Senior Technical Recruiter

Job description

Company Overview: We are building Protege to solve the biggest unmet need in AI — getting access to the right training data. The process today is time intensive, incredibly expensive, and often ends in failure. The Protege platform facilitates the secure, efficient, and privacy-centric exchange of AI training data. Solving AI’s data problem is a generational opportunity. We’re backed by world-class investors and already powering partnerships with some of the most ambitious teams in AI. The company that succeeds will be one of the largest in AI — and in tech. We’re a lean, fast-moving, high-trust team of builders who are obsessed with velocity and impact. Our culture is built for people who thrive on ambiguity, own outcomes, and want to shape the future of data and AI. WHAT YOU’LL DO As a Senior Technical Recruiter at Protege, you will own the end-to-end recruiting process for critical technical roles, partnering closely with hiring managers and leadership to identify, attract, and close exceptional talent. You’ll bring strong technical recruiting judgment, sophisticated sourcing skills, and a high level of ownership to every search. You’ll be expected to understand the technical requirements behind our roles, challenge assumptions when needed, build creative sourcing strategies, and keep searches moving with urgency. This is a high-impact role for someone who can operate independently, manage multiple priorities, and consistently deliver high-quality hires in a fast-moving, high-growth environment. - Own full-cycle recruiting for multiple technical searches simultaneously, from intake through offer negotiation and close - Partner closely with hiring managers to define role requirements, success profiles, interview strategies, and talent-market positioning - Develop and execute creative, data-driven sourcing strategies to identify and engage exceptional technical talent - Build deep understanding of technical roles, teams, and technologies to effectively assess and communicate with candidates - Source directly across a range of channels and proactively build talent pipelines for difficult-to-fill roles - Craft compelling, personalized candidate outreach that reflects Protege’s mission, culture, and technical opportunity - Act as a trusted advisor to hiring managers, providing market intelligence, candidate feedback, and recommendations on search strategy - Drive a high-touch candidate experience with clear communication, strong follow-through, and thoughtful closing - Partner with interviewers and hiring managers to ensure a rigorous, efficient, and consistent evaluation process - Identify bottlenecks and proactively adjust sourcing, process, or candidate positioning to keep searches moving - Maintain accurate candidate data, pipeline visibility, and recruiting activity in our ATS - Identify opportunities to improve recruiting processes, tools, and practices as the company scales WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE 30 DAYS: BUILD CONTEXT AND ESTABLISH MOMENTUM - Build strong relationships with hiring managers and develop a clear understanding of Protege’s technical talent bar - Learn our teams, products, technologies, interview processes, and recruiting priorities - Take ownership of multiple searches and quickly establish healthy candidate pipelines - Develop effective sourcing and outreach strategies for priority roles - Establish credibility with hiring managers through strong judgment, urgency, and communication 60 DAYS: DELIVER CONSISTENTLY - Consistently move priority searches from intake through interview and close with limited oversight - Build strong, qualified pipelines for difficult-to-fill technical roles - Demonstrate strong technical recruiting judgment and the ability to calibrate effectively with hiring teams - Provide hiring managers with useful market intelligence and actionable recommendations - Stay on pace with team recruiting goals, including time-to-hire and quality of hire 90 DAYS: BECOME A TRUSTED RECRUITING PARTNER - Be a trusted partner to hiring managers and leadership on technical talent strategy - Consistently deliver high-quality candidates and successful hires for priority technical roles - Anticipate recruiting challenges and proactively adjust strategy before searches stall - Improve sourcing strategies, candidate pipelines, interview processes, or recruiting practices based on what you learn - Contribute meaningfully to building a scalable recruiting function as Protege grows WHAT YOU BRING ABOUT YOU - 7+ years of recruiting experience, with significant experience recruiting technical talent - Proven track record of full-cycle recruiting in a startup or high-growth technology environment - Experience recruiting across engineering, infrastructure, AI/ML, data, security, or other highly technical functions - Strong technical sourcing skills and the ability to identify and engage highly sought-after talent - Ability to quickly understand complex technical roles and translate technical requirements into effective recruiting strategies - Strong recruiter instincts and judgment — you know how to assess talent, calibrate with hiring managers, and identify when a search needs to change - Comfortable owning multiple searches independently and operating with minimal direction - Highly organized and able to manage competing priorities without losing momentum or candidate quality - Exceptional written and verbal communication skills - Curious, tenacious, and proactive - Biased toward action and comfortable being scrappy when the standard approach isn’t working - High level of integrity and discretion when working with candidates and sensitive company information - You treat those around you with kindness BONUS IF YOU HAVE - Experience recruiting for AI/ML, data, infrastructure, security, or other highly technical teams - Experience recruiting in a Series A–C startup environment - Experience building sourcing strategies or recruiting programs from the ground up - Experience using recruiting data and metrics to improve search strategy and outcomes - Experience building inclusive hiring practices and expanding access to diverse talent PROTEGE VALUES Pass the Loved Ones’ Test We act with integrity and do the right thing — especially when it’s hard and no one is watching. Always Find a Way We are resourceful, resilient builders who solve hard problems and push through obstacles. Go Fast and Grow Fast Velocity matters. We move with urgency, learn quickly, and continuously improve as individuals and as a company. Practice Kindness and Candor We communicate directly and respectfully, building trust through honest feedback and genuine care for one another. Deliver Together We win as one team. Collaboration, accountability, and shared ownership drive our success. Own the Outcome. Hone the Craft. We take pride in our work, sweat the details, and continuously raise the bar for excellence.