Founding Recruiter / Talent Acquisition Lead

Job description

Founding Recruiter / Talent Acquisition Lead

Company: Cylake

Posted: Mar 13

Type: Full-time

Location: Sunnyvale

Salary: Negotiable

About the Role

We’re looking for a Founding Recruiter to join us as an early hire and build our talent acquisition function from the ground up. This is a highly impactful role for someone who loves rolling up their sleeves, partnering closely with founders and leaders, and designing scalable recruiting systems while hiring exceptional talent. We have an exceptionally high bar for talent, and this role requires deep judgment in identifying, assessing, and closing candidates who will meaningfully raise the bar and shape our team, culture, and long‑term success. We are looking for someone who can actively leverage AI and emerging technologies in innovative ways to streamline the recruiting process, identify top‑tier talent, and deliver a candidate experience that reflects our culture and values.

What You’ll Do

Hire the Earliest Team Members

Own full‑cycle recruiting for our earliest hires, starting with engineering and product

Spend a meaningful amount of time sourcing and engaging candidates directly, especially in competitive technical markets

Work closely with founders to clarify what we are actually looking for in each role and adjust as we learn

Balance urgency with rigor, optimizing for the long‑term impact of each early hire

Build How We Hire

Set up and own our recruiting foundation, including Ashby as our ATS

Continuously evaluate emerging technologies and AI tools to surface and engage top talent more efficiently

Design interview processes that are structured and thoughtful but not bureaucratic or inefficient

Help the team get better at evaluating candidates clearly and consistently to maintain a high bar for talent

Build the foundation of a strong hiring culture in the company that continuously improves as the company grows

Shape Culture Through Hiring

Treat hiring as one of the main ways we build and reinforce our culture

Hold a high bar for how people work together, take ownership, and show up, not just for their functional expertise

Create a candidate experience that is thoughtful, efficient and aligned with our values

Grow the Function Over Time

Help expand hiring into business and go‑to‑market roles as needed

Play a key role in deciding when it makes sense to add more recruiters or external resources to support increasing hiring plans

Help hire and mentor future team members who share a high‑bar, thoughtful approach

Use both data and judgment to inform hiring decisions and workforce planning

What We’re Looking For

Several years of recruiting experience, ideally in early‑stage startups or fast‑growing teams

Strong experience hiring engineering and product talent with the judgment to know what "great" actually looks like in technical talent

Someone who is comfortable working directly with founders and having real opinions that shape the future of our team, culture and company success

A track record of building or improving hiring processes, not just running them

High ownership, good instincts, attention to detail and care for getting things right

A genuine belief that early hires have outsized impact and a willingness to act accordingly

Curiosity and exploration of AI and other emerging tools to enhance recruiting impact

Nice to Have

Experience as a first or founding recruiter

Experience hiring beyond technical roles

Familiarity with Ashby

Interest in growing into a long‑term talent leadership role

We are committed to fostering a diverse work environment and proud to be an equal‑opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, veteran status, disability, genetic information, or other applicable legally protected characteristic.

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Worksite address

sunnyvale, CA, 94087, US

Who can apply

Review the original listing for work authorization, qualifications and employer requirements.