 20 to 100+ across NYC, Warsaw, and Munich. This person will work directly with the founders as a hands-on, full-cycle recruiter and system-builder.Candidate OverviewWe need a hands-on, full-cycle recruiter who has previously built a talent function from scratch at a high-growth startup. The ideal candidate is a 'doer' who will own sourcing, screening, and closing for technical (engineering), GTM, and operations roles. They must have experience setting up an ATS, designing interview loops, and creating talent metrics. This role is onsite in NYC and requires someone who thrives on proactive, outbound sourcing.Green FlagsWas the first or second talent hire at a successful, high-growth tech startup.Experience scaling a company from