Technical Recruiter

Job description

At Linear, we're building the product development system for teams and agents. AI is fundamentally changing how software gets built, and we’re shaping the tools this new era requires. Founded in 2019, Linear has become the platform of choice for more than 40,000 companies (including OpenAI, Coinbase, and Ramp) to plan, build, and ship their products. Today, our team is distributed across North America, Europe, and Australia, and we’re continuing to grow internationally. What unites us is relentless focus, fast execution, and a deep care for software craftsmanship. Our Talent team is looking for an experienced and discerning technical recruiter to help build Linear’s next generation of engineering talent. This is a hands-on, high-impact role for someone who sees recruiting as a craft. Your primary focus will be growing our engineering team in North America. You’ll work closely with engineering leadership and our existing recruiters across product, infrastructure, AI, mobile, and emerging technical roles. You’ll own the full search, from mapping talent markets and activating networks through assessment, work trial support, and close. Linear engineers tend to combine technical depth with product judgment, craftsmanship, and significant ownership. Finding them requires more than matching resumes to requirements. We’re looking for someone who can recognize these qualities, reach candidates with precision, and continually sharpen their judgment through close partnership with our team. All recruiters at Linear are generalists and may support other functions as company priorities evolve, but engineering will be the primary focus of this role. Location & work mode Linear is a remote-first company, with optional co-working offices in San Francisco, New York, and London. This role is open to candidates based in North American (Eastern time zone), with a strong preference for the New York City area. Being in New York enables closer partnership with our growing local team, candidate events, and optional in-person support during work trials. We value deep focus and async collaboration, with intentional moments to connect in person through team off-sites, optional co-working, and occasional travel. What you’ll do - Partner directly with engineering leaders to understand their teams, develop hiring strategies, and own searches across product, infrastructure, AI, mobile, and other technical areas - Build consistent, high-quality pipeline through talent mapping, direct sourcing, referrals, and long-term relationship development - Identify engineers with strong technical foundations, product judgment, craftsmanship, and evidence of operating with significant ownership - Conduct in-depth recruiter assessments covering technical fluency, ownership, product sensibility, motivations, and alignment with Linear’s working environment - Maintain momentum through transparent communication, fast feedback loops, and clear ownership at every stage - Use funnel data, candidate feedback, and hiring outcomes to improve sourcing strategies and pre–work trial calibration - Maintain accurate, useful data in Ashby and ensure hiring partners have clear visibility into pipeline health, risks, and next steps - Contribute to how our small Talent team works, while remaining adaptable enough to support other functions as company needs evolve What we’re looking for - 5+ years of full-cycle technical recruiting experience, including hiring senior engineers at high-growth startups or product-led technology companies - Exceptional sourcing ability, with evidence of turning research, networks, referrals, and thoughtful outreach into qualified candidate relationships - Strong judgment about technical talent, product orientation, ownership, and the environments in which candidates are likely to perform best - The ability to build credibility with highly sought-after engineers and represent Linear’s opportunity with clarity and candor - A record of developing trusted, direct relationships with demanding hiring managers and technical leaders - Strong interviewing skills and the ability to distinguish polished interview performance from meaningful evidence of impact - Clear, persuasive written and verbal communication - High operating discipline, including thoughtful prioritization, reliable follow-through, accurate data, and fast feedback loops - Comfort working without heavy process on a small, distributed, high-performing team - Familiarity with Linear or other products and companies defined by exceptional software craftsmanship - A commitment to candidate experience, including the ability to deliver direct feedback and navigate complex or competitive closing conversations - Adaptable generalist who can quickly learn and support hiring across other functions (e.g., go-to-market) as company needs evolve What we offer We're a small, focused team that cares deeply about the quality of our work and the people we do it with. Here's what you can expect: - Competitive salary and equity - Employee-friendly equity terms including early exercise in the US and extended exercise windows - Daily meal and coffee stipend on every workday - Paid co-working space or desk - Health coverage (based on country requirements) - 5 weeks paid vacation - 4 months paid parental leave - Paid month off after 4 years & every 2 years thereafter - Regular team events and off-sites - Remote-first with no required commute Learn how we think and work: - A story about our mission: Read Me https://linear.app/readme - Our hiring process: How we hire at Linear https://linear.app/now/how-we-hire-at-linear - How we work: Designing remote work at Linear https://linear.app/now/designing-remote-work-at-linear - Designer Fund: How we use AI in design https://designerfund.substack.com/p/ai-design-linear - How Linear uses Linear: How our Customer Experience team works in Linear https://linear.app/now/cx-in-linear - A video series: Conversations on Quality https://linear.app/quality - Building our teams: Why and how we do work trials at Linear https://linear.app/blog/why-and-how-we-do-work-trials-at-linear - Our recent Series C Fundraise https://linear.app/now/building-our-way and Giving our team liquidity https://linear.app/now/giving-our-team-liquidity-through-linear-s-first-tender-offer Linear is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate based on race, color, religion, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic under applicable law. A note on recruitment fraud: all official Linear hiring communication comes from an @linear.app http://linear.app email address, and all open roles are listed at linear.app/careers http://linear.app/careers. We never ask candidates for payment or financial information. Suspicious messages can be reported to security@linear.app.