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San Francisco, California, United States
Onsite
Spun out of MIT CSAIL, we build general-purpose AI systems that run efficiently across deployment targets, from data center accelerators to on-device hardware, ensuring low latency, minimal memory usage, privacy, and reliability. We partner with enterprises across consumer electronics, automotive, life sciences, and financial services. We are scaling rapidly and need exceptional people to help us get there.
Liquid AI is hiring fast across the business, and our high-output recruiting team is how we win the talent that defines us. This is a full-cycle role in San Francisco, owning hiring across the full spectrum: engineering and research, product, solutions architecture, GTM, and G&A.
Recruiting here is a highly ambiguous, build-from-scratch environment. We are hiring for most of these roles for the first time, so you will define brand-new roles, build the rubrics, coach stakeholders, and bring in exceptional people. You will run your searches with high agency and minimal supervision, with a manager who will still mentor you.
We need someone who:
Operates as a talent partner, not just a recruiter: You measure yourself by what is best for the business, not seats filled.
Builds in ambiguity: You are energized by undefined problems and create structure where there is none.
Thinks strategically and proactively: You read the data, anticipate where a search will stall, and unblock it before it becomes a problem, rather than reacting after the fact.
Prioritizes ruthlessly: In a high-noise environment with endless problems to solve, you know exactly where your time creates the most leverage, and you protect it.
Brings genuine passion for the craft: You are eager to learn and grow. You may not have the full strategic scope on day one, but it is obvious you will get there.
Runs autonomously, with high agency: You thrive with minimal supervision, while still wanting a manager who will mentor and stretch you.
Own full-cycle hiring across the spectrum as the in-person anchor in San Francisco, running on-sites and closing senior and executive hires face-to-face.
Coach stakeholders and partner with senior leaders and the C-suite to define brand-new roles before they kick off.
Identify the best talent: go beyond LinkedIn and build the evidence for why a candidate is the best, not just available.
Build rigorous, role-specific evaluation from scratch: define what 'good' looks like, assessing for the attributes and values that predict success, not just skills, and make the process itself a reason candidates want to join.
Win and close the candidates that matter, and prioritize ruthlessly: sharpen the value proposition, read the data to unblock stalling searches before they become problems, and gather market intel.
Close the loop on quality and run a clean operation: measure quality of hire and run look-backs, keep Ashby data reportable, document process in Notion, and use AI-enabled workflows to move faster.
Must-have:
Proven depth in full-cycle recruiting for research, engineering, or other deeply technical roles, with the seniority to own complex searches end-to-end.
A track record of winning competitive closes: competing offers, equity education, total-compensation narrative, creative engagement, and in-person closes
Builder in ambiguity: you have defined roles, rubrics, and evaluation processes from scratch and coached hiring managers, including first-timers
Strong ATS discipline (Ashby or comparable) plus recruiting-data rigor: structured screens, scorecards, calibrated loops, and accurate, reportable metrics (time-to-fill, pass-through, quality of hire)
Based in San Francisco and able to work from the office 4+ days per week and host candidate onsites
Nice-to-have:
AI / ML or deep-tech recruiting experience
Early-stage (seed to Series C) team-building experience, where you helped build the motion rather than execute a mature playbook
Experience building quality-of-hire and retention loops: onboarding check-ins, hire look-backs, and calibration back into evaluation
Demonstrated range across product, GTM, G&A, and customer-facing technical roles (or a clear, evidenced ability to flex into them)
You own and close a full book across engineering, product, solutions architecture, GTM, and G&A end-to-end
You run independently, trusted with judgment calls, sustaining hiring quality and pace
New and ambiguous roles get clear, role-specific rubrics and evaluation loops, and hiring managers are measurably better at hiring because of how you coach them.
P0 roles close faster, and you have quality-of-hire and look-back loops running that feed back into our evaluation.
Real ownership with a direct mentor and room to grow: Run your searches end to end, and your judgment directly shapes who joins Liquid as we scale.
Compensation: Competitive base salary with equity in a unicorn-stage company
Health: We pay 100% of medical, dental, and vision premiums for employees and dependents
Financial: 401(k) matching up to 4% of base pay
Time Off: Unlimited PTO plus company-wide Refill Days throughout the year
