Founding Lead Recruiter

About the Company This is a Series A, Y Combinator-backed robotics startup operating at the intersection of automation and renewable energy. The company builds robots that automate the most labor-intensive aspects of solar farm construction — directly addressing one of the biggest bottlenecks slowing the world's transition to clean energy. The team moves fast, thinks big, and is tackling a technically hard problem with real climate impact. About the Role As the Founding Lead Recruiter , you'll be the first dedicated recruiting hire and a founding member of the people function. You'll own talent acquisition from the ground up — building processes, pipelines, and candidate experiences that reflect the quality and ambition of the team. This is a high-ownership, high-impact role that will directly shape the company's growth trajectory. What You'll Do Build the talent function and recruiting processes from scratch Own the full end-to-end recruitment lifecycle — sourcing, screening, interviews, offer negotiation, and closing Partner closely with hiring managers across engineering, product, and leadership to prioritize roles and calibrate on candidate profiles Source and attract top-tier candidates for technical roles including embedded systems, mechanical engineering, and software engineering Design and deliver a standout candidate experience throughout the interview and hiring process Lead and iterate on the employee onboarding process for new hires Track and report on recruiting metrics to continuously improve pipeline health and time-to-hire Build employer brand and candidate pipeline for a fast-scaling hardware/robotics startup What We're Looking For Required: 5–10 years of recruiting experience, with a strong track record in hardware and/or robotics engineering roles (embedded systems, mechanical, software) Experience recruiting in fast-paced, early-stage startup environments (Series A or equivalent scale) Demonstrated ability to build and scale recruiting functions from an early stage Strong stakeholder management and cross-functional collaboration skills — you can work effectively with engineers, product managers, and executives Experience designing and leading onboarding processes for new hires Metrics-driven mindset with the ability to track, analyze, and act on recruiting data Proficiency with ATS platforms and modern HR technologies Excellent communication, negotiation, and relationship management skills Nice to Have: Passion for climate tech, renewable energy, or deep tech Experience with employer branding initiatives at an early-stage company Background recruiting from the robotics, autonomous systems, or advanced manufacturing space Location This role is on-site in San Leandro, California . Remote work is not available for this position. Visa sponsorship is not available. Why This Role Foundational impact — you'll shape the people function and culture of a technically ambitious company Work on a problem with direct, measurable climate impact Significant equity compensation reflecting your outsized contribution Fast-moving environment with constant opportunities for learning and growth