Director of Recruiting

Palo Alto, CA | On-site $150K–$200K + 0.25–1% equity + full benefits

Our client is an early-stage robotics company based in Palo Alto, building advanced hardware for mission-critical environments. The company is currently operating in stealth mode, with more details shared during the introductory call.

First Director of Recruiting hire. Greenfield opportunity. No existing recruiting function, no established processes, no inherited pipeline. You'll build it from the ground up.

The role

Reports directly to the CEO. Owns recruiting end-to-end — sourcing, outbound, referrals, interviews, closing — for a company scaling from a handful of people to hundreds.

• Build the outbound and referral engine from scratch
• Hire exceptional engineers who aren't actively looking
• Create a recruiting experience that makes top talent want to bring the next 10 people with them
• Build and eventually lead the internal recruiting function

Who we're looking for

Fascinating human first. Sharp technical recruiter second.

Recently ran full-cycle technical recruiting at a boutique firm or early startup — hands-on, no big-company bureaucracy.

The founder strongly values candidates with unconventional life experience. Think expedition guides, wildland firefighters, military veterans, Peace Corps, conflict-zone NGOs, mountain or dive guides, elite hospitality, endurance athletes.

Example: at a previous company, the founder was hired by a recruiter who had run National Geographic expeditions in Sumatra, fought wildfires, managed refugee cases, and bartended at a World's 50 Best bar — before ever recruiting an engineer.

You don't need to match exactly. The point is the mindset: resourceful, intense, curious, unafraid to take the harder path.

Pace

This is an early-stage startup. The pace is intense. Long hours and occasional weekends are part of the journey. If the best candidate needs to be met tomorrow, you're already booking the flight.

Location

On-site, Palo Alto. Relocation support available. Travel expected.

Why this role

• First recruiting hire
• Direct partnership with the CEO
• Greenfield opportunity
• Build the recruiting function from scratch
• Shape every critical hire during the company's most important stage

We're not looking for a traditional recruiter. We're looking for someone who's always chosen the harder path — and is ready to use it.