Recruiter
SkyHunter · Remote
$55k - $75k/year
The outcome
Own the hiring function for a fast-growing AI development studio. You build a talent pipeline of exceptional engineers, designers, and product leaders. You set the tone for company culture and directly shape what kind of team SkyHunter becomes. This role is critical to scaling from 5 people to 20+ in 18 months.
The client
SkyHunter — Remote. A support agents build we delivered end to end.
The challenge
SkyHunter is building the team that will define the AI development industry. We need an experienced technical recruiter who can identify, attract, and close top-tier talent in a competitive market. The role is full-cycle recruiting: source candidates, screen for technical depth and cultural fit, coordinate interviews, negotiate offers, and build long-term relationships with talent who may not move immediately but could be perfect 6 months from now. You report directly to leadership and have input on hiring strategy, compensation, and company culture. This is not a support function—you are a strategic business driver. Your work directly impacts whether we hire A-players or settle for good-enough. You will be measured on: number of quality hires per month, offer-to-acceptance rate (target: 80 percent or higher), average time-to-close (target: 2-4 weeks from interview start), new-hire retention at 6 and 12 months (target: 90 percent or higher), and strength of pipeline (50+ prospects at various stages).
What we built
- Own sourcing strategy: identify where top AI engineers, designers, and PMs hang out (GitHub, Twitter, newsletters, conferences, companies known for shipping). Build a repeatable sourcing machine. Don't post jobs on LinkedIn and hope; hunt. Maintain a live pipeline of 50+ prospects in various stages (initial contact, having a conversation, considering, about to move).
- Source actively and creatively: reach out to engineers on GitHub with impressive AI/LLM projects. Build relationships with people at leading AI companies (Anthropic, OpenAI, Hugging Face, etc.). Tap your personal network ruthlessly. Attend AI conferences. Get referrals from existing team members.
- Screen for technical depth: conduct phone screens that go beyond resume review. Ask about actual work done, trade-offs made, scale handled. You should understand enough about engineering to ask smart questions and spot bullshit. If someone claims to have built LLM applications, understand what they actually built.
- Understand role requirements deeply: work with hiring managers to translate 'we need a good engineer' into 'we need someone with 5+ years Python, production API experience, understanding of distributed systems.' Write clear job descriptions that attract the right candidates.
- Manage full interview process: coordinate scheduling, manage scorecards, gather feedback from interviewers, communicate transparently with candidates at each stage. Candidate experience matters—people who don't get offers should still think well of SkyHunter and refer friends.
- Close offers: own the negotiation. Address concerns. Handle counteroffers from the candidate's current employer. Get equity packages right so the candidate feels fairly treated. Don't lose the candidate at the offer stage.
- Analyze metrics and iterate: track where hires come from, which sourcing channels work best, which interview questions predict good performance, average time-to-close by role, offer-to-acceptance rates. Monthly, review what's working. Adjust sourcing strategy quarterly.
- Build culture: participate in hiring rubric design and onboarding. Help define what 'good culture fit' means for SkyHunter. Help new hires succeed in their first 30 days. Contribute to company values.
- Develop hiring strategy: input on compensation ranges, equity packages, benefits, team structure, and hiring roadmap. As the person closest to talent, your voice matters on what attracts and retains people.
The stack
Required: 3+ years of hands-on technical recruiting (you have sourced, screened, and closed engineers or designers in competitive markets). You have a network of at least 200 people in tech/AI/startup spaces. You understand what distinguishes a mid-level engineer from a senior, and you can spot bullshit on a resume. You have used applicant tracking systems and analytics to measure recruiting effectiveness. You are comfortable with rejection and iteration. Nice to have: experience recruiting for AI/ML/LLM roles, startup hiring at Series A-B, founder mindset, track record of building recruiting from scratch. You are scrappy, data-driven, genuinely excited about building teams, and can move fast without sacrificing quality.
Want something like this?
Tell us what you're building and we'll scope it — most projects start within a week.